Fire From The Sun Failure !

pitdog · Feb 13, 2012

It was supposed to be nice and sunny today so I'd planned on trying to make fire with a magnifying glass and some tinder fungus. As usual the weatherman got it wrong and although the sun did kinda surface it was very briefly and from behind cloud.

Anyway I figured I'd still give it a go~

Even though the sun was weak I did manage to get the Fungus burning~

I then added some Birch bark thinking this would take easily ~

As there was lots of smoke I just sat back confident that it would all burst into flame at any second, I even added a lump of resin off a nearby tree to prolong the flame once it appears !

My smugness was soon knocked into check after the fungus burnt away to nothing without the bark catching light !!!! Still I was impressed how the tinder caught in these less than ideal conditions, I'm sure I can turn it into fire another time using a Cedar bark bundle.

Looks like Winter is over anyway !

The bulb of the snowdrop can help to slow down alzheimer's disease and it also helps against poliomyelitis and neuralgia.

Looks like a Cougar had been busy here once upon a time~

As we hiked on a large tree had been blown down across the trail...Snicker was quick to investigate !

Maisy soon followed~

Lot's of water about in the forest~

Thought I'd take a pic of my Breeden Necker ( Bugaboo Knife ) along with the PSK Knife out of my Altoids tin for a size comparison~

sicily02 · Feb 13, 2012

Pitdog, great pics. I really like the one of Maisy and Snicker walking on the tree lol. Kelly girl does that too lol.
Using a glass to make fire is my favorite way to start a fire. hand drill, bow drill, flint and steel, Ferro rod, lighter, are fun too. but the glass is just a favorite of mine. I always carry a small round one in a leather pouch.

Bryan

kgd · Feb 13, 2012

Nice stuff Pitdog. Birch bark needs a flame and can't be lit by a coal as far as I know. You need develop a tinder nest with grasses, innerbark or other stringy materials to convert the coal to flame and then ignite the birch bark. Just like flint and steel in this case.

Wandering_About · Feb 13, 2012

Cool pictures pitdog.

No fair, you're way up north of us and you're getting flowers already!

pitdog · Feb 13, 2012

rocketbomb said:
Cool pictures pitdog.

No fair, you're way up north of us and you're getting flowers already!

I'm actually a little dissapointed that we didn't have more snow.......I guess it is sill possible !

pitdog · Feb 13, 2012

kgd said:
Nice stuff Pitdog. Birch bark needs a flame and can't be lit by a coal as far as I know. You need develop a tinder nest with grasses, innerbark or other stringy materials to convert the coal to flame and then ignite the birch bark. Just like flint and steel in this case.

Yeah I think you might be right about the Birch bark Ken. I did blow a fungus coal into flame using a Cedar bark nest a while back while Mrs Pit took some pics~

Mistwalker · Feb 14, 2012

Nice pics man, gotta love it when our arrogance gets us smacked eh? Thanks for making me think about an experiment I need to try!

Lost Rover · Feb 14, 2012

You can light Birch Bark with a spark, you need to scrape the surface to produce a pile of fibres. I expect this would work with a coal too.

WILLIAM.M · Feb 14, 2012

Another cool post Pit

Dogs look great!!!

Diomedes Industries · Feb 14, 2012

I have trouble getting an ember with a fresnel this time of year due to the angle of the sun. The fact that you were able to get an ember tells me you had the right mojo - it HAD to be the tinder.

TF

P. McKinley · Feb 17, 2012

Pitdog - I've lit Birch bark in such a manner many times without issue. Just a thought..... shred the bark into very fine strips and buff(rub in your hands), till its all fuzzy. When you add it to the tinder fungus give it a little breath and it'll light just fine.

If you want, try rolling the shredded bark into a tube made from a thin sheet of Birch bark. Add the glowing tinder fungus at one end(closest to your mouth...) and blow gently through the tube. Works great when raining heavily or when very windy.

pitdog · Feb 17, 2012

Bigblue17 said:
Pitdog - I've lit Birch bark in such a manner many times without issue. Just a thought..... shred the bark into very fine strips and buff(rub in your hands), till its all fuzzy. When you add it to the tinder fungus give it a little breath and it'll light just fine.

If you want, try rolling the shredded bark into a tube made from a thin sheet of Birch bark. Add the glowing tinder fungus at one end(closest to your mouth...) and blow gently through the tube. Works great when raining heavily or when very windy.

Thanks buddy I'll give the tube trick a try, just hope there are no cops around or they might think I'm smoking a fat joint !!!!