Wanted - Prepped Amadou Tinder

[blue_boy]

Hi, I was wondering if anybody would like to swop some prepped amadou tinder for –
2 x 200g bundles of long leaf pine fat-wood sticks
2 x 50g bags of trimmed long leaf pine fat-wood pieces
2 x 10g bags of long leaf pine fat-wood tinder dust

You can read about long leaf pine at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatwood

I would like to swop all the above for whoever offers me the most ready prepped amadou.

Thanks for taking the time to look at this post.

 

[blue_boy]

Nobody seems to want the long leaf pine.... So i could include some pound notes as well? Because i dont have much more than the long leaf stuff to swop.

again, Thanks for looking

 

[passengerplanetearth]

What do you want it for, if you don't mind me asking?

Al.

 

[blue_boy]

Hi Al, I am going wild camping / kayaking in scotland at the begining of june and end of july. I am making up fire starting packs up for every one who is going. So far i have got Fire Steels, Char Cloth, Long Leaf Pine Fat Wood Sticks and Dust. I have just sorced some flint, strikers and oakum tinder from the states and would like to finish the set off with some amadou.

 

[blue_boy]

cheers for the reply Bert but i wanted to keep it as natural as possible. Making bow and hand drills with the flint & steel and fire steel as backup.

 

[passengerplanetearth]

Hi!

I think the only way you are gonna get hold of amadou is by making it yourself, which wouldn't be a bad thing, and you'd learn a lot along the way.

But if it's just natural firelighting tinder you are after, then perhaps you'd have more success if you lowered your sights a bit and concentrated your efforts on trying to find some horses-hoof fungus, the fungus from which amadou is extracted. If you can't find any locally there are plenty of members up in scotland where it's more common, perhaps if you ask they'll be kind enough to send you some?

You can either try to extract the amadou yourself or just use the fibrous layer directly under the roof, as it were, of the fungus, as a natural tinder.

Amadou is merely a compressed layer of this part of the fungus, and if you fluff up either you get the same result, a loose and very light and dry bundle of tiny fibres, like yellow/brown cotton wool, which will take and hold a spark from almost anything. The bees knees of natural tinder, as far as I'm concerned.

Have you ever handled amadou? Where did you learn about it?

Sounds like a fun trip, you must be looking forward to it!

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/gallery/data/500/medium/amadou6_Large_.jpg

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/gallery/data/500/medium/amadou5_Large_.jpg

 

[passengerplanetearth]

PS Here's a vid showing how to use the fungus.

If you ever manage to make or get hold of some amadou then it's exactly the same procedure. Though I don't suppose that anyone who has gone to all the trouble of extracting it, with all the hours of internet research, long weekends traipsing the forest looking for the fungus, and the skinned knuckles, blunted edges, and blood sweat and tears it takes to extract the amadou, is likely to hand it over for mere gold ;-)

Good luck.

Al

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGgZ6jpVnCo

 

[blue_boy]

Hi Al, Thanks for all the info mate. I have done all the reading up about amadou on the internet. I have been looking for some horsehoof for weeks now in my area, been round all the woods, fishing ponds but have'nt found a single trace of it. I am just started to take bushcraft up as a hobby, I am making my own fatwood pine and roasted spruce tinders and selling the for pea nuts on ebay. I have uploaded some vid's of them if you fancy taking a look and letting me know what you think?
The long leaf pine stuff i sorced from the states and i trim it up into 50g bags and also make dust from it.
I have spent many days in my garage making a homemade tinder, i made it out spruce, char cloth and cooking oil.
So my next step is gonig for the amadou, i wanted it before i went to scotland but because the was non around here i thought id try and trade for some. I now see its like gold lol.
So i am gonna get a few horsehoof's when i go to scotland in June and bring them home and see how i get on making it. Thanks for all your help mate and here is the links to them vids.

Longleaf pine vid
http://www.clipmoon.com/videos/122276b/longleaf-pine-dust-and-kindling.html
Homemadetinder vid
http://www.clipmoon.com/videos/117636c/homemade-tinder.html

 

[spamel]

Ditch the maya dust for starters, it's about as much use as a chocolate teapot. If you can't find any HH fungus, then try for some birch polypore, it grows everywhere. Cut it into strips and then thread it onto a piece of cotton and hang it up somewhere warm and dry for a while. If you collect enough, you could also make a strop for your knife. Also, try making a tinder tube, they are extremely useful for use with a flint and steel and is also traditional. I have some short lengths of fuse from fireworks boxes that works great as a slow match. they are probably two or three inches long and they will burn with a good hotr ember for at least 40 minutes. Considering how long you use it to start a fire, one fuse should last a good time. Look on the internet for them, it must be easy to come by. I'll be taking some to the Midlands meet for free distribution so grab some if you're coming along. Alternatively, use the wick from an old oil lamp, that works just as well if you can find it.

 

[blue_boy]

Thanks for the info mate, i will read up on all the stuff you listed later on. I am trying to learn as much as o can about tinder so thanks again mate.