- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
- Messages
- 582
One of my fireside funs is to make resin burners. Fill a tin can about 1/2 full of resin, fold the top and beat it sealed with the poll of my hatchet or axe. Then pop a little bb sized hole in the can and set it in the fire. The flammable gas cooks out of the resin, and makes a nice 10" to 2 ft. flame thrower. Well, the pine plantations around our WMA are hit pretty bad by the Pine Beetle, which is bad for the tree folks, but great for me, as the little buggers create wondrous resin blobs on the trees.
http://www.invasive.org/images/384x256/0284019.jpg
Even neater, I discovered is the tiny, superfine sawdust they create as they bore in. It is great tinder and I now have a Skoal can filled with beetle chewings, and 3 marble sized resin chunks. It takes a spark so easily from a ferro rod, and the resin chunks keep it burning even in a stiff breeze for a couple of minutes.
I don't know what other areas have pine beetle infestations, but just look for pines with what looks like a ring of sawdust around the base, and/or big chunks of butter looking resin volcanoes on the trunk. Scoop up some dust, and pop off the resin, it is usually hard, not gooey, but be careful, STICKY.
Add some to your kit, or make a resin burner for kicks, or both.
***DISCLAIMER***
Playing with volatile substances and fire, is in fact, dangerous. Do so at your own risk. Too much resin, too small a hole, and a really hot fire CAN cause a failure! Ask me how I know?
It really does help get wet wood percolating much faster, but honestly, the construction time could instead be spent splitting wood, whittling some fuzz sticks, or just adding the resin straight to the fire and doing something more useful, like gathering more wood. I do consider the beetle dust/resin combo however, an invaluable tinder component, that can be gathered on the fly.
Beckerhead
http://www.invasive.org/images/384x256/0284019.jpg
Even neater, I discovered is the tiny, superfine sawdust they create as they bore in. It is great tinder and I now have a Skoal can filled with beetle chewings, and 3 marble sized resin chunks. It takes a spark so easily from a ferro rod, and the resin chunks keep it burning even in a stiff breeze for a couple of minutes.
I don't know what other areas have pine beetle infestations, but just look for pines with what looks like a ring of sawdust around the base, and/or big chunks of butter looking resin volcanoes on the trunk. Scoop up some dust, and pop off the resin, it is usually hard, not gooey, but be careful, STICKY.
Add some to your kit, or make a resin burner for kicks, or both.
***DISCLAIMER***
Playing with volatile substances and fire, is in fact, dangerous. Do so at your own risk. Too much resin, too small a hole, and a really hot fire CAN cause a failure! Ask me how I know?
It really does help get wet wood percolating much faster, but honestly, the construction time could instead be spent splitting wood, whittling some fuzz sticks, or just adding the resin straight to the fire and doing something more useful, like gathering more wood. I do consider the beetle dust/resin combo however, an invaluable tinder component, that can be gathered on the fly.
Beckerhead
