What is wrong with me

[Stevie777]

When i was a kid in my teens i would, well a few of us would go into the woods at night from around 5 till midnight. All we carried was a couple of news papers and a lighter. We always had a fire going in minutes. We did do some prepping during the day.

It was the early 80's so whoever was unemployed at the time would head down during the day and bundle up the firewood for the evening.

Never once did we fail to get a fire going, Rain, Hail, Shine. 2 foot of snow. it mattered not We had that fire roaring within a half hour and it would last until it was time to head home.

Roll on 30 Years,

1. Lighters..2 off one with what can only be described as a fighter jet engine inside.
2. Fire Steel, 3 off
3. Fire Pump
4. Char Cloth
5. Cotton buds covered in Petroleum jelly
6. Amadou
7. bag off Old mans Beard
8. Bag of wood shavings
9. small bag of small kindling sticks
10. That's about it...I think?

Honestly..Has wood suddenly became flame proof in these past 30 years. Why the need for all this crappola now. I know how to get a fire going with a Daily News Paper and some twigs. What is Wrong with me.

 

[HillBill]

Advertising and marketing!!!!! And mans desire to spend money.

 

[Stevie777]

Advertising and marketing!!!!! And mans desire to spend money.

I blame The Rise and Rise of Survival Shows....and youtube/the tinternet.

 

[HillBill]

Same thing

 

[JAG009]

1. Lighters..2 off one with what can only be described as a fighter jet engine inside.
2. Fire Steel, 3 off
3. Fire Pump
4. Char Cloth
5. Cotton buds covered in Petroleum jelly
6. Amadou
7. bag off Old mans Beard
8. Bag of wood shavings
9. small bag of small kindling sticks
10. That's about it...I think?



Why the need for all this crappola now. :

Nothing wrong with you at all ,,all that crappola as you call it,,,, is just fun to play with

 

[allrightscud]

I've often wondered how easily delinquent kids with lighters can get a good scrub fire going on waste land but when I try to cut, clear and pile my scrub it takes forever to get a good fire going. And needs constant attention or it burns out in the middle. Next time I need to clear some ground in my old over grown orchard I'm going to get one of the local vandals to do it for me.

 

[Ruud]

in the list of crapola are some traditional ways in which our ancestors started their fires. Us 'playing' with them keeps those skills very much alive. Getting a fire to light with the tiny spark of flint or a self-drilled ember teaches you a lot about natural resources which can be made into good tinder. Recognizing the right natural materials allows us to light a fire without the newspaper. But I do get your point

 

[didicoy]

I blame the daily newspapers for making it too easy back then, blame the chipshops for no-longer recycling newspapers anymore. I blame 24/7 mass production of gas lighter machines, who neither take the day off, nor a ten minute smoking break. Seriously though. Most of us over a certain age, remember trying to make the last couple of damp or broken matches, do the job of making a campfire. I wish I had known then what I know now. What you describe is overkill unless its needed.

 

[Stevie777]

The only thing i havn't used to start a fire from that list is the fire pump. I mostly just use the lighter, but i always take old mans beard and wood shavings to get things started.

 

[falcon]

in the list of crapola are some traditional ways in which our ancestors started their fires. Us 'playing' with them keeps those skills very much alive. Getting a fire to light with the tiny spark of flint or a self-drilled ember teaches you a lot about natural resources which can be made into good tinder. Recognizing the right natural materials allows us to light a fire without the newspaper. But I do get your point [/QUOTE

Spot on and very much the philosophy many of us like to pursue. I did the newspaper etc thing nearly 50 years ago when we cooked toast by the brook on the edge of the wood....wonderful memories. But how much more satisfying is it now to develop an understanding of natural materials, how to process and use them and achieve some control of a situation where no newspapers etc are available.

 

[ammo]

I think doing it in the right manner, trying out different techniques and materials. Is half the fun.

 

[Stevie777]

Maybe as we get older we appreciate more just what our ancestors (not so long ago) had to go through to attain fire. Maybe that's what we are after.?

