http://www.firepistons.com/ Period corect but not geographically so (IMO)
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Fire starting "kit"
- Thread starter TwoShadows
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blkhern and musketman,
this is not the fungus i made reference to. perhaps i was not clear and should have stated there are two different ones and that folks interchang their common names and some call either one 'false tinder fungus' and/or 'tinder fungus'. check my description carefully and you will realize this "hoses hoof' fungus bears almost no resemblance to skatogan. this particular fungus--a shelf fungus is a fruiting body, complete with spores, while Innotus(skatogan) is not and contains no spores.
however, this horse hoof fungus is sometimes charred and used or is also used to extend the life of a coal. it does not, however, catch a spark worth a damn.
musketman--if you use the scientific name, i think with your search expertise you could come up with an internet photo. i think the name is Innotus obliquus
take care, daniel
this is not the fungus i made reference to. perhaps i was not clear and should have stated there are two different ones and that folks interchang their common names and some call either one 'false tinder fungus' and/or 'tinder fungus'. check my description carefully and you will realize this "hoses hoof' fungus bears almost no resemblance to skatogan. this particular fungus--a shelf fungus is a fruiting body, complete with spores, while Innotus(skatogan) is not and contains no spores.
however, this horse hoof fungus is sometimes charred and used or is also used to extend the life of a coal. it does not, however, catch a spark worth a damn.
musketman--if you use the scientific name, i think with your search expertise you could come up with an internet photo. i think the name is Innotus obliquus
take care, daniel
squirejohn
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Thanks Musketman for the pics. Just yesterday I was looking at a bunch of this stuff on some of my birch trees and wondered if it may be one of the fire starting fungus. Last summer at a "vous" in Maine I found out what "touchwood" looked like. Apparently there are quite a few fungi that can be used to start fires. In an upcoming (next ?) issue of OTT magazine there is going to be an article devoted to these fire starting fungi.
there are lots of myths out there and i don't want to perpetuate any so i must restate that i have used only the skatogan and not others. it grows almost exclusively on the birtches. i have tried many others with no success. experiment if you will(it is fun) but skatogan is very historically proper in the northcountry. you might find others that work(maybe), but you would treat yourself by trying the real thing--it is truly wonderful stuff.
ake care, daniel
ake care, daniel
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You fellows have got some really dandy stuff in those kits, but in my neck of the woods none of you would probably be able to win a match due to what you are carrying the gear in. Down here they take your firestarting kit and hold it in a bucket of water for a monute or so, then hand it to you and tell you to build your fire!!! The steel will still spark when wet, but no matter what you use for tinder, if its wet it won't catch. We deserted the pretty beadwork pouches long ago and started using watertight tins. If you drill a small hole in the side where the lid overlaps the body of the can you can use it for making char too. Line the holes up for char, missalighn them for protection of your tinder and char.
squirejohn
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Djnye Does the fungus (Inonotus obliquus) picture musketman posted look like the skatogan your familiar with? The reason I ask is that the only use I find for this species is that it is referred to as a - Chaga extract used for medicinal purposes. There is another species (Inonotu obliquus) that does state is is used for tinder. I can find only one picture of it - and the text is in Japanesse.. Both species are found on birch trees.
squirejohn,
thanks for the response. the reason i try to be clear is that sometimes, out of the excitement of discovery, folks can make small errors and thereby bcome confused. your question implies that you have been trying to do exactly that-- be accurate. however, the uses of skatogan are not to be found in botanical references but in the woods. the scientific name in all the references i have ever seen refer to it as Inonotus obliquus. musketman's photos are not the best i've seen , but they look o. k. you will find many good photos searching the myriad of sites on the web concerning firestarting methods.
