tinder shavings

  • Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.

mr dazzler

Native
Aug 28, 2004
1,722
83
uk
Hello everybody from me new member Mr Dazzler. I am new to this survival/bushcraft stuff although I did a lot of outdoor stuff at school and in the scouts years ago. I've got some very good re-conditioned axes that are good enough to plane with (single bevel), and aim to build me a decent puukko-type knife (from a kit to start with) I read somewhere about a bloke who examines his axe/knife edges with a magnifier to check the quality. I had a (well knackered) camera which I butchered for its lenses. I was just going to keep the main ones to use for fire starting/edge testing (what a world opens up when you magnify a "sharp" edge even just 4 or 5 times!) However the best one turned out to be the tiny little viewfinder one which is only about 10mm long with a little "handle". It is about 8 or 10x mag. Using this tiny little lens and a geber diamond file I've rejuvenated most of my kitchen knives, and my 2 best axes are now even better. (but I still use a norton stone or waterstones for planes and chisels) What has all this to do with tinder shavings you ask?? :?: :roll: Well, I had just sharpened my best smoothing plane and was polish finishing some beech and some oak (I don't believe in sanded finishes only finely polish-planed ones cos the dust agravates me) The shavings were sooo thin and delicate (no where near the thickness of a rizler paper) I suddenly thought that'd make great tinder. I tried it with a lens and it worked in seconds. If I ever need to I'll maybe fill a baccy pouch with ash or birch shreds from my polishing plane.
 

Squidders

Full Member
Aug 3, 2004
3,853
15
48
Harrow, Middlesex
Maybe good advice for perfectly good, dry tinder...

I have a woodyard just down the road from me, I sometimes pop in there and get various shavings... so far I have about a kilo of fine, dry shavings of various types that start vary easily.

Just goes to show that you don't need to buy pots of "special" tinder for loads of money!

Cheers

Joe
 

TheViking

Native
Jun 3, 2004
1,864
4
35
.
Hi...

I use charcloth as tinder. The best tinder in my mind, but birch bark shavings are also good. :wink: I don't see any reason either to buy expensive tinders and charcloth is fun and free to make. :) :D
 

Squidders

Full Member
Aug 3, 2004
3,853
15
48
Harrow, Middlesex
free assuming that cloth is free that is... I have to pay for my cloth from old clothes I have brought to being severely beaten by my girlfriend when using anything else. I think it's good but for the work and preperation it takes not THAT good... after all... you need a fire in the first place and once you've done that... errr... isn't that the result you wanted anyway? :?:
 

TheViking

Native
Jun 3, 2004
1,864
4
35
.
Squidders said:
free assuming that cloth is free that is... I have to pay for my cloth from old clothes I have brought to being severely beaten by my girlfriend when using anything else. I think it's good but for the work and preperation it takes not THAT good... after all... you need a fire in the first place and once you've done that... errr... isn't that the result you wanted anyway? :?:
Yes, but it's fun to make... :D :biggthump And you can even light it with a small magnifyier. (It's almost impossible to light anything with the SAK magnifyer, I tried it)

IMO. :wink:
 

ScottC

Banned
May 2, 2004
1,176
13
uk
I use my charcloth with flint and an old file like the old american frontiersman.
It's much more satisfying than using a firesteel in my opinion.
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE