Page 1 2 
Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
Reply
  
Friction/Primitive Fire
 Login/Join
 
Graybeard
posted
Anybody else practice friction or primitive fire making? It was a goal of mine to work on friction fire this year. I figured the bowdrill would be a good place to start. While hiking a couple of weeks ago I found a downed aspen and cut a section out of it. From that piece I cut my board, spindle and socket. I also found a good curved branch for the bow. I cheated a little by using 550 paracord instead of making my own cordage. It took several attempts but after about an hour and having to start a second spindle hole I had an ember. I took my time, fanning it and breathing life into it, then transferred it into my tinder nest. I blew on the ember a little longer and in a few seconds...FIRE!!! I was very happy!

I tried sage today and got an ember fast on the first attempt. The ember seems to burn out fast though. Since it’s a harder wood it doesn't produce as much wood punk before the ember is lit. After a couple more failures to light my tinder nest using the ember only, I used some cattail fluff for a coal extender which gave me a very good ember.

I have not used matches or a lighter to start a fire in years. Most of the time I use a flint and steel with char cloth. I have also used a fire piston, magnifying glass, an aluminum can and fero rods. It feels good to have another method available. Of all the different fire starting methods I have tried, I got the biggest thrill out of the bowdrill. I want to try a hand drill next.


Experience is the best teacher, hunger good sauce.
Osborne Russell Journal of a Trapper
 
Posts: 212 | Location: SW Montana | Registered: 17 December 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
posted Hide Post
Friction fire is something I've peen intending to try and haven't got around to. I've been using flint & steel with char cloth or cottonwood char and cedar or cottonwood inner bark for tinder. No sage here. Your post has inspired me to quit procrastinating.
 
Posts: 507 | Registered: 14 August 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Graybeard
posted Hide Post
Let me know how it goes Scoundrel. What has surprised me the most is how fast you can get an ember. Its usually less than a minute. Here are some other woods that I've read will work: buckeye, elderberry, ash, alder, birch, tulip poplar, sycamore, cottonwood, willow and juniper.


Experience is the best teacher, hunger good sauce.
Osborne Russell Journal of a Trapper
 
Posts: 212 | Location: SW Montana | Registered: 17 December 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Idaho Mountainneer
posted Hide Post
Hey Scoundrel, what is your cottonwood char.
I've been hearing a lot about making char with punk type woods, is that what you're talking about?
 
Posts: 330 | Location: Twin Falls ID | Registered: 29 January 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Graybeard
posted Hide Post
This is the best instructional video I've found on making a bowdrill set. Its by Dave Canterbury in an 18th century/longhunter video series. His demonstration and description of the spindle as a dull pencil with a slightly used eraser was very helpful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7n92XKn1M


Experience is the best teacher, hunger good sauce.
Osborne Russell Journal of a Trapper
 
Posts: 212 | Location: SW Montana | Registered: 17 December 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
posted Hide Post
When you talk about using sage,are you referring to the spindle?


Beer is proof that God loves us,and wants us to be happy-B. Franklin
 
Posts: 2014 | Location: Oreegun Territory | Registered: 24 March 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Graybeard
posted Hide Post
The board, spindle and socket are all sage. The bow and paracord is the only part of the kit that is not sage. I could have made a sage bow but this one was nearby and perfect. It took some looking but I found a dead sage bush with a large base that worked for the fire board. It was about double this width before I started cutting it. Sage is a little difficult to work with. When you cut the larger pieces they are "segmented" and you wind up with something a lot smaller than you started with. You can see this on the socket. I expect this piece to split between the two segments at some point. A smaller board would work or you could tie two smaller pieces together for a fire board.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: pab1,


Experience is the best teacher, hunger good sauce.
Osborne Russell Journal of a Trapper
 
Posts: 212 | Location: SW Montana | Registered: 17 December 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Deercop
posted Hide Post
a few years back I was helping as an instructor at a BOW (Becoming an Outdoors Woman)weekend at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, NM.
There was an older Native American gentleman there teaching the ladies primitive survival skills. I "think" he was a Jicarilla Apache.
He could get a fire started using a bow or hand drill incredibly fast. I had to try. With a little coaching, I could do it as fast as he could.
He used aspen as his spindle, but his "secret" was using a split piece of dry agave stalk for his board. This stuff is semi-hard and pithy, produces a long lasting ember.
Agave stalks might be hard to come by in most of the country. My walking staff is an agave stalk. Kinda nice to know that in an emergency I could split it and be able to start a fire.
 
