Still sweating!!!!!!!

[merlin]

Just spent the last three hours in my kitchen producing some awfull noise and lashings of smoke but no fire!!!!
The Mk1 bow drill set I've made from the wood pile for my stove needs improvement!
The Mk2 will be better!

 

[Longstrider]

Check out the many threads on here and make sure that the wood you are using is the right sort of stuff for the job Merlin. I can normally get an ember within a minute with my various sets of drills and hearths, but use the wrong wood and you'll be there sweating forever...

I particularly like to use a hazel drill on an ivy hearth. Works almost instantly if the woods are well and truly dry.

 

[rich59]

If you have noise then you have either a lumpy tip to your drill, or more likely, a polished surface. Rub it down with something and try again with less pressure may improve things.

 

[merlin]

I have an ample supply of hazel and know of some ivy blown down in the last storm i shall give it a go

 

[Ogri the trog]

I have an ample supply of hazel and know of some ivy blown down in the last storm i shall give it a go

Well worth a go Merlin,
get it dried out for several days in the airing cupboard first and you should be heading in the right direction.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[leon-b]

i might cut some ivy tommorow, once split how long does it take to dry ?
leon

 

[merlin]

Picked my ivy nice length about 4 feet long 3 inch across but maneged to get a trip to hospital in the process forgot the simple rule to walk around something if you can, well I could and did'nt and ended up knocking myself out whith a little fall. I'm a pretty experienced out door type and have had a good reminder to always take as much care as possible outdoors as something small can turn into something life changeing or even life ending.
BUT I'm looking forward to trying this ivy out.

 

[falling rain]

A little tip if you're not in any rush for your Ivy. If you can identify a nice piece of Ivy attached to a tree it can be a bugger to get off the tree when alive as it clings very hard. Cut it through with your saw a foot or so from the ground and leave it for a few weeks/months to die. When you go back you should be able to pull off the dead Ivy from the tree quite easily and have a long piece to use for your hearths. You'll also be doing the tree a favour to get rid of it from 'strangling' the tree. Woodsman do this to protect trees.

 

[merlin]

the ivy i picked had been cut some time ago and has seasoned well so was easy to pull from the tree, the wind fall i had originaly thought of using was to far gone and had gone soft.
Seems to be a bit of a problem by me all the the trees in the area i go to walk my dog are coverd in verry mature ivy cant get my hand around it 3-4 feet from the ground.

 

[Ogri the trog]

... the wind fall i had originaly thought of using was to far gone and had gone soft.

Even this, when dried out to get "woodpunk" can assist in firelighting. and is a good ember-extender.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[merlin]

many thanks will give it a go once i'm back on my feet

 

[merlin]

at last made fire with bow drill, I used ivy board and ivy drill. I split the ivy for the board and used a 10" length of centre wood from the other bit and a hazel bow, It worked in a mater of seconds, stinks a bit and verry choking smoke.
hand drill next, any tips?

 

[rich59]

Ivy smoke is my least favourite. Oak is the best (but hard to get an ember with).

Well, well, well, done. Excellent.

Sure you are ready for the hand drill? Don't want to try other woods? Show other people? That would consolidate your new found skills.

If you look back on the forum to about a year ago I wrote "virtual hand drill tutorial" that covers a lot on the hand drill.

 

[merlin]

I will continue to use the bow drill untill I master it its only early days yet but will start to look for the materials for the hand drill while i'm out,
I will change the wood when I get the art of fire with a bow drill spot on, I think it would be troublesome to try and change things untill I understand what effect it's going to have, I'm not going to know if its me or the wood at the moment??
I'll look for the thread you posted and let you know how i got on.

 

[rich59]

Right on!!!

 

[merlin]

Is it just me or has this winter so far just been a long autum??