Fuel for the fire.

B

Bumppo

Joined
Jan 27, 2006
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I am in India at the moment, and have noticed the primary cooking fuel for much of the area i am in is dried cow manure. It is an industry here, and although I have not learned how it is processed, what i can see is it is dried in stages, sometime formed into bricks but more usually it is loosley shaped into a flat oval and stacked is sloping piles. It is used as a heating and cooking fuel, and may possibly be used for small forges as well, but I cannot be 100% certain of that. I saw some in a forge, but did not actually see it heating any metal. The people are very resourcefull here, and the guy might have been getting ready to cook a meal. I did get some pictures of his blades, but I was in a Three wheeled taxi when I chanced on that particular forge, and my view was partially blocked.

My ponder is this:
If cow and buffalo dung have been used as fuel for thousands of years, is it feasable in a survival situation to use any rumiants dung, or for that matter, and vegetarian animals dung as a source of fuel, how dry does it have to be, and, can it be used as a fire starter?
 
G'day Bumppo

Bumppo said:
.....My ponder is this:
If cow and buffalo dung have been used as fuel for thousands of years, is it feasable in a survival situation to use any rumiants dung, or for that matter, and vegetarian animals dung as a source of fuel, how dry does it have to be, and, can it be used as a fire starter?
Click to expand...
Yes, the partially digested grass in dry herbivore dung can be used as fuel (but bear in mind that not all herbivores drop in the same large piles that cows do :D )

When burnt, it will also help keep mosquitos away :thumbup:

As a fire starter, it works best when a bit of dry herbivore dung is sprinkled into the divot of the hearth board of either a hand drill or bow drill.

It's a lot easier to generate the coal with the partially digested grass the dung contains, than to grind the hearth board for long enough to generate the coal from the wood :thumbup:





Kind regards
Mick
 
I'll second what Mick said and add that dry, grassy manure of any type works great to extend a coal from a friction fire. A 3/4 inch diameter roo dung can smolder for up to 10 minutes (or even more).

To tell when its dry - first the appearance will be matte and a greyish colour. Second it will crumble when crushed instead of squishing. And lastly, it shouldn't feel cold to the touch on the inside.

Cheers
Chris
 
It's also that time of day when an Aussie relaxes with a glass of beer/wine and checks bladeforums, while his Yank mates are curled up in bed! :D
 
G'day A.W.U.K

A.W.U.K. said:
It's also that time of day when an Aussie relaxes with a glass of beer/wine and checks bladeforums, while his Yank mates are curled up in bed! :D
Click to expand...

Irrespective of the amount of alcohol consumed, at leat you'll know that at this time of day, the comments are comming from a people who's country is large enough (& underpopulated enough) to know what "wilderness survival" is all about :D



Kind regards
Mick :D
 
I do believe we still have a few open acres left up here on the top side.


But I will admit a great desire to visit your country.
 
Now you see why the cow is sacred there.

It's worth more alive than dead:thumbup:

I can see it now:

This catches on with the knifemakers on BF and we have advertised:

"Katana 1095 with dung quenched hamon":D
 
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