Posts: 649 | Location: Clovis, New Mexico | Registered: 21 March 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
posted Hide Post
Hmmm,by that standard,it sounds like maybe Elder would be good for a board.....


Beer is proof that God loves us,and wants us to be happy-B. Franklin
 
Posts: 2014 | Location: Oreegun Territory | Registered: 24 March 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
posted Hide Post
Char made of cottonwood punk. A couple days ago one of my friends told me that chunks of charred cottonwood dug out of yesterdays fire would work as well, but I haven't tried that yet. Next week. Sorry about not replying sooner, but I've been rendezvousing about every week.
quote:
Originally posted by Idaho Mountainneer:
Hey Scoundrel, what is your cottonwood char.
I've been hearing a lot about making char with punk type woods, is that what you're talking about?
 
Posts: 507 | Registered: 14 August 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
posted Hide Post
A while back I read an account of using a slice of dried puffball to catch a spark, but won't know for sure 'till after the puffballs show up.
 
Posts: 507 | Registered: 14 August 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
posted Hide Post
When I was a Boy Scout, in 1976, I earned The Order of The Singed Eyebrow, which was an award given at Goshen Scout Camp-Olmstead for making fire three ways, none of which could be with matches or lighters. So I did flint & steel, magnifying glass, and bow & spindle. NEVER want to do the bow method again... sorry but waaaay too much work and I understood why Indians would carry fire instead of moving and then using the bow and spindle when they arrived. (I also learned how to use a car battery and 4-0 steel wool but that's a modern way to make the fire.) I've done it twice since then... still a pain in the arse... so my hat's off to you if you are endeavoring to master it.

LD


It's not what you know, it's what you can prove
 
Posts: 3843 | Location: People's Republic of Maryland | Registered: 10 November 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of woodman
posted Hide Post
Charred bits from out of your last fire as tinder work to catch a spark for firestarting. Carry in my tinderbox instead of charcloth.
 
Posts: 357 | Location: Colorado Territories | Registered: 20 March 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
posted Hide Post
Heh,I've gotten as far as using dryer lint,and cottonwood punk,dryer lint works better Wink


Beer is proof that God loves us,and wants us to be happy-B. Franklin
 
Posts: 2014 | Location: Oreegun Territory | Registered: 24 March 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
posted Hide Post
The best char cloth that I've made in terms of catching a spark I make from cotton quilt batting scraps. My wife is a quilter so it's always around. Don't believe it's quite right for a primitive doin's in this area though.
 
Posts: 507 | Registered: 14 August 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Graybeard
posted Hide Post
I tried a hand drill the other day. I used dry cattail stalks on an aspen board. I got smoke a couple times but the cattails wound up bending at about that point. Can't find any mullein around here so I'm going to try some willow next. I also plan to use a cottonwood board. So far this is making the bowdrill seem easy!


Experience is the best teacher, hunger good sauce.
Osborne Russell Journal of a Trapper
 
Posts: 212 | Location: SW Montana | Registered: 17 December 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
<mtnmike>
posted
Bless yer hearts Razzer I tried a "bow" a few years ago,and wore myself plum out,so this ole goat carries cotton balls and flint& steel to start my fires with,but like I says,,,bless yer heart iffin you can do it with the bow
 
Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Pilgrim
posted Hide Post
Haven't seen any mention of thistle. That stuff is flammable! I think it is like kerosene.
 
Posts: 51 | Location: kalispell montana | Registered: 23 September 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
posted Hide Post
Do you let it dry out and is it the stem or the flowers that are used?


The best thing about owning a dog is that someone is happy when you get home.
 
Posts: 959 | Location: Alabama | Registered: 09 December 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Pilgrim
posted Hide Post
It is dry. But could have a little color yet. I just pluck the stem and flower, but the fuzzy flower is what lights and burns.
 
Posts: 51 | Location: kalispell montana | Registered: 23 September 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
  Powered by Social Strata Page 1 2  
 


2014 Historical Enterprises, LLC