Hand Drill Friction Fire Starting Ignition Floating Method

Making a coal with the hand drill using the "floating" method. www.burntmud.com. The textile is basswood inner bark, the fireboard is pawpaw (Asimina triloba) and the spindle is jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus).

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Hand
• Drill
• Fricton
• Fire
• Starting
• Primitive
• Skills
• Bow
• Drilling

[Naoocotzo]

I'm reading a survival book and tried this method couldn't get it to work. The Hearth-Board I used was a cut in half log from my woods. I want to know two things really.

How would you get such a smooth stick like getting out the knots and sanding it from items from the wild.

Also how can you make a really smooth Hearth-board from the wild. I'm trying to go completely natural in case I'm in a situation in my future job doing field research as a fish and game biologist. If I can get the job...

[loosanarrow]

"log in the woods" - only specific combinations of base/spindle will work, but I have found something like twenty different species that will work in various combinations. Fro learning, I recommend one of the proven "easy" combinations like mullein stalk spindle on pawpaw or white cedar base. Once you get it down, try new combos.

I just use a flint flake or the pocket knife you see here for shaping the base from a small branch or sapling. Put it in the sun for a day after shaping to dry.

[chargerSRTHIMI]

I tried this many times but I failed :( . could you please tell me what type of wood did you use for starting a fire?

[loosanarrow]

Read the info under "more info"

[mingthecat]

I have great success with pawpaw and wingstem - similar to the jerusalem artichoke you are using. Where are you?

[loosanarrow]

I am in a cofffee shop... Oh, you must mean what geographic region? Upper Wabash watershed/Great Lakes area. Do you have the latin name for wingstem? I can think of a few plants that would match description around here, from herbacious to woody. Lots of materials work for both base and spindle, but only certain combinations in my experience.

[Thedoctor19000]

@loosanarrow: Where can you locate a flint core? I have been having difficulty in such a pursuit. Even tried looking how to online, without any useful results.

[5tonyvvvv]

@Naoocotzo dont use any pine..try to find good dry hardwoods.catail,yucca.hickory­.willow,,all work well

[WhichDoctor1]

Naoocotzo - I would just like to say that if its the first time you've tried anything like this you mite wont to give the bowdrill method a try first. I can make fire with a bowdrill but I'm still having real trouble getting the hand drill to work. There are lots of bowdrill vids on here to check out.

loosanarrow- Respect man :-). I think the floating hand method is just the most elegant way imaginable to start a fire.

[Naoocotzo]

Thx a lot

[chargerSRTHIMI]

thanx

[mingthecat]

actinomeris alternifolia