Fire starting

[Seamus]

After reading the comment by Sparks of Dutch Glory under the discussion on patching, I thought it would be interesting to hear what others have used in their fire kit.
Besides cotton and linen, what have you used to catch a spark? I've had great success with charring (after it thoroughly dries) rotten, punky wood. A small piece will burn longer and hotter than cloth.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Not historically correct but dryer lint works too with flint and steel.

 

[tenngun]

Hemp string picked in to fibers is good tinder.
It’s been over a month with no rain here so grass flashes like it was soaked in gasoline
I’ve tried punk and holds a spark well, but we know ‘tinder’ was defined as chard rag used to catch a spark back in the day.

 

[Seamus]

IF you can collect fallen pine needles that have been run over by vehicles until they are like fiber, they are great in a tinder bundle.

 

[Ponderosaman]

Pointing @Tom A Hawk in this direction as I hold no rancor for any man.

 

[Brazos John]

IF you can collect fallen pine needles that have been run over by vehicles until they are like fiber, they are great in a tinder bundle.

ALL YOU WANT FOR FREE!
You'll have to pick them up from my driveway, or whole needles from my porch, my entire yard, or even my roof!
But they're FREE!!!

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

After reading the comment by Sparks of Dutch Glory under the discussion on patching, I thought it would be interesting to hear what others have used in their fire kit.
Besides cotton and linen, what have you used to catch a spark? I've had great success with charring (after it thoroughly dries) rotten, punky wood. A small piece will burn longer and hotter than cloth.

TF is very good! I have used it in my firepistons. From what I have read, years ago primative tribes would also use similar material to carry fire to another camp. In case you don't know this stuff glows similar to a cigarette or a fireworks punk.
Larry

 

[Randis]

I'll be trying a few different items on my next outing.

Char made from pieces of hemp rope
Tow made from hemp rope
Tow made from linen

Pine needle and Amadou are not generally found in my area.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I'll be trying a few different items on my next outing.

Char made from pieces of hemp rope
Tow made from hemp rope
Tow made from linen

Pine needle and Amadou are not generally found in my area.

Randis,
If you are interested in purchasing Amadou, there are on line sales for that product.
Larry

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I'll be trying a few different items on my next outing.

Char made from pieces of hemp rope
Tow made from hemp rope
Tow made from linen

Pine needle and Amadou are not generally found in my area.

Do you have milkweed in Indiana?

 

[PEARL DRUMS]

With a knife edge scrape the inside of white cedar bark. It’s like gasoline. I enjoy a good friction fire. Be it bow or by hand.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Do you have milkweed in Indiana?

@Brazos John has pine needles.
@Dusty_Traveler has milkweeds

FREE ALL DAY FOR YOUR NEEDS

no bag limit

 

[Terrier]

ALL YOU WANT FOR FREE!
You'll have to pick them up from my driveway, or whole needles from my porch, my entire yard, or even my roof!
But they're FREE!!!

When I was a kid growing up in north Georgia, we had 75 pine trees in our large yard. My Pop, brother and me would spend two or more weeks raking pine needles and picking up cones every year. I always ended up with blisters on my hands.

We saved a lot of the cones. They make great fire starting tinder.

 

[Cruzatte]

I have quite a bit of leftover linen shirt fabric that I've never thrown away; pieces too small to do anything with, & too big to throw away. These get cut up into small squares & turned into char cloth.

Last March, a fellow camper at a rendezvous told me about ocum, & gave me a fairly substantial piece of it. That stuff catches fire more easily than sisal, manilla, or jute, & certainly better than tow. It burns steadily, but at a fairly slow rate.

So I've begun to carry a bit of ocum with my charred linen, steel, and a musket flint in my fire making kit.