Survival Bill : Survival & Bushcraft Forums

Fire Making Guide:

Lighters & Matches    

Get these items before you need them. Your best bet a $100.00 spent on matches and lighters and stored in Ziploc bags will last a lifetime of starting fires if you are in a survival situation once you have a fire started you keep it going so that you do not use up your matches or lighters, this is so much better than trying to learn the methods below...

Hand-drill fire making was practiced by variously primitive people worldwide. While it may not be quite as reliable as the bow and drill method, with which more people are familiar, it is still quite effective in the hands of a proficient individual. It is also lighter in weight, easier to construct, and does not require the use of a string or cord as does the bow and drill. However, like the bow and drill, a hand-drill kit will usually provide many fires once a good combination is found. People who relied on this technology undoubtedly prized good kits and under everyday circumstances did not count on being able to construct one on the spot when a fire was needed.

In this method of fire making, a smooth shaft, the drill, is twirled between the palms in a hole, which is burned into another piece of wood, the hearth, by the twirling or drilling action. This drilling action, a combination of speed and downward pressure, creates great friction at the interface of the two woods and causes the drill and/or hearth materials to burn and slowly crumble into a charred powder. A notch is provided in the side of the hearth as an exit for this powder. Constantly exuding through the notch, fresh from intimate contact with the source of heat, the powder eventually reaches a peak temperature and ideal conditions for the formation of an ember. The ember is then transferred to tinder, which is manipulated and blown into flame.

Fire Plow Sets for Primitive Fire Making      

 The fire plow may be the most primitive and dificult method of fire starting there is. You pick up one stick for a "plow" and rub it back and forth on another stick, called the "fireboard" or "hearth". The friction creates a groove in the hearth, and the hot, powdered wood worn out of the groove piles up at the end, hopefully to form a glowing coal. The coal is then transferred to a tinder bundle of dry, fluffy material and blown into flame.

The fire plow was historically used by native peoples in southeast Asia, northern Australia, throughout Polynesia and Hawaii, with limited use by some Native Americans. I first witnessed the fire plow as a teenager visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. A big Polynesian man whipped out a coal in a few seconds and blew it into flame in a tinder bundle made from the fibers of a coconut husk. I've been fascinated with this wilderness survival tool ever since!

There are three keys to successfully starting a fire with the fire plow: 1) the right materials, 2) favorable weather, and 3) good technique. You will need at least two out of the three to get a coal with the fire plow.

Magnesium Fire Starter

Magnesium fire starter  you can get these in any outdoor store they do work OK and you can get a fire going just remember you need to find tinder that is dry for this too. the clip shows you how its done...

Also, there is tinder in either the bottom of the cylinder or attached to the rod itself. Compressing the cylinder rapidly is supposed to generate enough heat to ignite the tinder. Once smoldering, the tinder is extracted from the cylinder, sometimes with a stick or piece of wire bent into a hook. Alternatively, it could be stored in a recess at the bottom of the rod, such that when the rod is extracted, the smoldering tinder comes out. I have seen these things blow apart from the presser be careful !

This technique was used in various incarnations by the peoples of South East Asia, the South Pacific Islands and others such as Malaysians.

Strike-a-Light Strike-a-Light fire striker, hand forged, curled ends, with flint chard. Authentic and well proportioned, our fire striker fits neatly around the hand. It is big enough for a grown man's hand and not over sized for a lady's hand. The price includes a sharp flint chard and char cloth so that you are ready to go as son as you receive it. The special hardening process makes it spark well, throwing showers of hot sparks, when you present the sharp edge of a flint chard at the perfect angle. Not brittle, it is virtually unbreakable! The strike-a-light should last a life time. The quality of sparks is first rate and just one good strike is enough to get char cloth burning before introduction to tinder like birch bark or dried grass. It is possible to get your fire going in seconds rather than minutes.

Army Model Fire Steel The original Swedish Fire steel. Strikes sparks at 3000 degrees centigrade, will light all tinder's and outdoor stoves. Works in all weathers and will last for around 12000 strikes. Rapidly becoming the accepted fire lighter for military units the world over. An absolute must for any outdoor enthusiast. Complete with own striker.

Magnifying Glass Direct the Sun's rays through the lens so that the rays converge in to a sharp point on the tinder. Once the tinder starts to smolder and glow, blow it gently to encourage flames- Try using the lens incorporated in some compass bases or a pair binoculars as well as just an ordinary magnifying glass.

Fire Drill This is what most survivalist think is what it should all be about again get some matches people life should not be this hard unless absolutely necessary.
Fire Drill (hi tech) This is the hi tech version of the fire drill it needs two people to make it work.