The Revenant. Movie firecraft fact or fiction?
- Thread starter MegaWoodsWalker
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Great little tutorial there! I've not seen the film yet but it looks great so I'll have to give it a watch soon. Looked a fun way to get a fire going and as the others have said I'd love a go myself if I ever get the chance 
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you could use the powder out of some fireworks john
Dismantling fireworks is illegal. Worth pointing out on a public forum.
I wonder if it would work with smokeless powder
Whittler Kev
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Done by Dave Canterbury as well after watching the film (Good film BTW) and RM says it's quite accurate in a interview I saw somewhere
Here's DC making the Revenant Striker
[video=youtube;0M-2wCglU9o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M-2wCglU9o[/video]
Here's DC making the Revenant Striker
[video=youtube;0M-2wCglU9o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M-2wCglU9o[/video]
Dry mixed BP powder components is 'meal' powder' which burns in a very inconsistent manner.
Pyrodex, real BP and smokeless propellants all have very carefully controlled particle size = predictable burn rate.
As a water/alcohol paste, that is forced through a screen for sizing and allowed to dry as Black Powder.
Smokeless and Pyrodex look extruded and cut to me.
It's a surface area/volume issue. Cannon BP is pea-size or bigger for commercial fireworks shells 8-12" in diameter.
Clearly, it has to 'push' rather than simply go 'bang'. Lifting a 12" shell to 1,200' for ignition takes a lot of push.
Pyrodex, real BP and smokeless propellants all have very carefully controlled particle size = predictable burn rate.
As a water/alcohol paste, that is forced through a screen for sizing and allowed to dry as Black Powder.
Smokeless and Pyrodex look extruded and cut to me.
It's a surface area/volume issue. Cannon BP is pea-size or bigger for commercial fireworks shells 8-12" in diameter.
Clearly, it has to 'push' rather than simply go 'bang'. Lifting a 12" shell to 1,200' for ignition takes a lot of push.
I don't think at counts as actually doing it. Within that video he did make a striker but didn't actually use it to start a fire. I believe in maybe 2013 he started a fire using flint and steel plus powder but that was with cedar bark and other materials brought into the field with him. Odds are he didn't find that rock nor knapp (my word for smash LOL!) it seconds before use in the field. Also did not use the tinder that was employed within the movie, dead grass foraged moments before. Cedar bark is worlds better than grass. God I love cedar bark!
Walking into the woods with just the carbon steel and powder with nothing more like I did is an entirely different thing than what DC did even if you combine both videos which are years apart. That said I believe he has the skills to do it as I am a just goofy goober. On a side note I believe there was a debate between the historical consultant and director. The historical person wanted to use an oval type striker as would have been the case if this actually happened however the director wanted something everyone could relate to so decided on a fork. Odds are they never packed a hardened high carbon steel fork back in the day given the cost of the material but then again wasn't there on all counts.
Also RM rules!
Thanks for looking brother!
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