wilderness firestarting, false !!

[rockrat]

hi all.
my first post here and i hope not to be too contraversial.
but, one of the issues i have is with friction firestarting. i have been dabbling with bushcraft for many years, and can succesfully create friction fire with my prepared kit.
but what i have not been succesful with is when i attempt to use woods and tinder found at the scene, rather than my prepared kit.

to me this is what friction firestarting is all about. Assume that you have nothing, your kitbag has been lost, and you literally have only what is on your person to build your fire.
obviously you will have your knife, and a shoelace to make a bow on your person.

but i would really like to see a online video, or a detailed explaination of what woods to look for etc, and any tips on how to use the resources around you to make the fire.

after all, when i go camping, even though i can friction start a fire, i dont carry my prepared kit. I take a lighter!!, why.... cos its smaller.
making firesticks is a given and simple enough, but getting the drill to work in wet conditions with recently found woods has eluded me

matt

 

[Seoras]

Hi Rockrat

Welcome to the forum.

You will get many answers to this and if you use the search facility you will find out a lot of information on the subject.

Personally I have found it difficult but not impossible. If you find dead ivy or clematis that is still hanging you have a ready prepped hearthboard requiring only splitting. Look for woodworm marks on ivy to spot the dead stuff.

I use hazel as it in abundance in my area as a drill and you can usually find a fairly dry piece to shape.

Put together with a bit of effort and you should get results.

Good luck

George

 

[rich59]

Crucial question Matt.

It's even harder if you have slip on shoes, or break the shoe lace.

With found wood - try and take it from dead standing wood, not off the ground. Assuming you get a kit together - take a long time over the first part of drilling - so that the warmth generated dries out the wood.

When I drill - hand or bow - I am mostly looking for a particular type of punk (black dust) and alter my technique until I get it. It needs to be powdery to touch and brown/ black. I am looking for the notch to be already filled so that new punk is just shuffling out sideways onto the top and I want it to be being produced fairly fast. That way it is good and hot. To get this I work to getting the drill/ depression hot and smoky, then settle to a good speed of drilling with minimal pressure from the bearing block. All vibration/ queeks need to have been got rid of as these shake up the pile and cause it to move away from the notch.

The more common aim of just getting a pile of black stuff as quickly as possible does not work for me with damp/ or unknown woods.

The hand drill is another option - only possible if you are well practiced and come across favourable wood in the area you are in .

 

[Biddlesby]

I'm just wondering, if you have the materials, if there is an easier way. Like flint and iron pyrities. There seems to be a lot of preparation involved in making a bow drill set - particularly with natural cord!

I am intrigued by the hearths in mors' book which do not involve any carving. Things like 'one hole'; two sticks binded together (I tried this without much success); and finding a natural notch where one stick grows out of another. I have yet to try them all out, but aim to.

 

[gregorach]

Well, the problem with flint and pyrite is that you need very good tinder. Fair enough if you're lucky enough to have chagga fungus around, but preparing amadou from hoof fungus is (a) a heck of a lot of work, and (b) seems to need fire to be done right.

 

[Carcajou Garou]

Rockrat, layer your fire starting abilities and equipment. I carry a ferro rod and striker, matches in a watertight container, but also I wear a medallion deer antler stub on a leather thong around my neck as a habit, the antler has an indent to act as a top socket and the leather thong now serves as my bow string. Split wet wood to find the dry wood underneath, dry wood is there if you look for it. Nothing wrong with carrying a belt kit of basics with you all the time.