- Joined
- Feb 21, 2008
- Messages
- 1,551
I want to start by thanking Mistwalker for his great thread on Identifying, processing and using Fatwood in the bush.
Mistwalker you have helped me to go from a fatwood zero to a fatwood novice.
On my woodswalks this weekend I found some upturned pine stumps where the roots where not rotting as fast as the trunk. There I found fatwood. Not great fatwood but still red and smelling of pine oil (like they used to use to clean the floors at my Sunday school).
Here is some fatwood with the Fiddleback Bushcraft Jr.
The ferro rods I have are of a mischmetal that has a high magnesium content. This allows them to give big long lasting sparks, but, means that you need to use a carbon steel striker to get the best sparks.
To this end, I tried out a CarBee-sharp as a ferro rod scraper.
It worked pretty well and using some beech bark and marcescent beech leaves I had a fire going within 3 strikes.
On the way back to the car, I wasn't fast enough to beat the thunderstorm and the pea sized hail. I am sure glad that I had a good hat and a poncho.
All in all I had a great time. Next time out I need to bring a saw and and axe to get at some better fatwood.
Mistwalker you have helped me to go from a fatwood zero to a fatwood novice.
On my woodswalks this weekend I found some upturned pine stumps where the roots where not rotting as fast as the trunk. There I found fatwood. Not great fatwood but still red and smelling of pine oil (like they used to use to clean the floors at my Sunday school).
Here is some fatwood with the Fiddleback Bushcraft Jr.
The ferro rods I have are of a mischmetal that has a high magnesium content. This allows them to give big long lasting sparks, but, means that you need to use a carbon steel striker to get the best sparks.
To this end, I tried out a CarBee-sharp as a ferro rod scraper.
It worked pretty well and using some beech bark and marcescent beech leaves I had a fire going within 3 strikes.
On the way back to the car, I wasn't fast enough to beat the thunderstorm and the pea sized hail. I am sure glad that I had a good hat and a poncho.
All in all I had a great time. Next time out I need to bring a saw and and axe to get at some better fatwood.
Missouri weather. :barf:
:thumbup:
