Secrets of the hand drill - revealed

[Borneo Wildman]

Goeff - I have been on some foraging walks recently to get some raw materials ready for intensive practice at hand drill method. I cannot find Mullein anywhere. From the book I have it looks massive and I am sure I would have noticed something as obvious. What kind of places does it grow?

You mentioned in your thread that hand picked samples will be arriving in a few days - did you mean that they will be drying and ready to pick soon or were you offering to send a sample to those needy (keen) souls out there?

If so, perhaps I can point out that today (3rd) is my birthday! So anyone who wants to send me bits of stick through the post is most welcome...I can give my address in a PM.

PS I will of course pay for postage

 

[Jeff Wagner]

I find mullein growing in fields and along wood edges but I find most of it along motorways. With its tall straight stalk and fat seed head its readily identifiable from the car. I'm almost certain I saw some between Heathrow and Cambridge.

A quantity of spindles and basswood hearthboards are on their way across the water at this moment. Please check availability with Survival School UK in a few days and tell Jonny Crockett I sent you...

I still have not had time to put up a video for viewing. Intended to have this done by now but as with so many things competing for my attention its still waiting. I'll be off on a black bear hunt next week likely out of touch.

 

[Hoodoo]

It's pretty common around here...

 

[tomtom]

reckon you could put some of that ebay hoodoo and make a quick buck with an imaginative 'as used by RM' title!

its fairly comon down here in devon too!

 

[Jeff Wagner]

Hand drill heaven!!

 

[Borneo Wildman]

Jeff - thanks for the tip off, I know Jonny and live only about 15 miles from him, so I shall be in touch. Wanted one of your firepistons for ages too...

As for the Pics guys - I can't believe the number of Mullien there. Not exactly endangered. Nothing like that over here. I was reading in Tom Brown's Wild, edible and medicinal plants, a story of him as a child hiding out in the burdock thickets. Stories of getting lost in them and sitting out of sight! I do find burdock here, but lucky to find more than three at once. I have a secret source that are good to eat and quite easy to dig up, but not telling anyone

 

[Borneo Wildman]

Following in from the amazing pictures from Hoodoo - I do find a lot of Foxgloves growing around here and it is pretty dry and dead now. Does anyone have any experience using the stems? I'm no good to try until I have mastered the technique.

 

[rich59]

Following in from the amazing pictures from Hoodoo - I do find a lot of Foxgloves growing around here and it is pretty dry and dead now. Does anyone have any experience using the stems? I'm no good to try until I have mastered the technique.

Mullein - I read somewhere that it was a native of Europe and the UK and was introduced into USA. Presumably due to lack of natural predators it is reported to have become quite a pest there. By the look of the pictures I see what they mean! In the UK it seems more sporadic. It is supposed to have amazingly long lived seed - 100 years or more - which probably accounts for the odd ones that come up in my garden - between 1 and 3 per year. Last year I scattered 1000s of seeds in certain areas and none came up this year. My decendants may curse me!

Foxglove - I did have a go at this last autumn. I was defeated by the triangular cross section of the stem with a large cavity in the middle in the specimen I tried with. Mullein is nicely round in cross section.

 

[Hoodoo]

It's a biennial so the first year you should look for rosettes. Flower stalks the next year.

 

[rich59]

It's a biennial so the first year you should look for rosettes. Flower stalks the next year.

Thanks. Yes, and no sign of the little grey green furry little leaf clusters at ground level either.

 

[rich59]

I have been thinking about why I find hand drilling easier than bow drilling. One thing I suspect is a great help is moistening my hands for drilling and during drilling. That way I get a very good grip on the drill so that little energy is wasted in pressing my hands together to keep them from sliding down the shaft.

 

[storm]

regarding the foxglove, last year i tried it many times. it always seemed too fragile and hollow--i never got anywhere near a generated ember with it...

 

[Borneo Wildman]

Thanks guys for the advice. I won't be trying to learn using Foxglove then! I have had a little success (some smoke and a little black powder) from some dried teasel. To my surprise it generates quite a bit of heat. Just need to work on the technique and stamina a bit.
Also collected a load of different material to dry and try. Burdock stem, budliea, willow, teasel, sycamore, and witch hazel. I will have a go at all of them and if any work, post my excitement!
Any tips welcome.

 

[rich59]

Also collected a load of different material to dry and try. Burdock stem, budliea, willow, teasel, sycamore, and witch hazel. I will have a go at all of them and if any work, post my excitement!
Any tips welcome.

Go with the buddliea first - that is my favourite for hand drill from your list there.

Well done with the teasel - I have found it tricky so far - fairly fragile and hollow stem, but maybe I haven't found a good specimen yet.

What are you drilling onto and how big is the diameter of the teasel end?

