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ARTICLES FROM 2007
Entry #1 January 2007
TINDER by Tim MacWelch
Copyright © 2000 as Earth
Connection Handout Series 1
ALL TEXT, PHOTOS, AND GRAPHICS ARE PROTECTED BY
COPYRIGHT. NO PART OF THIS WEBSITE MAY BE COPIED OR REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE
PERMISSION OF EARTH CONNECTION, LLC.
Let's start with tinder, or tindle as some fine folks call it.
Tinder is dead, dry plant based material that is capable of turning a coal,
ember or spark into
a flame. Tinder is one of the foundation pieces for all forms of friction fire
making. It is just
as important as the weather conditions, or the woods being used in the fire
making kit to
start the fire. Without some form of tinder, coals cannot grow to be fires. Fortunately,
there are always materials that can be processed, or used “as is”, for tinder. I
always tell
students that “If there is wood to burn, then there is tinder.” Even friction
fire kits
themselves can be shaved and scraped to produce wood shaving tinder.
All of the natural tinder used for fire making should have several things in
common.
• First - It should all be dead, but usually not rotten, plant based materials.
Rotten
plants usually lose more and more of their fuel value as they decompose. But
there
are always exceptions. Just remember ... dead ... plant based ... materials.
• Second - It should be as dry as it possibly can be. In rainy weather this may
mean
finding a few scraps at a time, even one leaf at a time, and KEEPING the tinder
dry
while you search for more.
• Third - It should be light, airy and have a lot of surface area for it's mass.
In other
words, it needs to be fluffy. Materials that are not fluffy should be processed
in some
way to increase their surface area so that they can reach their combustion
temperature
as quickly as possible.
The following are just some of the many of sources for tinder.
Grasses
Most of the hundreds of species of grass native and introduced into our country
can
be used alone or mixed with other tinder for good results. Use the leaf blades
and seed tops
primarily, and the stems and stalks secondarily. Most dead grasses make
excellent tinder.
TINDER PROCESSING
Usually there is not much processing needed for grass to become tinder, if it is
dry
and broken off above ground. If the grass is pulled up out of the ground, the
damp roots
and lower stalks should be cut or broken off. If there are seed heads on the
grass, the seeds
should be shaken out if possible, as the seeds are not flammable. The grass must
be dry and
it needs to have died on it’s own. Live grass that is cut and then dried retains
a lot of
nitrogen, which is naturally flame retardant. If the grass is damp, place it in
the sun to dry.
The wind may also help as long as the humidity is moderate to low.
TINDER USE
Grass can be coiled around to form a birds nest shaped tinder bundle. This is
easily
done by hand with most grasses. The average size of the grass bundle is 6 inches
across, 3
inches thick, with a depression in the center. The finer materials should be
placed in the
center to provide the best fuel for the coal.
Grass is very vulnerable to dampness and may not light or stay lit if damp. And
if
very dry , it can burn much faster than other tinder, possibly so fast that it
doesn’t have time
to light the twigs and small fuel used for fire making. For example, an average
sized bundle
of “Barbed Swamp Grass” leaf blades can burn into ash completely in less than
ten seconds,
which is hardly enough time to light some fire lay materials. But don’t let
these problems
discourage you from using grass as tinder. It is so abundant; it is an easily
renewable tinder
resource and usually needs no processing to be used.
Leaves
Most dead leaves from trees and plants can be used as a good tinder. The
tolerance to
dampness varies among types of leaves and level of decay, but leaves are usually
somewhat
damp resistant.
TINDER PROCESSING
In dry weather, leaves are best harvested up off of the ground, as they will be
the
driest around. Frequently, twigs with dead leaves still attached to them can be
found
hanging on branches and shrubs in the woods. Also, many members of the beech
family (Red oak, White oak, Beech, and others ) hold on to a lot of their leaves through
the winter.
When it is raining; look under leaning tree trunks, rock overhangs, in hollows
at the
base of trees, in the dry center of piles of brush and leaves, under evergreen
trees and other
sheltered spots to find dry leaves. If the leaves are damp, place them in the
sun to dry. The
wind may also help as long as the humidity is moderate to low.
Drying and crumbling are the two main processes to turn dead leaves into useable
tinder.
TINDER USE
Leaves can be crumbled to make a core in other types of tinder. Leaves can also
be
used alone to form a tinder bundle by crumbling some to make a core of fine
material and
then using whole leaves for a wrapping on the outside to make a shell. When in
use, these
tinder bundles are folded up and resemble a leaf “taco”.
A coal is placed in the crumbled core of one of these bundles, folded and air is
blown
in at either end or around the edges. Blow through the gaps in the leaves and
stay with the
spot that produces the most smoke until the tinder ignites.
