tinder

H

Hoodoo

Joined
Aug 18, 1999
Messages
2,355
I was reading the other day that a nice thing to put in your survival kit is a small pencil sharpener. Supposedly, it will very quicky turn a small twig into the perfect tinder. Anyone ever tried this?


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Hoodoo

And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.

Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
 
Nope. But I figure that scraping a twig/stick or certain bark with the blade of a knife can di the same thing.

On a similar topic, what do you recommend for primary tinders for spark-based firestarting with true flint & steel. I know char cloth works, and steel wool, and supposedly true tinder fungus, Inonotus obliquus, will catch a raw flint spark, though I haven't seen this.

Mike

[This message has been edited by Michael Bennett (edited 06-20-2000).]
 
Fluffy inner bark from a large sized cottonwood tree is the king of tinder...at least for friction based firestarting.
 
Took some shavings from the electric pencil sharpener at work. They light right up, so I'd recommend possibly storing them in a film cannister, even though they are kinda messy due to the graphite.
 
I bet it won't catch a flint and steel spark, but I will try it tomorrow at work!

Innonotus is the best, although not all pieces are equal. I love the stuff, and use it to teach kids F&S fire making. They often get it on the first try.
 
Try this, it really works: take lint from your dryer's lint-trap, it burns real easy. I first heard of this from a fire-fighter, who said people who never remove the lint from their dryers run a good risk of burning the house down. The lint does re-aquire moisture easy so you should put it in a zip-lock bag.
Wax-paper also lights easy.
Another trick is to use "alcohol-prep pads". We use these at the hospital to clean the skin before injecting and they're found in most first-aid kits too.
The alcohol will burn for a short while and then you can also light the package and pad. You can store them for a long time (you probably would'nt notice a few in your wallet either).
I have also known guys to carry a mini-bottle (okay, sometimes a half-pint) of Everclear grain liquor to the field. It has lots of uses ("pain killer", fire-starter, antiseptic, paint thinner, ect...).

[This message has been edited by allenC (edited 06-21-2000).]
 
GLP-1,

I've been looking for Inonotus obliquus for awhile, but I think it's not in abundance locally. I belive there is some in the western part of the state, and will try it when I can.

I've been concentrating on fricion fire lately using maple, white cedar/basswood, and willow kits with decent success.

Mike
 
I mentioned on the other thread but should have put it her probably.
Sanitizing hand (or handy?) gels in small squeeze bottle are sold recently everywhere. They sanitize hands without use of water and also are flammable (I heard) due to high ethanol content.

HM
 
Originally posted by BARRY JONES:
Hey Guys!

I have had good results using DRYER LINT as a
tinder. It catches the sparks from my Magnesium firestarter. I carry the lint in a
film canister.
Click to expand...


Dryer lint is fantastic, but test it before you take it somewhere to depend on. Some things (Most notably my nomex, but also any load with too little cotton) won't burn easily, or at all.

Stryver

 
Then there comes the question of what to use after the tinder. Has anyone here tried "charred cloth" or whatever they call it in Wildwoods Wisdom (I think that was where I read about it) - I have always been partial to heartwood if you have space. I remember back when I was in Boy Scouts always having a small bag in my pack to help start fires with.

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"I am not, really."
 
charred cloth works great with flint and steel technique. It cloth holds the ember which is then placed into the tinder... walla... fire.
smile.gif


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Greg Davenport
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