 

[rich59]

I have had a little success (some smoke and a little black powder) from some dried teasel. To my surprise it generates quite a bit of heat. Just need to work on the technique and stamina a bit.

Further thought here. Wow - you got smoke. That is the main battle won if the setup is right to eventually succeed. The next challenge is actually easier than that. Aim to get a little smoke coming on and off with some intermittent drilling while you are recovering your breath. As the drill/ hearth junction heats through it should become easier and easier. Aim for at least a couple of minutes of this.

Finally, when you and the drill feel ready, give it all you have got for about 3 passes down the drill. Then sit back and reflect.

Do you moisten your hands intermittently to keep a good grip? Damp flannel or the good old tongue are equally effective.

 

[Jeff Wagner]

I am back from a week of bear hunting in Maine and will try to get a video up for viewing. You will simply not believe how easy this is with a mullein spindle and basswood. Once the hearthboard has been burned-in you should expect to see smoke after the first pass and a coal by the fifth - and good blisters by the 7th...

 

[Alberto Hernandez]

Bravo Jeff
I am looking forward to your video and hopefully some pictures too!

To those of you who are learning the hand drill. My advice is when you
start to spin the drill do not bother to spin all the way down the drill at
first simply spin the drill at the top or near the top of the drill and once
you beging to see a good amount of smoke then go head and spin
fast and with lots of down ward pressure as you travel down the drill!
That technique help me learn the hand drill method of friction fire making
years ago when I was teaching my self!
It also reduces fatigue!
Best wishes to All
Alberto

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Hi all;

Been away from BCUK for awhile (computer died). Still trying to get used to this new forum format.

Anyway, my 2 cents worth. I have been doing hand drill fires for 9 years. (First one 10/21/96- pretty obsessive, eh what?). Anyway I've used quite a few different materials, although no where near what Storm has used, but one of my favourite combinations is American Basswood (Tilia americana) and Common Teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris). I mention this because you have Tilia europea and I think one other of that genus and I believe you also have the Teasel. There are not many better combinations than this.

I find the single biggest problem people have with hand drill coals is they try too hard. GOTTA GET THAT COAL!, and as a result all their muscles are tensed up, in particular shoulders and upper arms - end result, premature muscle fatigue.
Concentrate on relaxing the muscles.

Also, concentrate on working your hands down the drill. I use a drill that is approximately 40" long. I use a field measurement of from the ground to my navel. My feeling is that too much emphasis is placed on applying pressure downward. I find that just concentrating on working my hands down the drill, takes care of the pressure needed. If you put too much pressure on the drill, the charred powder becomes too coarse, requiring higher temperatures for ignition.

One other thing, I read in one of the posts to keep your hands damp. Don't be shy, spit on them, just don't get them too wet.

BTW, my fastest timed coal was 15 seconds, almost double what the record is apparently (8 seconds - Alan Halcon) but I am more concerned about getting a coal when I need one than on breaking any records.

Speaking of records, I kept records of the first 500 coals, including dates, types of materials, difficulty, and anything else relevant. I suggest you do the same as it's really helpful when the memory comes up short.)

Anyway, hope that helps,
If you have any questions, and you feel shy about posting, feel free to email me. Address is in profile.

Also you may want to check out PaleoPlanet

http://p081.ezboard.com/bpaleoplanet69529

There is currently discussion about hand drill fires.

Doc (Canada)

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hi all;


(First one 10/21/96- pretty obsessive, eh what?).
Speaking of records, I kept records of the first 500 coals, including dates, types of materials, difficulty, and anything else relevant.
Doc (Canada)

Doc,
Remembering your first time is just good memory.....
....Keeping records of your first 500.....now thats obsessive

I'll definately be checking out the paleoplanet site.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[rich59]

Bravo Jeff
I am looking forward to your video and hopefully some pictures too!

To those of you who are learning the hand drill. My advice is when you start to spin the drill do not bother to spin all the way down the drill at first simply spin the drill at the top or near the top of the drill and once you beging to see a good amount of smoke then go head and spin fast and with lots of down ward pressure as you travel down the drill! That technique help me learn the hand drill method of friction fire making years ago when I was teaching my self!
It also reduces fatigue!
Best wishes to All
Alberto

Hi Alberto,

Welcome to Bushcraftuk. Agree with everything you say. However, the ability to get enough downward pressure to get smoke with spinning just at the top can take some learning as well. Some people call it "floating". I think that having a variety of techniques to spin the drill is invaluable as you use different muscle groups and therefore get less muscle fatigue overall. Using thumb loops is another variation that can help in a similar fashion.

One thing that really helped when I was learning was to drill with a power drill. One could then have confidence that your setup of drill, board, notch etc will work if you get it right.