Fatwood Brimstone aka Sulfur Matches.

[Woods Walker]

Once again the hydrocarbons are back and they're not messing around. Some years ago I got these fatwood Brimstone matches from a friend who runs a bushcraft school. Never did anything with them tossing 1/2 the lot into my larger flint and steel kit. Photos of my larger F&S kit were taken during the summer. Today there was a chilly late march nip in the air.







I think traditionally they were made from pine or other softwoods but these are from fatwood. Brimstone matches are an old idea but some recent interest online made me think of the fatwood ones in my larger kit. Had some more in a separate bag and during my daily conditioning hike decided this could be fun. Along the way I stuffed my pockets with Yellow birch bark. This was going to be a hydrocarbon on hydrocarbon affair!

It's a GO!

On the hike. Just a few miles as not feeling 100% today.






The fatwood Brimstone matches. Being dipped in sulfur they would at least need a coal to ignite. Barring that a Bic would really work! LOL!





The WCF simple C easily fits in an altoids. I have a few simple Cs but this one is the smallest and fits in an Altoids container with tons of room spare. Not that the larger one couldn't but it lives as a backup to the MP knives striker.

A few strikes later and we have a coal.

Going.



Going..



Going....



and we have ignition. Oh the fatwood burns nice!

Very very soon after if not within the same microsecond of ignition.



Soon after probably within the same second or so.



Now the marriage made in heaven. Yellow birch bark.







I guess the remainder will be packed in the little Flint and Steel kit as well.



Hiking out.





Here is a short video.

[video=youtube;pWzq37aSnXA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWzq37aSnXA[/video]

 

[MrFixIt]

Nice!

 

[Codger_64]

Thanks! I enjoy these firemaking experiment posts! :thumbup:

 

[Mistwalker]

Nice post man. I've had people from other regions with different climates give me a hard time about my use of pitch-wood or fat-wood, but it's not like I buy it at a store. The ground in most woods here is littered with it. So since it rains here so much in the spring autumn and winter...and the first parts of summer, and my other options would either be much more labor intensive, or the use of a chemical tinder for quicker results, I'd feel absolutely stupid if I didn't exploit and excellent natural resource that is perfect for the usual climate here.

 

[kamagong]

I've used a different type of fatwood match in the past, involving a ferro rod and some fluffed up cotton wrapped around the end of the fatwood to make a head.



Using it is simple. Keep the "match" in your hand in front of the striker. As you stroke down the rod, the sparks will fall directly onto the cotton igniting it.