As with most tinder bundles, when the coal is in the bundle, don’t manipulate
the
bundle by opening and closing it, as this may cause the coal to fall apart and
go out. The leaf
tinder bundle is one of the most susceptible to losing the coal from
manipulating the bundle
too much.
Pine needles
The dead needles from most Pines and similar evergreens like Cedars and Cypress
can
be used as a tinder. Pine needles handle dampness very well, perhaps better than
any other
tinder. Because of the small amount of flammable pitch in the needles, they
should burn
well unless soaking wet or rotten.
TINDER PROCESSING
Pine needles usually need no processing other than drying, although some
pounding
will split and shred the needles, increasing the surface area of the longer
needled species of
Pine. Pine needles can be collected under the protection of their trees or from
sunny spots
where they collect from blowing in the wind.
TINDER USE
Pine needles can be used alone, mixed with other materials or used as an outer
layer
on tinder bundles. If using only long pine needles, make sure the bundle is like
a tightly
packed torch and the spot for the coal is flat and solid. If the needles are
loose they will cut
the coal up as it falls down through the bundle. If the needles are small or
loose, use them
mixed with some other tinder as an outer bundle.
A core of some other material would be best for the pine needle tinder bundle.
Inner and outer bark
The dry inner bark from countless dead trees and plants can be isolated and
processed
into some of the best tinder materials. The dead inner bark from trees and
branches of Tulip
Poplar, Cedar, Juniper, Mulberry, some Oaks and other woods can be processed
into great
tinder. Some outer barks can also be used such as Cedar, Juniper and finely
shredded Paper
Birch. Plants that are known for cordage material such as Milkweed, Dogbane and
Fireweed
can also provide inner bark tinder.
TINDER PROCESSING
Inner bark can be processed by pounding, tearing, twisting, scraping and/or
buffing.
Outer bark also can be processed in the same ways. Pounding is usually the best
way to fluff
up barks, except Birches, which should be shredded as finely as possible. When
processing in
any of the ways listed above, catch the fine fibers in some container and use
them as the core
of the finished bundle. These fine fibers and dust will, make the best fuel.
TINDER USE
Bark can be coiled around to form a birds nest shaped tinder bundle. This is
easily
done by hand, and the average size of the bundle is 6 inches across, 3 inches
thick, with a
depression in the center. The finer materials should be placed in the center to
provide the
best fuel for the coal.
These inner barks can be among the longest and steadiest burning tinder and are
good
for most, if not all conditions.
Weed tops and seed down
The dead tops from many plants can be used as tinder. Some tops such as
Goldenrod
have several grades of tinder in their top. Goldenrod has a fine down that is
surrounded by a
papery chaff, which is on slender twigs. These mixed grades of tinder can burn
furiously and
serve as an example of how different grades of tinder burn so well when mixed
together as
tinder bundles.
Seed down can also be used as a tinder, although it usually doesn’t produce
flame on
its own, it usually just smolders. Seed down from Thistle, Cattail, Milkweed and
even a few
trees like Cottonwood can be used. Seed down can also be used as a coal
extender.
TINDER PROCESSING
Weed tops usually need no processing. Seed down may need to be removed from
pods, fluffed and shaken to remove seeds which are not flammable. It is a good
idea to drop
or plant these seeds to renew the resource you are using.
TINDER USE
Weed tops can be mixed together into bird nest shaped bundles, with the finer
material in the center. There may need to be some outer layer to hold loose
materials
together. Any dead, dry leaves or fibrous tinder should make a fine outer layer.
Seed down can mixed through out any tinder bundle for one quarter, up to one
third
of its volume. It can also be used as an inner core for tinder bundles.
Wood shavings
Another tinder can be made from the fire woods, themselves. Wood shavings can be
the driest tinder around in perpetually wet areas. The inside of standing dead
wood is usually
dry under the bark and below the surface of the wood.
TINDER PROCESSING
Fine wood shavings can be scraped from most dead, dry hard and soft woods with
steel and stone knives or scrapers. The wood needs to be dead and dry in order
to scrape and
burn properly. Use something underneath the branch or log to catch the shavings
and scrape
away from yourself to prevent injury.
TINDER USE
The shavings can be held in a bundle of coarser tinder, or packed tightly for an
all
wood shaving tinder bundle. A typical birds nest shape is good, unless the
shavings are too
small to hold together. If the shavings won’t hold together, use them in some
other tinder
as a core or mixed through the outer bundle. This is the most labor demanding
tinder to
make, but if there is fire wood to burn, there is tinder to light it.
Southern Tinder
Many unusual and sometimes excellent types of tinder can be found and utilized
in
the south eastern parts of the United States.
The textile or fabric like bark of certain Palm trees can be an excellent tinder
when ripped
apart; or folded and used as it is.
Some Coconut shells have a fiber in their husk that makes a suitable tinder and
the dried
husks can be used as “fire wood” where fuel is scarce.
Certain mosses, such as dead and dry Spanish moss, can be used as tinder when
mixed with
other tinder. But be aware that the small, red bugs living in the moss are
probably Chiggers,
which will bite into your flesh.
The Gumbo Limbo tree has a papery bark that readily peels off the tree and
resembles a red
colored Birch tree. This papery bark can be shredded and used for tinder.
Dangerous tinder
All smoke is carcinogenic ( cancer causing ), so take care not to breathe much
smoke
when handling and blowing on tinder. However, some good looking tinder should
not be
used at all because of toxic smoke. Black locust inner bark is toxic and can
cause a headache
when used. Large, old Poison ivy vines are covered with a fuzzy, brown fiber
that appears like
a tinder source, but even handling the fuzz will cause the rash of Poison Ivy to
those allergic.
Burning Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac or Poison Oak leaves can even more dangerous.
The
smoke can carry the toxic oils into the lungs, and cover exposed skin and
clothing.
Not a tinder
Animal based materials like hair and fur always seem to show up for Hollywood
survival
movies and shows. But hair and fur cannot stay lit when fire is applied to them.
They can
burn up in a fire, but they cannot burn on their own. Unless
they are soaked in grease, that is. But that's just the grease burning.
The end :)
Entry #2 February 2007
Modern Bow Drill Strings by Tim MacWelch
Copyright © 2000 as Earth
Connection Handout Series 1
ALL TEXT, PHOTOS, AND GRAPHICS ARE PROTECTED BY
COPYRIGHT. NO PART OF THIS WEBSITE MAY BE COPIED OR REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE
PERMISSION OF EARTH CONNECTION, LLC.
The string on a bow drill may be the most beat up,
misunderstood and abused piece of any friction fire making system.
So many people that I meet tell me about their struggles with clothes lines,
electrical wire, boot laces, leather thongs, parachute cord, hand wrapped
natural string and so many other strange (and not so strange) pieces of cordage.
Between the hemispheres of "neo-primitive" and "para-military/survivalist" cords
that are commonly used by today's primitive skills enthusiasts, there are some
common problems.
- Your string is too skinny! Bow drill cords need a lot of
traction to grip the drill so that the drill will not slip. Skinny
strings have less surface area and therefore less traction than their
stouter counterparts. Skinnier cords also break quicker (usually)
under the tremendous burden of being torn back and forth by a bow and drill.
3/16 of an inch to 1/2 of an inch is a good range of size for bow drill
strings.
- Your string is too slippery! Again, we need traction on the
drill so that it will spin even when we are pinning it down between a hand
hold and fire board. Parachute cord, nylon boot laces and other
"plastic" cord is engineered to be slippery so that it can serve it's
intended function. Survival guru's love their parachute cord (and it
is fine for many tasks) but it's my last pick for bow drill cord.
- Your string is too fuzzy! Bailing twine, jute cord, hand
wrapped cord made in the field and other furry cord often rip themselves in
two because loose fibers hang up and rip out during bow drilling. This
is caused by careless, inattentive technique on the fire maker's part.
The bow must be tilted at an angle so that the string does not rub on itself
while wrapped around the drill. Tilting the bow does cause the string
to ride up and down the drill during bowing, which is awkward. But
awkward is better than out of commission due to a broken string. Try a
smoother surfaced string if you can't quite get the hang of this angled
drilling.
- Your string is just not strong enough! Commercial leather
strips and laces look great on a fire kit, but looks are where they stop
being great. These animal fibers are very short, broken down by the
chemical tanning process and cut with no consideration of grain. They
stretch out, but not back. They break very quickly. Please give
me slippery parachute cord over this short lived string. Making your
own rawhide , dried intestine, buckskin or other animal fiber string can
provide you with a very strong string, but it won't last forever. If
you're making one, you had better go ahead and make several while you're at
it.
Also, cotton cord will break with surprising quickness. Cotton string
like clothes line is best used for clothes.
So what is a good modern cord? A braided nylon line 3/16 or 3/8 of an inch can give
you thousands of fires without breaking. It just gets really thin in it's
old age. I have one that has served me very well over the past decade.
It is retired for service now, but it still has life left in it. These
cords can be purchased at department stores and hardware stores, sometimes
called marine rope. It is very strong and has good traction due to it's
braided surface. And being nylon, it has very good resistance to wear and
tear from rubbing on itself during bow drilling. When you go to the store,
you want the braided rope, not a twisted plastic looking product. And
don't leave home without it in the future if you ever want to be prepared to
make a friction fire.
Happy drilling,
Tim
Entry #3 April 2007
How Does Friction Fire Work? by Tim MacWelch
Copyright © 2000 as Earth
Connection Handout Series 1
ALL TEXT, PHOTOS, AND GRAPHICS ARE PROTECTED BY
COPYRIGHT. NO PART OF THIS WEBSITE MAY BE COPIED OR REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE
PERMISSION OF EARTH CONNECTION, LLC.
