Ive been working and working on trying to get a fire from my firesteel with no luck. I have use a magnisum starter with great sucess many times, but wanted to step it up to natural starters. What are good igniters that will catch a spark and make an ember. Or is there something flawed in my techquine (i have tried pine needles, a hollow type grass by my fernce, saw dust, and even dried up leaves)? Thanks all (keep in mind i live and camp in the mid-alantic region, like western MD)
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Natural Firestarters
- Thread starter Ghost93
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I suggest practicing with some jute. Then work on some bark like eastern red cedar. Whatever you use make sure you buff into fine fiber.
Once you get the cedar down you will have a better idea on what to look for. For me it is mostly those tree barks that can make cordage. Good luck.
Once you get the cedar down you will have a better idea on what to look for. For me it is mostly those tree barks that can make cordage. Good luck.
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You can also use a combination of materials in a tinder nest/bundle. For instance, I like to shave some miniature feather sticks from a fatwood stick and wrap cotton dryer lint around them and wrap tree moss around the lint. Open the nest to expose the lint and fluff it up a little to catch the spark. Strike your spark and once it starts to ignite, fold the moss back around it and turn it over so the flame works it's way into the bundle.
Cliff Stamp
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Ghost93 said:
It sounds like you are not preparing the material, in order to catch a spark you need to break up most natural materials so that they are in very small pieces, scraping with a sharp edge generally works well even on most dried woods. Saw dust can be hard because it is so tightly packed, you want it more fluffy and wood scrapings will tend to curl up.
-Cliff
Since you're having trouble with natural materials try starting with a cotton ball or a piece of jute twine that you fray. The most reliable natural material I've found is hanging moss like Old Man's Beard that has sunlight shinning on it. Anything you use has to be light, fluffy and dry.
I should also say, try several commercial fire starter tinders. Practice with the easiest until it becomes second nature, only then progress to expedient materials.
I should also say, try several commercial fire starter tinders. Practice with the easiest until it becomes second nature, only then progress to expedient materials.
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2005
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Or use charred cloth to catch the spark, then your dried pine needles, etc, as tinder to ignite the flame.
If you're not familiar with charred cloth, there's another thread here on that.:thumbup:
If you're not familiar with charred cloth, there's another thread here on that.:thumbup:
This winter I learnt starting fire using firesteel and bowdrill. About firesteel:
The best natural tinder I found was crampball, but it took a while to find it (a few walks into the woods).
I also found some dry grass with fluffy seeds similar to cotton. They cought fire quite quickly.
Then I tried dry grass, but used not thick ones, but very thin tips - they also burned quite well.
I experimented with rotten wood. Most of rotten branches are too hard and water loggged, but I collected nearly completely rotten branches which broke down even if you rub them with your hands, and dried them. Before burning, I made powder from this rotten wood by rubbing in my hands (it should be that soft) and it burned quite well.
Once I also found very rotten freestanding birch tree. The wood was so rotten inside that it flew like a snowflake when I was taking it out. Even though everything in the woods was completely wet, this dust/rotten wood was completely dry and caught fire from the first spark.
Finally, I tried moss. I dried moss at home and it burned. I would not say it burned easily, but still do-able.
May I suggest a better technique to find proper tinder in the woods for training purposes? I carried lighter with myself to test the tinder first: if it caught the fire easily, then it would catch fire from firesteel as well. This way I found quite a diversion of tinders. But still I must admit, it is a difficult task in winter because woods are wet.
Regards,
The best natural tinder I found was crampball, but it took a while to find it (a few walks into the woods).
I also found some dry grass with fluffy seeds similar to cotton. They cought fire quite quickly.
Then I tried dry grass, but used not thick ones, but very thin tips - they also burned quite well.
I experimented with rotten wood. Most of rotten branches are too hard and water loggged, but I collected nearly completely rotten branches which broke down even if you rub them with your hands, and dried them. Before burning, I made powder from this rotten wood by rubbing in my hands (it should be that soft) and it burned quite well.
Once I also found very rotten freestanding birch tree. The wood was so rotten inside that it flew like a snowflake when I was taking it out. Even though everything in the woods was completely wet, this dust/rotten wood was completely dry and caught fire from the first spark.
Finally, I tried moss. I dried moss at home and it burned. I would not say it burned easily, but still do-able.
May I suggest a better technique to find proper tinder in the woods for training purposes? I carried lighter with myself to test the tinder first: if it caught the fire easily, then it would catch fire from firesteel as well. This way I found quite a diversion of tinders. But still I must admit, it is a difficult task in winter because woods are wet.
Regards,
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2005
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- 274
Ghost93 said:
Moss(old man's beard) and birch bark has oil's in it that should catch easly but i'm not sure about how it will work as tinder
Tinder or knidling, I can never remember which is thr proper name for the starters. Thanks all I have off Friday which will be a outdorrs, bushcraft, survival skill day at the house, then its off cuting up wood. Ill try and remember to take pic's for you guys to show off 