i would recommend that you continue your search by finding a stand of white or yellow birch, and hunting down and trying suspicious looking growths. skatogan is fairly common and one should be able to spot some after searching for a reasonable amount of time. again, in addition to the previous description, look for highly fissured and very rough black exterior surface. it is fatal to the tree so you don't need to be concerned that by removing it you will be doing harm to either the tree or the fungus. they are fairly easy to knock off--i whack it with an axe pole usually. sometimes they will be old and dry and hard inside, but will sill have a cinnimon color. the fresh ones are quite golden-cinnimon inside and will be soft to the touch and spongy in texture. when the soft spongy and gold-cinnimon is removed, it is easily pulled apart with the fingers into small pieces that will set nicely on top a musket flint and be held there quite easily due to the spongyness. strike as you would for charcloth and watch for a black spot that will begin expanding on the surface of the skatogan. so to speak--it is finished. (actually, it is best to alow it to dry for a day or so before using) you have fire and skatogan--there is nothing else out there that looks like it, or caches a spark like it. i have never been to vermont, but i would think that there would be birches with this fungus. i am not at all familiar with the other fungus you made reference to, but reality is in the woods.
hope this helps, take care, daniel
thanks for the response. the reason i try to be clear is that sometimes, out of the excitement of discovery, folks can make small errors and thereby bcome confused. your question implies that you have been trying to do exactly that-- be accurate. however, the uses of skatogan are not to be found in botanical references but in the woods. the scientific name in all the references i have ever seen refer to it as Inonotus obliquus. musketman's photos are not the best i've seen , but they look o. k. you will find many good photos searching the myriad of sites on the web concerning firestarting methods.
i would recommend that you continue your search by finding a stand of white or yellow birch, and hunting down and trying suspicious looking growths. skatogan is fairly common and one should be able to spot some after searching for a reasonable amount of time. again, in addition to the previous description, look for highly fissured and very rough black exterior surface. it is fatal to the tree so you don't need to be concerned that by removing it you will be doing harm to either the tree or the fungus. they are fairly easy to knock off--i whack it with an axe pole usually. sometimes they will be old and dry and hard inside, but will sill have a cinnimon color. the fresh ones are quite golden-cinnimon inside and will be soft to the touch and spongy in texture. when the soft spongy and gold-cinnimon is removed, it is easily pulled apart with the fingers into small pieces that will set nicely on top a musket flint and be held there quite easily due to the spongyness. strike as you would for charcloth and watch for a black spot that will begin expanding on the surface of the skatogan. so to speak--it is finished. (actually, it is best to alow it to dry for a day or so before using) you have fire and skatogan--there is nothing else out there that looks like it, or caches a spark like it. i have never been to vermont, but i would think that there would be birches with this fungus. i am not at all familiar with the other fungus you made reference to, but reality is in the woods.
hope this helps, take care, daniel
squirejohn
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djnye
Thanks for your informative detailed response. I've copied your response to keep as a reference. Now I know what to look for and how best to use it. We have plenty of gray, white and yellow birch around here so hopefully I should be able to find some skatogan. THANKS !!!
Thanks for your informative detailed response. I've copied your response to keep as a reference. Now I know what to look for and how best to use it. We have plenty of gray, white and yellow birch around here so hopefully I should be able to find some skatogan. THANKS !!!
Rocky Johnson
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Skatogan- Inontus Obliquus. Body; upto 12X 6".black; irrregula mass; deeply craked throughout; hard and brittle. Flesh: Orange brown. This is a sterile conk of a rarely encountered pore fungus. Almost entirely restricted to birch. NOT RECOMMENDED.From one of my mushroom field guides. I have studied mushrooms for years. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
rocky,
that's the stuff. never tried eating it. as an aside, it was sometimes used among anishiabe as a headache remedy by inhaling the smoke. i've been around it a lot and tried it several times for that purpose, but never found it to be effective for me.
thanks for the information, take care, daniel
that's the stuff. never tried eating it. as an aside, it was sometimes used among anishiabe as a headache remedy by inhaling the smoke. i've been around it a lot and tried it several times for that purpose, but never found it to be effective for me.
thanks for the information, take care, daniel
