question about fomes preparation....

[Martyn]

I've just gutted out and peeled a couple of tinder fungi - man, what a job! I went out last week to a local spot looking for fomes, but got nothing. I found plenty of standing and lying dead birch, but no fomes. However, my mate from work came up trumps. He got a couple from Manifold. I'm gonna split the amadou with him once I've prepared it.

Anyway, the fungi were quite wet and cutting out the polypores and shaving off the skin was like trying to shave a foam kip mat - very rubbery and squeaky. I cant help feeling I lost a fair bit of amadou, by trying to harvet it when it was too wet. My question is, what is the optimum state to harvest the amadou? Should the fungus be dried first, or is it better to cut it out when wet?

Also, how do you know when you've boiled it enough? I boiled it for about 20 minutes just really to see what I'd got and the amadou was quite putty-like, but some was still quite tough. I got the feeling that these fungi would not need much boiling to get em to the point where they could be beaten out quite a bit. Is it possible to over boil em?

Also, any tips about how much saltpeter to add to the boil? I have plenty, but I dont want to make the amadou go off like a firework.

tia.

 

[Neanderthal]

Hi Martyn,

Amadou prep according to RM.
--------------------
Best collected when they are young when the apex can be easily depressed with the thumb.
Cut out the trama layer, this is the bit you need.
Put in water and bring to boil.
Simmer for 24 hours.
Gently pound into flat sheets.
Boil for another 24 hours in concentrated solution of hardwood ash or rub ash into fungus until it is dry..
------------------
Not sure what the situation is like these days for buying saltpetre. You could always extract it yourself from manure, or not.

I was suprised how difficult it was to cut the outer bits of this fungus. Just shows the difference between what you think you know and actually performing a task.
I'm still trying to find a spot to keep a fire going for 24/48 hours, I live in a smokeless zone . Sounds like a job to do on a meet.

Stu

 

[Martyn]

Hi Martyn,

Amadou prep according to RM.
--------------------
Best collected when they are young when the apex can be easily depressed with the thumb.
Cut out the trama layer, this is the bit you need.
Put in water and bring to boil.
Simmer for 24 hours.
Gently pound into flat sheets.
Boil for another 24 hours in concentrated solution of hardwood ash or rub ash into fungus until it is dry..
------------------
Not sure what the situation is like these days for buying saltpetre. You could always extract it yourself from manure, or not.

I was suprised how difficult it was to cut the outer bits of this fungus. Just shows the difference between what you think you know and actually performing a task.
I'm still trying to find a spot to keep a fire going for 24/48 hours, I live in a smokeless zone . Sounds like a job to do on a meet.

Stu

Wow, that's a lot of boiling. What is it we are trying to achieve by the boiling process?

I dont know if you can still get it, but you can buy small quantities of slatpeter from sausagemaking suppliers. Seems a lot easier than collecting cow pee.

 

[Stew]

I presume you've seen Patrick's tutorial Martyn?

Fomes Fomentarius Tinder Production

 

[Martyn]

I presume you've seen Patrick's tutorial Martyn?

Fomes Fomentarius Tinder Production

Yeah, thanks I've seen it. The fungus I'm trying didnt look much like his though, I think it may be some other variant of a bracket or birch polypore, it was certainly a polypore and did have a trama layer. It looked like a fomes a bit, but was flatter than most I've seen pictures of. It was also quite soft and wet. I've boiled the trama for about 5 hours and clubbed it to death, but I dont think it's gonna end up like soft chamois leather - the few small bit's i've dried, were very woody. We'll see.

I'm just about to give em a last boil in saltpeter solution.

 

[Martyn]

Well, I stewed the amadou in saltpeter for about half an hour and now it's drying. It'll take a few days to dry I would think as I didnt wring it out. I left the amadou as wet as possible so the water would evaporate and leave as much saltpeter in the amadou as it will take.

I did try drying a tiny bit in the microwave - big mistake. After about 10 seconds it started to spark and it caught fire. Note to self: - stuff soaked in saltpeter and microwaves dont mix.

 

[Stew]

I did try drying a tiny bit in the microwave - big mistake. After about 10 seconds it started to spark and it caught fire. Note to self: - stuff soaked in saltpeter and microwaves dont mix.

