Finding Bio-tinder?

psy-ops

psy-ops

Joined
Sep 27, 1999
Messages
3,164
Just thought I start a new thread instead of hijacking the mag vs ferro rod thread.

When it is wet or cold what are some good surefire (oops, just got that cliche) places to get usuable tinder.

One place we all know is Shaving away the wet wood on the outside of a log. You can do that by batoning small pieces on the outside. It is kind of like peeling a piece of fruit. Dried Pine needles are a good bet. Some dried leaves and flower parts can be used as well. You can get lucky and find some fat wood or lighter pine.

There are WAY more experienced guys around here than me. So I hope they will share some of their tips.

Thanks in advance,

Chris
 
In Ga it's pretty easy to find fatwood, so thats mostly what I use. Other that what you already mentioned all i can think of at the moment is birch bark.
 
I tend to look for the small still-hanging dead branches under larger canopy trees with teeny tiny twigs (as small as or smaller than a match stick). Even after pretty good rains these braches tend to be pretty well protected.

Now these won't likely catch a spark from a ferro rod, but they they will take a flame VERY quickly from something more "cottony".
 
I have said before that I don't rate Cat-Tails that highly as tinder but if they are around it is a source you can use when all is wet !!!!

Bracket Fungi will usually also light in the wet !
 
Cattails, as pit mentioned also the inside of mikweed pods work well..and lets not forget birch...
 
Any Tinder thread allows me to use this pic of me scraping some fine starter tinder from a Cedar....:D:thumbup:
Francisking010.jpg
 
If you don't mind the neck scratch, I usually have luck with the small twigs under the bottom row of a big pine tree. There is always somthing closer to the truck that is small and easily crushed in your hand.
 
good one pit I forgot to mention the cedar....I usually use the spine of my blade to scrape cedar alla les stroud helps preserve the edge when out for a while
 
I'm lucky - Birch tree's are prevalent in Michigan and the bark will burn even after being submersed in water. In the areas I hunt and hike there is no more reliable fire starter. I'm not sure of all of the "technical" reasons it burns the way it does (I'm sure it's probably the oils in the bark) but it burns almost as well as fatwood and is MUCH easier to find - it's the only white tree around.

P.S. - I'm not much for cattails either - but enough of it acts as a pretty decent "flash" tinder.
 
Se pit dogs picture? I do that with the inside of split dead branches until I get a wad of FINE scraping of the wood. THis will catch a spark from a ferro rod. In fact, I did this during a cold, light rain last Saturday evening after deer hunting. If I am in cedar country- red or white- I have it made, as do I in areas with birch or pitch pines.
:camp_fire_1:
 
pitdog said:
Any Tinder thread allows me to use this pic of me scraping some fine starter tinder from a Cedar....:D:thumbup:
Francisking010.jpg
Click to expand...

I should also mention that this tinder bundle ignited with a spark from a ferro rod and kept burning till some small twigs had caught, no other tinder was needed !!!
 
Chrisaloia,
Try putting the little ember into handfull of dry grass that is lightly compacted, or something simalur, then blowing on it. :)

Matt.
 
chrisaloia said:
I just tried and tried and tried! got some tiny embers but no flame????
Click to expand...

After scraping the bark, I roll it around in my hands to break it down farther, then fluff it up slightly and it should light pretty easily with a ferro rod.

Tim, your right about poplar, when it's dry, the dead bark makes great tinder, for a ferro rod, mag glass or to transfer a coal from a bow drill, when green makes good cordage or simple lashing. Poplar seems to lose lots of limbs, as well as retain some dead limbs which work great for fuzz sticks and kindlin, and it works well for a bow drill hearth as well.
 
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