How does friction fire work? Is it science? Is
it magic? Is it art? Yes, maybe, and yes. Why do I say that?
Well, there are two distinctly different ways that I approach the subject of
Friction Fire. The first of my approaches is a reproducible, scientific
and logical understanding of the physics and chemistry of fire itself.
Let's begin there. Fire is energy. Moving, consuming energy brought
about by the combination of heat, fuel and oxygen. Fire is the combustion
of gasses that are released from woody materials (among other things) by a build
up of heat within those materials. Is friction fire different than any
other fire? No. It simply looks different, and is certainly trickier
that lighting a match. The physical and chemical processes are the same in
every method of making and maintaining fire. In Friction Fire, we heat up
materials (wood) by rubbing or drilling them briskly against similar materials
(more wood). A byproduct of rubbing these woods is dust (saw dust is a
good analogy). So in the action of wood on wood friction, we have produced
heat and fuel. The only other element needed for fire is oxygen, which is
abundant in the air all around us. If enough heat is produced, in the
right fuel, it will grab the oxygen it needs from the air and the reaction of
combustion will occur. If you are one degree short of the ignition
temperature for your chosen fuel, it will not react and you will not make fire.
This is why material selection in friction fire making is SO IMPORTANT! It
is 90% of the fire maker's task. Selection of the woods that have lower
ignition temperatures, and produce more favorable dust is the best insurance for
success in the art of making fire. Many other factors are involved, but
none as vital as material selection.
What's really going on when the sticks start moving?
As mentioned above, we rub or drill wood against wood briskly. When the
drill touches the board and starts moving under pressure, heat begins to build
and wood particles are abraded away from both surfaces. As the heat
increases, these surfaces and the particles coming from them begin to carbonize.
In simpler terms, they turn from wood to charcoal. Charcoal lights on fire
at a lower temperature than the wood it was made from, and this is the magic
that allows a puny human to succeed in the seemingly superheroic task of
grinding out fire from cold sticks of wood. The more this charcoal masses
into a pile and the closer it is the the hottest point of heat, the greater the
chances of success. Most of the time, the dust becomes a coal only when it
has filled up a notch or crevice AND is in direct contact with the moving parts
of the fire kit AND you hit that critical ignition temperature (don't
forget that part). It is possible to sometimes get a coal before filling
up a notch to the top. Sometimes dust will congeal near the hottest point
of friction, sticking and collecting at the edge of the moving parts and forming
a coal, which then breaks loose and rolls away before a full sized pile of dust
formed. But this doesn't happen often. You usually have to fill up
the notch all the way to the top before you can get a coal. When the notch
is full, it is typically best to try increasing speed and a slight increase in
pressure to reach your maximum high heat for that combination of materials.
If your technique and materials selection produce agreeable dust, AND if your
highest (best) drilling temperature meets or exceeds the minimum ignition
temperature of your chosen materials, then you get fire. Well, glowing
ignition, anyway. So does a fire kit every actually burst into flame, like
in Hollywood? No. That's a whole different set of physics and
chemicals, and the magic involved is Hollywood Magic. The stuff in 95+% of TV
and movies is pyrotechnics, like fireworks. When a friction fire attempt
is successful in the real world, a small pile of carbonized saw dust was heated
until it began to combust all on it's own, and this reaction could continue
indefinately, providing heat, fuel and oxygen remained available in sufficient
levels. It is visible as a faint red glow with a small wisp of smoke
rising from it. That little dust pile is technically on fire, but it is
just glowing ignition, like a smoldering cigar, or the coals after a fire.
If additional fuels and oxygen are added, glowing ignition will become flaming
ignition, which we more commonly call flame or fire. This can continue
indefinately also if it keeps getting enough fuel and air.
So there's the science of it. What about the art and magic
of it all ?? That's the less tangible hemisphere of the skills for me.
That's for each person to decide for themselves, too. Making a friction
fire in total darkness, and seeing that little red glow come into existence when
there wasn't one there before, is very awe inspiring. Especially if you
really needed that fire. That's pretty close to magical in my book.
And making a beautiful fire kit, then using it skillfully is certainly an art
form, just a real and valid as any other. You may never need a friction
fire in your whole life, but you may enjoy practicing the skill for it's own
merit and a sense of heritage. Everyone used to make friction fire, around
the globe. We are the animal that used (and then learned how to make)
fire. We stand alone throughout known history and prehistory because of
that. Is fire a
spirit? Maybe. Is it a sprite, coming and going for it's own
whimsical reasons? Sometimes. How does friction fire work?
It works because we WANT it to, so badly that it takes pity on our pathetic attempts and
grants us a piece of itself. At least that's how it feels, when you really
needed it, and it came.
Tim
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