Hi all,
Last week I managed to create my first coal with a bowdrill in my backgarden (after first reading some of the bowdrill threads on this forum). I was so pleased just by looking at the glowing ember that I totally forgot that my three year old daughter Jools was watching it all. She stepped forward and blew the magic all to smithereens. "Wijfuurmake!" ("wemakefyer!") she proclaimed
So last evening I prepared myself by first putting both of my daughters in bed before I tried again. And it worked! My first attempt gave me a coal and with the help of some shredded toiletpaper and fluff from the dryer ("urban bushcraft") I blew it into flames. I was so happy I could have cried. Actually I did cry because of all the noxious fumes that blew me in the eyes whilst blowing the coal (how come noone has ever told me that the smoke from your first fire will attack your face?). It felt for a moment as if the world revolved around those orange flames that I held in my hand. It was magic! After that I made another one with a different heartboard (birch).
I still smell like a smoked salmon today, A very content smoked salmon that is,
Tom
O yeah: at the first attempt the spindle & hearth were made from hazel, the bow was a piece of horse chestnut and I used a limpet shell as a bearing block
Last week I managed to create my first coal with a bowdrill in my backgarden (after first reading some of the bowdrill threads on this forum). I was so pleased just by looking at the glowing ember that I totally forgot that my three year old daughter Jools was watching it all. She stepped forward and blew the magic all to smithereens. "Wijfuurmake!" ("wemakefyer!") she proclaimed
So last evening I prepared myself by first putting both of my daughters in bed before I tried again. And it worked! My first attempt gave me a coal and with the help of some shredded toiletpaper and fluff from the dryer ("urban bushcraft") I blew it into flames. I was so happy I could have cried. Actually I did cry because of all the noxious fumes that blew me in the eyes whilst blowing the coal (how come noone has ever told me that the smoke from your first fire will attack your face?). It felt for a moment as if the world revolved around those orange flames that I held in my hand. It was magic! After that I made another one with a different heartboard (birch).
I still smell like a smoked salmon today, A very content smoked salmon that is,
Tom
O yeah: at the first attempt the spindle & hearth were made from hazel, the bow was a piece of horse chestnut and I used a limpet shell as a bearing block