Firepiston construction 2, demonstrated by a native Semelai. Part 2 of 2

Jamri, a native Semelai, demonstrates the lost art of firepiston construction.
The firepiston creates fire by rapidly compressing a column of air, and thereby sufficiently increasing the temperature in the chamber to ignite the tinder placed in the cup at the head of the piston. (In excess of 430 degrees C)

In the early 19th century European explorers began encountering the native peoples of South East Asia and were astonished to see them utilizing a fire-lighting device they could not comprehend.
In 1877 Carl Linde gave a lecture in Munich in which he demonstrated a firepiston.
Rudolph Diesel was in attendance and this experience later stimulated him to designing the diesel engine.
Unfortunately, amongst its original inventors the knowledge of its construction and use is almost totally lost, replaced by the trappings of the modern world.

The process took approximately 2 hours, the gasket is made from fibres extracted from the bark of the Terap tree (Artocarpus Elasticus), the tinder is extracted from palms such as the Fishtail palm (Caryota) in Malaysia or the Apiang palm (Arenga undulatifolia) in Borneo. It is scraped from the layers which surround the palms heart.

Filmed in Malaysia by BOD and Stuart.

If you have any questions, please submit them via the comments box and we will do our best to provide answers where we can, and seek them where we cant.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• semelai
• bushcraft
• Fire
• piston
• primitive
• fire
• worldwild
• survival
• friction

[wozanicharles]

Sorry, found the link.  Thanks for sharing this video.

[wozanicharles]

What did the maker use to create the original hole in the wood? Carved with knife, drill bit, don't see that part? Amazing craftmanship.

[hitachi088]

@trollkors78 there is a hole.

[trollkors78]

How doest the tinder HOLD in the end of the stick?? Why doesn't it fall out?

[trollkors78]

True MASTER!



[ahazeman]

nanti deme peten kan jenuh kena bayo

[VIAJEROCOSMICO1]

LA FIBRA DEL 5,4 NO ES ASTROCARPUS DEBE SER (*ARCTOCARPUS* ELASTICUS) , NOMBRE CIENTIFICO DE UN ARBOL MORACEO PRIMO DEL ARBOL DEL PAN Y LA YAKA O JAKA, TODO LO DEMAS ES UNA GRAN LECCION POR LO KE AL ARTESANO Y AL CAMAROGRAFO FELICIDADEZ Y MIL GRACIAS POR DARNOS ESTE REGALO

[FacetsOfTruth]

Well done! That was a privilege watch you do this. I am very impressed. Thank you for sharing the wisdom you have learned.

[crazywhitedog78]

Great video! Wish I had the patience to make one this way !

[monsterthug1952]

I just got done building one out of a peice of copper pipe an end cap and some soder for the plunger an oak dowl rod with a rubber o ring for gassket it works awsome !!!!!!! Until you see this guy and my work seems not so important . It seem to pail in comparison to see how it was done in another time that was a much simpler way of life . Never forget the old ways !