You don't say!

I would thnk the airing cupboard would be a better option...

 

[Toddy]

Well, I stewed the amadou in saltpeter for about half an hour and now it's drying. It'll take a few days to dry I would think as I didnt wring it out. I left the amadou as wet as possible so the water would evaporate and leave as much saltpeter in the amadou as it will take.

I did try drying a tiny bit in the microwave - big mistake. After about 10 seconds it started to spark and it caught fire. Note to self: - stuff soaked in saltpeter and microwaves dont mix.

I'll remember that

there, there,


M

 

[Martyn]

You don't say!

I would thnk the airing cupboard would be a better option...

Yeah, on reflection, there is the potential for a Darwin award in that isnt there?

I possibly overdid the saltpeter too. It was a bit of an unknown, so I put a couple of tablespoons of saltpeter into about 750 mls of water. That is possibly a bit too much.

I think one level tablespoon would've been plenty.

 

[Martyn]

Quick update, the amadou has finally dired and it works - sort of, well at least I can get a spark to catch and the ember grows and it can be blown into a flame, so in that sense it works. But I think the only reason the ember grows, is because the stuff is saturated with saltpeter. It dried to a very stiff, woody consistency, is this normal? I also have to rough up the amadou an awfull lot and it takes many, many strikes to get lucky and have a spark catch - is this also normal? By comparison, using charcloth is like using a rag soaked in petrol.

 

[gregorach]

Well, I haven't tried it with flint and steel, but that certainly doesn't sound right. Mine is fairly flexible - not quite chamois, but I certainly wouldn't call it woody. Did you get all the pores off completely? They seem to spoil the amadou if you leave them on...

How thin is yours? I think it benefits from being pounded out really quite thin. Although I've only done one batch, and only tried igniting it with a swedish firesteel, so I'm by no means an expert...

 

[bartjen 2]

An idea a l have god from a goo friend. Put the fomes in a plastic bag for a couple off weeks, then you can peel away the outher layer very easy

:You_Rock_

 

[Toddy]

Didn't know that, Bartjen I have to give it a try, 'cos some of the big ones are a real pain to cut apart.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[hawsome34]

Hi all,

I'm far from an expert. But the Mrs doesn't like some stuff in the house.

During a visit to a site in work, I dropped on and was guided to a vast fungi. So I dutifully removed it, and explained to her what could be done with it. So I hade a fomes in a binbag in the garden, which let some water in this was over a week of bad weather. What it left me with, I could peel the spores off by hand, and the outer was a little rubbery, but took only 40 mins to prepare a monster 16inch wide specimen. When it is that damp, you can scrape the finally remains of any spores from the base, just use your knife, and it gives it back a nice edge. Just drying it out, so I can use some to carry a coal. Then gonna make a big batch. If its any good will post some out.

Just gotta get round to finding a place to have a fire for 24 hours, or use a chimnea in the garden??? charcoal smokeless. I'll see how it goes, and get back to yall.


And this was the first I had ever managed to find, well be shown....

 

[xylaria]

Yet another top notch dicussion, curtious of BCUK. I diffenently going to try the damp plastic bag trick.

I have just started learning firecraft, and I pretty bad at it too. I have found alot differant spieces of polypore can hold a ember though. I only thing i am usless at turning the ember back into fire. I use a pruning saw to harvest polypores, they are really good at bluntening knives. Has any one tried cutting them up with a flint tool?? I can only successful make flint scalpels so cant experiment until I am better at knapping

Modern lock away nappies are better a drying things than microwaves, and they are fire retardent.

 

[spamel]

I also harvest mine with a folding saw as they then grow back! I haven't tried the bin bg thing so I will give that a try next time. My amadou is far from perfect though, I don't think I have lit it yet with a traditional flint and steel, but the army fire steel gets it going.

I need more practice I think!!

 

[oops56]

Well i was going to get some of this today but it snowed it leave foot prints in the snow its not my land its across the road from me the tree been dead 2 or 3 years early spring i saw them on there they was to small the one in the middle is ready i can go out after dark and get it leave the small ones let them grow if the tree falls this winter i be there get the rest