1000th post contest, 2 prizes

Sharp Eye

Sharp Eye

Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Messages
1,551
Well, since I post here more than some people and less than others, (You know who you are TM :D) I am now approaching my 1000th post.


Having been fortunate enough to participate in a number of giveaways and having been the beneficiary of the wisdom and the kindness of the participants in this forum, I am having a giveaway contest.

In fact, I am going to have two giveaway contests at the same time.


I have noticed that the contests here generally fall into two categories. Either the prize is awarded by the pick of a random number or the prize is given to a post that is judged best in some category. This giveaway will have two prizes; one given to a random post and the other to the best post showing a skill.


The skill that I have been working on lately is starting a fire with natural tinder. The real challenge that I have had is starting a fire with found natural tinder in wet conditions.


Here are the contests:

To be in the random pick contest, post a picture of your favorite natural tinder. This has to be something that one could find in the field or make in the field from found materials.


To be in the skills contest, show photos of how to start a fire in wet conditions with naturally found tinder using a spark (ferro rod or flint and steel) or friction method. Ferro rods are fine. No matches or lighters (unless you just use the sparker). For the purpose of this post, wet conditions are in or within 4 hours of a steady rain that lasts at least 3 hours.


Here are the prizes
For the random pick contest: a new pocket cooker, an aurora ferro rod and a peanut lighter
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For the skill post contest: a SS cup that fits a 1qt bottle, a ferro rod, a NIB Vic OHT with bonus classic SAK and some fatwood.
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All decisions of the judges (me) are final and all the other legal baloney that goes with that. This contest will run until I post my 1010 post or April 24, whichever is later.


Thanks to all of you for making this such a great place to exchange ideas, to learn and to make new friends.
 

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Who's TM;)

Thats a helluva generous giveaway Ira:thumbup:

I will get out in the rain asap!!

Thanks
 
Are there any conditions for the fire starting contest, like only friction fire? Are firesteels permissible?
 
Ankar Sheng said:
Are there any conditions for the fire starting contest, like only friction fire? Are firesteels permissible?
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I should have been more specific. Either friction fire or spark. No matches or lighters.
Thanks for clearing that up Ankar Sheng.
 
That is an extremely generous off and also a very well thought out skills contest. Fortunately it happens to be thunderstorming outside my window at the moment :D :D :D
 
nc527 said:
can i use a bullet? the powder i mean
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If you find it in the woods, left there by someone else:eek:

In short, no. Ferro rods, flint and steel or friction and naturally occurring tinder.

Hint, the winner will not have brought dry tinder with them;)
 
Fun.

For the random one do you mean take our own pictures of natural tinder? or just post a picture? I plan to do both either way.
 
Great idea for a contest buddy, a real under-rated subject !!!!!

Favourite natural tinder has to be Fatwood....here I made a fire with Old mans beard mixed with Fatwood shavings......

P3130017.jpg


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As far the fire skills in the wet contest, my mainstay is still good old fatwood, old mans beard etc just does not work when wet.
I've found that you have to start with the smallest bits of fatwood that you can....often that means fatwood dust !
I'm afraid that I don't take many pics of the individual steps as I try to do it as quick as possible before my tinder gets too wet !!!!

Here you can see how wet it was when I gathered this fatwood.....

PB120004-1.jpg


And that was used to start this fire.....

PB120012-1.jpg


Another trick to get a fire going in the wet is to get it off the ground and to do that I often make a fatwood torch.....

To do this I split a green stick two ways......

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P3140010.jpg


And then alternate placing pieces of fatwood in the splits till I get to the top......

P3140011.jpg


I then pack it with old mans beard mixed with plenty of fatwood dust and shavings to take the initial spark......

P3140015.jpg


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very cool contest, ill have to go run the spriklers out back to appropriatly dowse things, then ill get some pics and things up.
 
Ok, well since fatwood is already posted. Tinder fungus! Pictures stolen from http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com

tinderfungus0012.jpg


Not the easiest stuff to find, but does a good job once you do. Grows mostly on Birch trees. Split it in half, almost always dry. Powder it, or chunk it.

Heres a cool picture of it under a microscope that i found. for size referance, thats a human hair

rbinnonotus.jpg



Edit: are the pictures not showing for anyone else?
 
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I'll have to give this a go. It's super muddy out right now and I don't have a lot to do. :D
 
theonew said:
Do mischmetal rods count?
Those things are crazy, I think I could ignite a wet piece of plywood with one of those :D
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Yes. :thumbup:
IIRC all ferro rods are mischmetal of different compositions. I may be misremembering
The ones that throw the big spark have a high magnesium content.
In any case, all ferro rods are fine.


My experience is that dispite the big spark when dry tinder is in short supply a fire can be hard to start.
That is the point of this post, to help all to be prepared with the right match of skills and equipment to get a fire going in wet conditions.

If you can show us how to do it with a mischmetal rod, all the better. Go for it.
How's that for a long answer to a simple question?:D
 
Thanks for the chance! I'd like to get in on the "Random Pick" part.

Another vote for Fatwood.
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FW4.jpg
 
I thought that I would bump this one up for the start of the weekend.

Wishing all a great weekend.
 
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