What is your preferred method of fire lighting.

Discussion in 'Bushcraft' started by sticks65, Jan 19, 2010.


  1. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Ive found that all the different types of birch bark i have used for firelighting worked really well with out adding any other type of tinder like dry moss,as i have said scrapping the bark to fuzz it up is the key.

    Ive also found that birch bark is a good all weather tinder as it is very flammable.
     
  2. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    My successful experience is limited to mostly paper birch without fuzzing it up. It's good to know they all will work; never thought to do a bit of scraping. Thanks. And BTW, welcome aboard.
     
  3. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    I think they call the birch the woodman's friend as it is a tree of life so to speak,you can drink the sap without any type of filter and it has natural sugars and vit C.

    You can chew the leaves to sooth a head ache.

    You can use the bark to make fire.

    And make containers from the bark and the wood is great for carving cups and spoons etc.

    Thanks for the welcome.
     
  4. hog

    hog Drinking Mampoer.

    .[​IMG]


    Got to be flint and steel, either with char cloth or cramp ball fungus.
     
  5. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Hows it going Boet.

    Good to see your still using the flint & steel method..

    The steel looks very familiar LOL.[winkthumb]
     
  6. hog

    hog Drinking Mampoer.

    Ja this is the steel you made me, still throws the best sparks of the 3 I have got.[winkthumb]
     
  7. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Very excited to have some new members with old knowledge. Welcome to the monkey!
     
  8. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Thank you very much and i hope we can add to the mix.
     
  9. hog

    hog Drinking Mampoer.

    Ja thanks will have a propper scout round this site.
     
  10. Allen

    Allen Monkey+

    My favorite way is a flare gun. You could just use the flare shot, but it's not as much fun.
    I have used 10 gauge copper wire wrapped around a log & a battery, got to be careful when holding the wire.
    When I lived in Wisconsin I had a woodburning furnace, used to save the rags from oil chances to help it start with a match.
    Did I forget to say I live dangerously.
     
  11. pcc

    pcc Monkey+

    Lots of good info here. I was debating about whether to get one of the blast things or not. Think I'll wait on that now.

    My 9yo has a cub scout skills test coming up this weekend and one of the skills is fire making. They want them to use the ferro rod and dryer lint method. We were practicing lighting fires a few days ago when he asked how many other ways there were to light fires without matches.

    So I brought out my magnesium starter, a bow drill, a 9 volt battery and steel wool and my favorite when I was a kid a magnifying glass. I got a 5" magnifier cheap at northern tool that will burn through a 1x4 on a clear day.

    He got the magnesium and the 9 volt and wool no problem, the bow drill wore him out he could get it hot just not hot enough, then I showed him how to use the magnifying glass. He had a fire going in seconds then proceeded to burn designs in a 1 by that he found in the yard.

    I split a bunch of lighter pine (fatwood) to take this weekend, was just listening to the forecast and there's a 70% chance of rain saturday night. A dozen tired, wet, stinking kids and me in a beer free zone. Oh joy.
     
  12. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Your doing a great job teaching your young one fire lighting skills bud,good on ya.
     
  13. pcc

    pcc Monkey+

    Thanks sticks, we were practicing again this afternoon and had several of the other kids from the area over watching and they all had to try. Only one successful (beside my son) was a 11 yo girl. She definitely let all the boys know who could start a fire.

    She even called her dad, who she says can't start a fire with matches and lighter fluid, to come see. When he arrived, she went into great detail telling him the exact steps we went through to get it started. He looked over at me and said she started a fire doing that, I told Ron she sure did.

    Meanwhile my son is showing the boys how he can burn his plastic army men in half using the magnifying glass. Ron looks over at him and ask, can you start a fire with that, my son says sure and piles up some pine needles and has a fire going in a few seconds.

    Ron looks over at me and says, you're going to have to come over and show me how to start a fire, I can't even get one going in my fireplace with lighter fluid. My son pipes up and say I'll come show you Mr Ron. The look on his face was priceless.
     
  14. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Man This is just great.

    Looks like Rons going to be getting his daughter to light the fire until you teach him how to make fire.

    [beer]
     
  15. Akheloce

    Akheloce Monkey++

    Anybody who wants a good experience in practicing survival techniques/ starting fires in adverse conditions needs no less than to go Caribou hunting every fall in Alaska... it's not just practice, it's for real.

    I'm kind of the forgetful type, so I rarely remember to bring all of the cool toys to build a fire with in the "survivalist" kind of way. As a smoker, I always have a couple Bic's on me, and a knife. That coupled with wood (when you're not above the treeline) and I'm all set. While killing time, I make a BUNCH of fiddle heads.

    For those who don't know what those are, it's when you take a piece of wood, and start shaving thin strips near the end, but not all the way off. Do that several times, and let the shavings curl on the end while still connected to the main hunk of wood. After six or eight curls are made, give one good shave to take the whole thing off. I make about 25-30 3" fiddleheads at a time, and keep them dry until ready to light. The cool thing is that it can be wet outside, but the wood inside a stick is still dry.

    The biggest mistake people make when starting fires, is not having enough tinder and kindling ready. I gather a pile at least 2-3 times the size of the fire I want. I adjust the fire build with conditions, but I can usually have a good sized fire going in about 15-20 minutes in windy/ sleeting conditions.
     
    IR192 likes this.
  16. mtscott

    mtscott Monkey+

    I keep matches, a lighter, a sparking tool, a sandwich bag of dryer lint and some cotton balls slathered in Vaseline placed in a film canister in my pack. I keep this along with a sturdy knife, a cable saw and small hatchet. Not really how I start a fire but the tools and supplies that make it easier.



    - Scott
     
  17. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Good advise Bro.

    We call the fiddle head feather sticks in the UK.
     
  18. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    I collected some pine resin ysterday,its great for fire lighting,I mainly use it when theres not much tinder around.

    I collect what tinder I can find and add some resin to the tinder once it is lit,It will burn for longer giving the wood plenty of time to catch a flame.

    A pine burl full of resin.
    [​IMG]

    A tub of resin.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Resin ball.
    [​IMG]

    I also found some fatwood and flints.
    [​IMG]

    Close up of the fatwood.
    [​IMG]

    Fatwood burns like mad,you can make feather sticks with it or scrap small pieces off of it which will take a light from a ferro rod.
    [​IMG]
     
  19. pcc

    pcc Monkey+

    My 9 yo made his first fire without any help at all from me yesterday afternoon. Used his ferro rod, tinder and lighter pine he found in the yard. He had a nice fire going within a couple of minutes.

    Made me proud.
     
  20. sticks65

    sticks65 Monkey++

    Id be very proud to,good for him[applaud]
     
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