Lets talk firestarting

[toot]

Yes, I have one. Milkweed ovum burns really fast, so you will want to transfer the ember to a coal extender such as punk.

is the inner fluff of the pod useable?

 

[toot]

Or put a feather in the vent.

t one VOU. that I went to the fastest way to catch a spark was to tale am unloaded flint lock and put a small wad of TOW, in the pan with a small amount of powder and VIOLA! the guy who did it in the fastest time, did it this way. anyone else ever done it this way?

 

[toot]

Wanna cheat just a little on "char cloth"? Keep a little 4F steel wool in your shoe. Yes, the finest steel wool made. Catches fire nicely from your flint & steel spark maker.

ROGER THAT!!

 

[flconch53]

They chared and used anything that would catch a spark. However char cloth is not a modren invention. Eighteenth century diffintion of ‘tinder’ is chared linen cloth for fire starting. And rag-tinder was a common way of saying it.

I agree to a point . My question was if you are down to your last shirt what would you use. Thinking about someone in the woods not in the settlements were rags would be available.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I agree to a point . My question was if you are down to your last shirt what would you use. Thinking about someone in the woods not in the settlements were rags would be available.

Please see post #39

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I have to re harden my striker , will a MAPP gas torch get it hot enough to work ? How fast would it need to be quenched , and oil or water or air ?

If you want to send me your firesteel, I can reharden it for you and ship it back asap. I harden mine in warmed water so the cold water doesn't 'shock' the steel causing the firesteel to crack.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Coinneach]

Seriously, theres nothing more assertive in expressing your own independence, than prepping a "birds nest" and taking out a piece of Charcloth then Fire starting with Flint and Steel.

Want to tune in your Children and Grandchildren to Independent ways ?
Then begin with Flint and Steel Fire making, they'll be fascinated and then addicted to learn more, then you'll be involved in a wonderful journey with them that binds you closer than you could ever imagine.

My 7 year old Grandson was amazed when I lit the Log fire inside with Flint and Steel , then he progressed to a full on interest of all things BP ML.

 

[tenngun]

I agree to a point . My question was if you are down to your last shirt what would you use. Thinking about someone in the woods not in the settlements were rags would be available.

Waste nought want nought, no they used a lot of natural stuff in their fire kits. From punk to fire fungus and all the other fluffs discussed here. However few people ever lived where cloth was not available. Bolts of cloth and ready made cloth clothing made up a large measure of MM goods. By the ARW few Indians used skin for anything more then moccasins

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I have to re harden my striker , will a MAPP gas torch get it hot enough to work ? How fast would it need to be quenched , and oil or water or air ?

MAPP can work, though you may have to do it in a small "forge" made of bricks. There are youtube videos of this. Quench it in whatever vegetable oil you may have, cannola being better.

 

[Pasha]

Here's a good video on using punk wood.

 

[Pasha]

This one is great for the fire nerds like me.

 

[Surfinator58]

Down here in Georgia a lot of people use Punkwood although I don't know how to find it. I always use charcloth. And drop it in a bird's nest made from crushed pine needles! My Pine Needle Supply is refurbished every fall when my favorite intersections get heavy traffic! The tires break the Woody centers of the pine needle and you're left with a nice fluffy material

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Down here in Georgia a lot of people use Punkwood although I don't know how to find it. I always use charcloth. And drop it in a bird's nest made from crushed pine needles! My Pine Needle Supply is refurbished every fall when my favorite intersections get heavy traffic! The tires break the Woody centers of the pine needle and you're left with a nice fluffy material

Punkwood is essentially dead, decayed wood. While I am not intimately familiar with what grows in GA, I suspect that most of it will need to be charred prior to use. In the northern states, the punk wood from hard maple will catch a spark without charring. Its my second favorite natural tinder to tinder fungus. Mostly because its smoke does not smell as nice.

 

[DRGinter]

They chared and used anything that would catch a spark. However char cloth is not a modren invention. Eighteenth century diffintion of ‘tinder’ is chared linen cloth for fire starting. And rag-tinder was a common way of saying it.

I’ve heard of loading a rifle withe a light charge with a lot of cotton (patching) shot point blank at the ground to create a ember then go from there.

 

[DRGinter]

Down here in Georgia a lot of people use Punkwood although I don't know how to find it. I always use charcloth. And drop it in a bird's nest made from crushed pine needles! My Pine Needle Supply is refurbished every fall when my favorite intersections get heavy traffic! The tires break the Woody centers of the pine needle and you're left with a nice fluffy material

Nice!

 

[Coinneach]

MAPP can work, though you may have to do it in a small "forge" made of bricks. There are youtube videos of this. Quench it in whatever vegetable oil you may have, cannola being better.

When I've had to re-harden a Frizzen or Steel this is my method.
Remove the Frizzen from the Lock, rasp a couple of old Leg bones (keep some on hand) to make a powdered pile roughly enough to fill a couple of Soup spoons.
Cut some reasonably pliable leather (worn work gloves will do) and wet it, then wrap it around the Frizzen with enough "baggy" room for the bone powder and trim the leather to suit.
Mix up a sludge with the bone powder and a little water, spread it across the leather about 8mm thick then laying the Face of the Frizzen down in it; scrape the rest of the bone powder sludge away so only the Frizzen face itself is affected.
Roughly sew the leather up on the other side from the Frizzen face you want to harden, dont tighten it so the bone paste is squeezed out.
Then wrap the whole using a length of Tie wire carefully worked so the wire is coil laid strand by strand until the leather is bound (not tightly). This is done to hold the leather and paste in place once the fire heating begins.
Have a small fire settled down to red hot Coals and use a length of thick wire secured through the Frizzen screw hole to lower the Frizzen face down on a bed of hot Coals, then take a length of narrow Pipe tube and blow through it as a bellows to increase the intensity of heat from the Coals until the leather is charred away.
Remove the Frizzen and let it cool, then remove the now brittle wire etc, clean the Frizzen and refit to the lock.

I learnt it all in a 1970's Buckskinner magazine years ago and it works a treat, sure it takes a little effort but I prefer to do such things as independently as possible nowadays.

 

[toot]

I was referring to this kinda Feather stick,smaller curls easily catch sparks

do you pull the feathers off of the stick or leave them in SITU?

 

[toot]

Love to see a vid of a feather stick taking a spark from F & S

me two!.

 

[toot]

Best we've ever found is dryer lint - gray stuff from the filter. Used it many times for Boy Scout training. Not HC, but it works. Sometimes smells like dog hair.

just make sure that the lint is not from synthetics! it will be a no go!

 

[toot]

View attachment 128967

I ask is the inner fluff with seeds on it usable to catch a spark, or just the outer part of the pod ??