The fire is the by-product of our efforts. Creating the spark/ember being the most satisfying part of the process.

 

[Swallow]

1. Lighters..2 off one with what can only be described as a fighter jet engine inside.
2. Fire Steel, 3 off
3. Fire Pump
4. Char Cloth
5. Cotton buds covered in Petroleum jelly
6. Amadou
7. bag off Old mans Beard
8. Bag of wood shavings
9. small bag of small kindling sticks
10. That's about it...I think?

What? No paracord bootlaces for making bow drills?

 

[redandshane]

"Honestly..Has wood suddenly became flame proof in these past 30 years. Why the need for all this crappola now. I know how to get a fire going with a Daily News Paper and some twigs. What is Wrong with me. "

Well only you can tell us that and i have a feeling you will

 

[Stevie777]

What? No paracord bootlaces for making bow drills?

Of course, but that would be a last resort. Sweating like a Bombay taxi whilst trying to make fire driver is not my idea of fun.

 

[Swallow]

When i was a kid in my teens i would, well a few of us would go into the woods at night from around 5 till midnight. All we carried was a couple of news papers and a lighter. We always had a fire going in minutes. We did do some prepping during the day.

It was the early 80's so whoever was unemployed at the time would head down during the day and bundle up the firewood for the evening.

Never once did we fail to get a fire going, Rain, Hail, Shine. 2 foot of snow. it mattered not We had that fire roaring within a half hour and it would last until it was time to head home.

Roll on 30 Years,

1. Lighters..2 off one with what can only be described as a fighter jet engine inside.
2. Fire Steel, 3 off
3. Fire Pump
4. Char Cloth
5. Cotton buds covered in Petroleum jelly
6. Amadou
7. bag off Old mans Beard
8. Bag of wood shavings
9. small bag of small kindling sticks
10. That's about it...I think?

Honestly..Has wood suddenly became flame proof in these past 30 years. Why the need for all this crappola now. I know how to get a fire going with a Daily News Paper and some twigs. What is Wrong with me.

Actually......

the only things the same as your orginal set up are 1 & 8. 1 providing the flame and 8 providing the Flinder (Tinder that will take a flame).

Both are man-u-factured.

9 is something you have decided to take with you now that you didn't before. So arguably unnecessary.

4 & 6 are examples of Sminder (Tinder that will take a spark and smoulder).

2 is something that will produce a spark

3 produces something that will smoulder

7 I can't actually remember but think it take a spark or a flame.

In Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds he shows that wood doesn't actually burn.

What happens is that when at the right temperate wood will emit Flammable Gases.

So in order to start a fire you need to get wood hot enough to emit those gases and ignite them.

Forest Fires start when the wood is hot enough that it is pouring out these gases and just a bit hotter and they ignite on their own.

In UK get a nice damp cold day and a bit slightly damp wood and you'll be a doing a lot of work to get the wood those gasses emitting.


If you think about it...... that is how a lighter works. It is emitting Flammable Gas and a hot spark ignites it.

The firemaking process is done in under a second.

As soon as you get a flame on the lighter the firemaking process is over, but the process of keeping it going has just started.

Newspaper is going to work pretty well for the next stage of keeping it going because....

it's dry
there's lots of it
there's lots of surface area
it's got flammable gas in it
it's got good consistency.


Nothing's changed in 30 years.

It's just that all the other stuff you mention is stuff that can be used to go through the various stages to reach a flame when you don't happen to have container of gas in your pocket.

Question

Does using newspaper mean you don't have to be so careful about what your first layer of wood is like?

(because the newspaper will be way more forgiving about this in the quantity of heat is produces to get the gases emitting from the firewood).

 

[humdrum_hostage]

mans desire to spend money.

And make FIRE! UG-UG!

 

[DocG]

Maybe as we get older we appreciate more just what our ancestors (not so long ago) had to go through to attain fire. Maybe that's what we are after.?

The fire is the by-product of our efforts. Creating the spark/ember being the most satisfying part of the process.

Plus one for the enjoyment and satisfaction.