quest for the amadou (I'm all mixed up)

[milius2]

I've been lurking around and reading various threads about amadou making. There are so many opinions and ideas that it had me all confused and lost. I found this beautiful piece of Horse Hoof and want to make some Amadou out of it. But before I spoil it I want your help

So here it is:

you can se the layer of amadou very clear here:

I got rid of all the rest and now left with the best

I want to try DIFFERENT METHODS on the same piece and find out whats the best recipe.

1. I will soak one part of it in salpetre solution.
2. I want to boil it in ash.

How long should I boil it in ash?? I know it should be kept in salpetre for a few weeks. Is that right? What do I do next?

Andy

 

[Hugo]

I'll be watching this thread as I'm interested in what others say.
Go ahead chaps enlighten us.

 

[Stringmaker]

I have been dabbling with amadou myself recently.

It seemed that the consensus was soak it, boil it, bash it, dry it.

There is also an alternative where you don't need to process it at all, just slice it, "fluff it" and use it. If that works, why bother going down the other road?

I mentioned it yesterday but it's relevant to this discussion so I'll link to Paul Kirtley again for those interested:

http://paulkirtley.co.uk/2011/easy-way-to-use-fomes-fomentarius-as-tinder/

 

[Toddy]

The top corky layer is what you really want, but the rest isn't waste, it's good to keep a coal burning.

It only needs to soak in saltpetre long enough to absorb as much liquid as it can. It doesn't need days or weeks. It's a solution that will etry to equalise through the medium, so if the fomes is a bit dry to start with it'll pull in the saltpetre a little more quickly.

Again with the ash. It's an alkali, and you can make it with soda just as easily. That's why folks sometimes use urine, it ages out to ammonia, that soapy feeling to water with any of these in it, that's alkaline.
You simply want the fomes to take up the alkalinity, soften and make it's fibres raise so that it catches a spark.
Some folks don't even boil it, they just sit quietly rubbing hardwood ashes into the fomes, softening it with their hands as they do so.
Others bring it to the boil and simmer for a hour or so, then leave it alone in a covered pot overnight, then remove and beat it soft.

The aim is a soft, cohesive, thick, chamois leather feeling piece of fomes.
How you get there............well, that's up to you

best of luck with it
cheers,
Toddy

 

[Thenihilist]

Save yourself some money, pee in a bucket, place fungus in Bucket, let it soak for a day then dry it.

Worked for me.

 

[Stringmaker]

Save yourself some money, pee in a bucket, place fungus in Bucket, let it soak for a day then dry it.

Worked for me.

It's probably how Otzi did it as well; no point in complicating things!

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Otzi had a bucket?



Tried the urine, which worked, tried soaking it in cold water with ground up hardwood (oak for me) charcoal (most effective) and just as-is, which also worked.

Preparing it with ash was the most effective. Some prepare their Amidou in sheets the usual way, and then rub in ash around the campfire over days/weeks.

al.

 

[Toddy]

Oetzi probably used the ash

Ammonia is a good degreaser, that's why it's used for cleaning wool and washing.
It needs time for the urine to become 'stale' however. Big pots, buckets, and the like are time heavy to make and source the makings. They aren't cheap consumables as nowadays.
Ammonia will degrade some things too........leather goes squidgy in it so that rules out bladder bags for instance.
Pottery's fine, but it needs firing, and big pots are not so simple to do.

All those hours of darkness through Autumn, Winter and Spring.........folks can sit by the fire and work at things like fomes quite easily.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Edventure]

I made some amadou a few weeks ago. Being the impatient type I just filled a pot with wood ash and water and boiled for a couple of hours. When cooled I gently bashed the amadou into flat sheets. After drying on a stove for a couple of hours I tried it. It catches a spark beautifully and creates a very hot ember. Job done!

 

[Golb]

You need to get the potash out of the ash. What I used to do is to put the ash in a pot or bottle and fill it with water. After 24 hours the potash is dissolved in the water. After filtering you have water with potash. In that water I boil the amadou for 10-20 minutes. Get the amadou out of the pot and smash it until it is very thin. Let it dry. There is no need to boil the stuff for 24 hours (and thus consuming lot's of wood and energy), but you need to give the water enought time to dissolve the potash from the ash.

 

[Ogri the trog]

The easiest method of preparing amadou that I have ever been shown is simply to squeeze & stretch the fresh, sliced trama with occasional finger dips into ash and water - a little like squeezing dough in your fingertips. When dried, it is just as good and any other preparation method I've seen apart from the addition of saltpetre.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Deaner666]

Can the same be done with birch polypore? I seem to remember hearing it can be used to make amidou but not sure at all of the process?

 

[21st century pict]

I’am not 100% convinced that that is a horses hoof, tinder fungus you have there, Bracket fungi yes but Fomes fomentarius ?
Perhaps it’s just the picture...
.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Thats an interesting point... Looking back at the first piccy, it looks more like Ganoderma applanatum or Artists Conk.

As said, it could just be the piccy though.

 

[milius2]

FACEPALM!!

The Big Lebowski, you're right. I thought it a was bit too big and too flat for what I've found before. Now I know why...... Anyway, the materials look similar, I got half of it in salperte solution, after a few days I'll dry it and see how it works... Maybe, just maybe it'll catch sparks.. I'm left with charcloth for now

 

[Toddy]

This fungi will work much like the fomes, so don't fret.
In some areas one is more prevalent than the other so folks just used what they had.

atb,
Toddy

 

[The Big Lebowski]

As Mary said... also, Its what I use!

Yes, it catches a spark, burns well and does the job the waste makes a great ember extender for bowdrill.

al.

 

[the interceptor boy]

I an not an expert, my way of using horse f is simply cut all the crusty bits when it still green, dry it for a week, then slice it thinly like a piece of apple its ready to go and light it with a fire steel or lighter, you can also make a nice night candle by melting a very small piece of pine resin on the fungus and it will burn for ages or the whole night, very good deterrent against mosquitoes and midges, and smell nice also, try one as you have so many pieces there. cheers the interceptor boy. try it before you slate me.!