Hi all,
Well Kathy had to work at her part time job for a few hours and so I decided to take the day off from knife making and go with her into town. While she went to work I went for a walk down by the river that runs beside the town.
There is spot that is roughly 1/2 mile wide by a mile long roughly.
The temp was around 2 degrees and the wind chill was just nasty, but
Kelly girl
and I wanted to go for a walk so a way we went. I normally just let K G go where her nose takes her. about 45 minutes later we came to a spot
where a tree ( cotton wood) had fallen over. under neath the tree a couple peaces of bark had fallen on the ground. It also was down in a little depression and out of the wind.
Up the hill to the left of the fallen tree there was all of thses dried plant stocks( Stinging nettle ) here in this pic as you can see there are a lot of them sticking up out of the snow.
It took a less than a minute to grab a bunch of them and put them next to the fallen tree leaning up against a branch from the same fallen tree as you can see in the pic. Also notice that little branch right next to the stack of leaning dried plant stocks of the stinging nettle. the one with a y shape.
I will talk about that in a second or so. OK now I broke some branchs off a another part of the tree that had fallen over just some small finger sized and then a couple of wrist thick ones and then a peace that was 3 or 4" thick.
Ok I took the 2 wrist thick ones and put them down on a peace of the bark from the cotton wood tree. Then I took that bundle of dried stock and broke them into about 10" long peaces and then did that two more times going up the stocks. that took about 40 seconds. Then I put them down next to the 2 wrist thick peaces of wood. Then I took 4 plant stocks and put then across the 2 bigger wrist thick sticks. Here is the pic.
In my right hand pocket I keep a small container of cotton and pj mix with firsteel rod. I then took about about a 1/3 of a cotton ball and wraped it around the stock of the stinging nettle.
I always do this It just makes a nice long match. Then I set that aside and then , remember that little branch that had the y in it next to the stack of stocks. I broke a peace off and with it I made 2 fuzzsticks. then put the fuzz sticks on the 4 little dried stocks that are on the 2 bigger sticks then put my orange handled knife down next to my long match with my firesteel. I then took the rest of the stocks and put them on the fuzz sticks and I do not just put these on any way inperticular way I just set them down on the fuzz sticks.
I then took my firesteel and my Breeden PSKK ( Personal Survival Kit Knife )
scraped it next to my long match that I wrapped my cotton ball with pj mix on it and then started it on fire then. I then took the match and put it under the the fuzz sticks that are on top of the 4 dried plant stocks. I just held it there for a few seconds until the fuzz sticks got going. then I took the match out and put in the tinder bundle and left it there. Here is the pic
Then I just added the little sticks and branches that I broke of the other branch and fed then into the fire.
If you have never tried using dried stocks of plants. Try it, in few minutes you can a have the makings of a rip roaring fire. I have used this little firestarting way all over the place. Dried plant stocks I think burn up faster than crumpled up newspaper. and if you find any dried stocks like Golden rod with its fluffy flowery heads be prepeared for a fast hot fire.
In just a few minutes that is takes to gather 10 stocks and then break them up into 10 to 12 inch lengths and you do that 3 thimes with the 10 dried stocks you started with you will have 30 sticks ready to put on your 2 fuzz sticks then start your match and stick it under your fuzz sticks and your fire will take off. It took me roughly 7 minutes yesterday to get my fire going and that was with taking pics along the way. If there are dried plant stocks in your area give it a try and see what you think.
Take care all,
Bryan
Well Kathy had to work at her part time job for a few hours and so I decided to take the day off from knife making and go with her into town. While she went to work I went for a walk down by the river that runs beside the town.
There is spot that is roughly 1/2 mile wide by a mile long roughly.
The temp was around 2 degrees and the wind chill was just nasty, but
Kelly girl
and I wanted to go for a walk so a way we went. I normally just let K G go where her nose takes her. about 45 minutes later we came to a spot
where a tree ( cotton wood) had fallen over. under neath the tree a couple peaces of bark had fallen on the ground. It also was down in a little depression and out of the wind.
Up the hill to the left of the fallen tree there was all of thses dried plant stocks( Stinging nettle ) here in this pic as you can see there are a lot of them sticking up out of the snow.
It took a less than a minute to grab a bunch of them and put them next to the fallen tree leaning up against a branch from the same fallen tree as you can see in the pic. Also notice that little branch right next to the stack of leaning dried plant stocks of the stinging nettle. the one with a y shape.
I will talk about that in a second or so. OK now I broke some branchs off a another part of the tree that had fallen over just some small finger sized and then a couple of wrist thick ones and then a peace that was 3 or 4" thick.
Ok I took the 2 wrist thick ones and put them down on a peace of the bark from the cotton wood tree. Then I took that bundle of dried stock and broke them into about 10" long peaces and then did that two more times going up the stocks. that took about 40 seconds. Then I put them down next to the 2 wrist thick peaces of wood. Then I took 4 plant stocks and put then across the 2 bigger wrist thick sticks. Here is the pic.
In my right hand pocket I keep a small container of cotton and pj mix with firsteel rod. I then took about about a 1/3 of a cotton ball and wraped it around the stock of the stinging nettle.
I always do this It just makes a nice long match. Then I set that aside and then , remember that little branch that had the y in it next to the stack of stocks. I broke a peace off and with it I made 2 fuzzsticks. then put the fuzz sticks on the 4 little dried stocks that are on the 2 bigger sticks then put my orange handled knife down next to my long match with my firesteel. I then took the rest of the stocks and put them on the fuzz sticks and I do not just put these on any way inperticular way I just set them down on the fuzz sticks.
I then took my firesteel and my Breeden PSKK ( Personal Survival Kit Knife )
scraped it next to my long match that I wrapped my cotton ball with pj mix on it and then started it on fire then. I then took the match and put it under the the fuzz sticks that are on top of the 4 dried plant stocks. I just held it there for a few seconds until the fuzz sticks got going. then I took the match out and put in the tinder bundle and left it there. Here is the pic
Then I just added the little sticks and branches that I broke of the other branch and fed then into the fire.
If you have never tried using dried stocks of plants. Try it, in few minutes you can a have the makings of a rip roaring fire. I have used this little firestarting way all over the place. Dried plant stocks I think burn up faster than crumpled up newspaper. and if you find any dried stocks like Golden rod with its fluffy flowery heads be prepeared for a fast hot fire.
In just a few minutes that is takes to gather 10 stocks and then break them up into 10 to 12 inch lengths and you do that 3 thimes with the 10 dried stocks you started with you will have 30 sticks ready to put on your 2 fuzz sticks then start your match and stick it under your fuzz sticks and your fire will take off. It took me roughly 7 minutes yesterday to get my fire going and that was with taking pics along the way. If there are dried plant stocks in your area give it a try and see what you think.
Take care all,
Bryan
and one that can do it all 