People, I am helpless with a fero rod :(

Thanks everyone. I will try lots of these techniques. I have lots of dryer lint saved already, but I don't always bring it.

As far as fat wood goes, I wouldn't know where to find it. Any advice on getting it? It is very resinous wood from old stumps, right?
 
I have noticed that compressed dryer lint, unlike compressed cotton balls, is harder to fluff up. I suspect that is due to the finer strands.
 
Check out Equip 2 Endure's video on you tube. It might help.
[video=youtube;ubPYIl9IFdQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubPYIl9IFdQ[/video]
 
If you are thinking tooth pick size tinder is good enough, think about 100x finer. Scrape up the dry, fine outer birch bark until an ants fart would blow it away.
It's all about surface area.
 
Goose_52 said:
I learned to change my method, and now most often I will place the tip of the rod down into the tinder bundle, and scrape it downward with moderate pressure...You want to get that concentrated shower of sparks right into the center of your tinder.
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This right here^^^:thumbup:

I do fires about twice a year, so I'm no master of firecraft, but I made a short video, since I'm puttering around doing laundry. Maybe it'll give you ideas.
[youtube]X17ZB9lS-PU[/youtube]
 
One thing you can do is go find some pine 2 X 4s. The last time I bought some was at a Home Depot. I walked in and bought them for half price, $1.11 each. I took the warped and cracked ones that nobody wanted. I cut them up into two different sizes, 14" long and 5-6" long. I use my knife to split the 14" ones in half twice and use them for your normal car camping with a fire ring, they help get the split firewood going fast. The 5 or 6" ones I split them into tiny pieces. Mostly smaller than my pinky. I bundle up 12 peieces with a rubberband and take a couple of them backpacking or throw it in my daypack for emergency use. They are small and lightweight.

You can get these going with your tinder(s) and start throwing some dead stuff laying around on top of it. You can also buy some surveying stakes at the hardware store. These are cheap and come in bundles of 12 or so. You can cut these up into 5 or 6" lengths also and they split real easy.

It's best to locate all your own tinder out in the field; cheaper that way also. The dry pine just may keep you from getting frustrated and besides you can use your knife to split it easily. You can use less of it in time as you progress and get better.

Jon
 
I run my knife edge at 90 degrees to a stick of fatwood and scrape, scrape, scrape. Dont cut. I do this until I have a small amount of really light, fluffy fatwood shavings. Not even shavings. Finer than that. Usually just a strike or two and I have a flame. That combined with shavings and other bits of tinder and you have fire. Give it a whirl.

Edited:
Apologies. You can find fatwood at Mal Wart. Back in the home heating/fire place junk section. I bought a big box of it for ten bucks. It will last a long, long time.
 
Codger_64 said:
Don't handicap yourself with questionable wild tender until you refine you skills. But even then, keep prepared tender on hand. And a bic lighter. Fun is fun but serious is serious.
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That's what popped in my head, get a couple Bics.

I toss one of my daughters hair ties under the plunger of my Bics, it keeps it from being depressed and losing fuel even in a tightly packed bag
 
It's best to locate all your own tinder out in the field. . .
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If we are talking about practice/increasing skills, that statement is true enough. You may need a fire when you lack "home" prepared tinder.

If we are talking about a real survival situation, you of course use the best available. If the best available is cotton balls slathered with WPJ you are fortunate. Survival is Pass/Fail with no extra credit for using a harder path to success.
 
Locating tinder out in the field is good practice because you'll learn just exactly what works and what doesn't quickly. Otherwise if I had to make an emergency fire, I would do the easiest which for me would be some tinder I brought, 1 Ounce Coghlan's Fire Paste in a small airtight bottle and a Bic. I hear some folks carry Emergency Road Flares. I bet that would do the trick. Haven't ever seen one up close, don't know if they are heavy or not to carry around.

I didn't learn about fatwood until recently. From what I gather, I should go look for a pine tree that died while standing and fell over. Poke around in the stump and sometimes the lower branches and you can find some. That is about all I know. I'm around more oak/hickory than pine for the most part. I have looked at some Eastern red Cedar which we have a lot of, but haven't found it in that. The next time I go hiking I will pick out an area with more pine.
 
MAURICE said:
I run my knife edge at 90 degrees to a stick of fatwood and scrape, scrape, scrape. Dont cut. I do this until I have a small amount of really light, fluffy fatwood shavings. Not even shavings. Finer than that. Usually just a strike or two and I have a flame. That combined with shavings and other bits of tinder and you have fire. Give it a whirl.
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+1 to that. I do the same thing except I usually use the reamer on my farmer.
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I will need to review those videos and practice. It can be tough sometimes, since it rains here often and I live in a city-like environment (no backyard to play).
 
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