Overlooking the Obvious?

[Brian Curnel]

I live in a place where the humidity hangs around 90+% year round, and most of the time it takes a bit of work to get a nice coal. However in say the desert SW of the US where humidity hangs about 30-50% much much easier so I accomodate the method to the temperate climate around me. A bamboo saw is great in the wetter climates, hand drill in arid for example. Does anyone have a special technique in different climate ranges?

 

[BOD]

I live in a place where the humidity hangs around 90+% year round, and most of the time it takes a bit of work to get a nice coal. However in say the desert SW of the US where humidity hangs about 30-50% much much easier so I accomodate the method to the temperate climate around me. A bamboo saw is great in the wetter climates, hand drill in arid for example. Does anyone have a special technique in different climate ranges?

Well I do it in the outback and in the equatorial rain forest and use the same technique, even the same thickness of drill and board the only difference being that I am real careful to have dry material between the ground and the board. Of course it is slower in the jungle.

What diffrence in technique do you use?

 

[rich59]

The UK has a reputation for being damp. Gets more grey skies than anywhere on earth I understand. I find I have adapted my fire lighting to routinely damp conditions. Hand drill - elder seems to work all year whereas many otherwise good drills fail when they absorb damp from the air. In dampest weather a thin hardwood hearth board can quickly dry out with the heat from friction.

My tinder of well rubbed leaves and a lid on top works very well in damp condtions.