mullien hand drill?

[wolf]

Hi,i have my mullien spindle dried out,but what hearth board should i use?Thanks..

 

[Jeff Wagner]

I have great success with basswood, but I think willow would also be a good choice. I do a little test to see if my parts have good friction qualities. Even before expending the energy to do a burn-in I will twist the spindle back and forth against the hearthboard. A squeaky sound and gritty feel tells me its a good set.

 

[rich59]

I mainly use plain, ordinary commercial softwood.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I have identified mullein stems, but they're only about 14 inches tall and with quite a bend in them - not the giant straight examples that I've seen discussed.

Ogri the trog

 

[dliwehtfollac]

you probably have regular mullien...you want great mullies for the behemoth stalks

 

[den]

I find that Lime(Tilia cordata), gives me the best results when using mullein stalks.

Den

 

[Jeff Wagner]

I have identified mullein stems, but they're only about 14 inches tall and with quite a bend in them - not the giant straight examples that I've seen discussed.

Ogri the trog

You can straighten them with heat. Using thumb loops will help to overcome the short length problem.

 

[Ogri the trog]

You can straighten them with heat. Using thumb loops will help to overcome the short length problem.

I had thought of that Jeff, do you use thick or thin cordage, and how do you secure it to the top of the stem? I'm nervous of crushing the stem as well so how much downward pressure do you use?
I've tried the technique using an old "Port Orford Cedar" shaft but didn't get past the whisp of smoke stage and that was pushing quite hard at the end!

Won't be back home for a few days so can't put any advice into practice 'till next week - but if its written here I can refer to it

Cheers all

Ogri the trog

 

[Jeff Wagner]

I have fashioned a collar that slips down over the shaft to which the leather loops are attached. Its a handy little gadget but to be honest I think the same can be accomplished by simply attaching the cord using a hitch knot. Go gently with the downward pressure as it is quite possible to overdo it and frazzle the end of the shaft.

 

[rich59]

For a thumb loop I use a length of cloth, made into a loop and then tied onto the drill with a clove hitch. This can give you a single loop for one thumb. You could also tie a 2nd one on.

 

[wolf]

thanks for all the info...

 

[Alberto Hernandez]

Hello Mr. Wolf
If you are new to hand drill fire making, I will recomend to make your mullein spindle as smooth as posible to reduce blisters while you learn. You may want to use sand paper for that. To help you with traction you can use some pine pitch on your hands or just some elmer glue!
If you have any more questions just let us know!
Good luck!
Alberto

 

[wolf]

cheers will do.