Natural Tinders

[Chris the Cat]

What have you got in your list! (UK to start with!)
Want to see how many overlap with my list,and pick up some tips!
Cheers.
Chris.

 

[Toddy]

Right now ?
Mine was in my bag this weekend, but the Festival was sodden and I opened it up to dry out the pouch...............thistle down, a bit of greater reedmace, birch bark, firecrackle ( I think this stuff is mallow might be greater willowherb) flax, and a bit of piptoporus betulina.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Chris the Cat]

Damn,only got two of those!!
Cheers!
C da C.

 

[TJRoots]

i've used birch bark, fat wood and honeysuckle. birch bark is definately my favourite one

TJ

 

[ocean1975]

Managed to light a fire last night with a flint and steel for the first time .I used dried grass and thistle down,worked a treat.

 

[timtom1]

Birch bark, chared cotten and amadou, but might get some thistle down the flint and steal works great with the chard cotten.

 

[Peter_t]

anybody else used the bark from leylandii cypress trees? fluffs up realy well
ok you can't find it growing wild but it sure is in alot of gardens

pete

 

[alpha_centaur]

Whatever I can find handy:

The list includes/ has included:

Dead leaves, leaf skeletons
Dried Grass
Willowherb fluff
Twine found on the beach
Birch Bark
Fluffy seed heads (whatever's about)
Punk (didn't work very well)
Charcloth
Bog cotton (one of my favorites with cracklesticks)


I'm not fussy really if it burns I'll use it, if it doesn't I'll try something else.

 

[British Red]

I remember charring punkwood in a tin having read about re-starting fires from firedogs somewhere on here. It worked really well as a charcloth replacement - messy though - you need to put it on a leaf and strike sparks onto it. But at elast you can "re-charge" you char tinder when out.

Round here, another great tinder is travellers joy bark (wild clematis). King alfreds cakes are evrywhere and start well from a firesteel but generally need to be dried a bit for flint and steel.

Red

 

[alpha_centaur]

travellers joy bark (wild clematis

Do you happen to know if theres' a reason behind the name?

 

[Goatboy]

Do you happen to know if theres' a reason behind the name?

Hey Alpha,

Quote from plant press "This wild clematis is a beautiful plant with masses of creamy-white flowers followed by the much more prominent feathery seed heads, which have given it one of its many other names: old man's beard. These last through much of the winter, festooning otherwise bare wayside hedges. Perhaps this is why the plant is also known as traveller's joy."

Cheers
GB.

 

[Mang]

There was a lot of downy stuff coming off the Poplar trees near me late spring which worked. Also, try charred Cat Tail and Thistle seed, the tin smells of fence preserver when you open it and there seem to be 'blobby bits' in them (especially the Cat Tail) which burns well.

 

[Chris the Cat]

Thanks all,some interesting ideas!
C da C.

 

[Brown Bear]

Lets not forget the bracket fungus. And I like to scrape a dry stick into a pile of curly shavings...catches a firesteel spark really well.

 

[welshwhit]

I have some nice birch bark, but from an ornamental birch at a garden centre, works very well

Drew

 

[dwardo]

Dried ivy bark and holly leaves are the only ones that spring to mind besides the above.

 

[Toddy]

I didn't know about holly leaves The damned things are a pest in my garden, redding out under the holly is a sure fire recipe for sore hands. What do you do with them ? Crush them or just gather a dry handful ?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Asa Samuel]

Managed to light a fire last night with a flint and steel for the first time .I used dried grass and thistle down,worked a treat.

I tried that the other day, the thistle down burned up before I had even put my fire steel down, then blowing on the embers that were left just made them burn out!

I'll keep trying

 

[BushcraftBaird112]

bulrush/Cattail
cotton wool - of coures!
feather sticks
dry grass
sweet chestnut innner bark
dead pine needles
Jute

 

[Iona]

Not exactly native... but the dead dry fronds on the palm trees in my garden (old tennant, don't ask) are brilliant. You can take them straight from the tree, and even in damp weather they're protected enough to light dead easily, I just tear them into really thin strips... Only thing the damned trees are good for other than depriving veggies of light and nutrients!