Starting a fire

[Arzosah]

Brilliant! So there's two other routes for home made fire starter - fraying thin materials, and making charcloth.

Ferricks, good luck on the trials of this stuff - I'm not doing anything this weekend, my physical energy has gone down to zero with this cold (which is why my head has been buzzing, its frustrating being ill - makes you wonder what it would be like after TSHTF if you had a bad cold, or a flu or a virus. Yikes.

But when I am well, and back from holibob at beginning of August, then I'll really get stuck in to this, skills practice seems urgent to me.

[jansman]

That lint stuff in the tumble dryer filter is a good fire tinder too!

[pseudonym]

I have tried all of the above and now stick to magic biscuits:

http://www.kuenzi.com/tips_e.htm

[pseudonym]

Having just got back from a week in the woods, this was the demo table for firelighting:

[preppingsu]

Having just got back from a week in the woods, this was the demo table for firelighting:

would love to know what you do for a living pseudonym, I guessing some sort of bushcraft training???

[pseudonym]

Having just got back from a week in the woods, this was the demo table for firelighting:

would love to know what you do for a living pseudonym, I guessing some sort of bushcraft training???

Actually, I am retired. That just means I get out a lot to bushcraft Meets

Mainly on this site:

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/login. ... 0a3f364647

There is a lot of cross-over between bushcrafting and the prepping lifestyles.

[everyday-carry]

Gimme a 9v battery and some wire wool anyday

pseudonym, I wonder if we've ever met at Bardsters?

[The Ace of Spades]

Knowing which kinds of wood burns best is useful knowledge.

Here is a list of commonly found wood in the UK with a brief description of it's burning characteristics.

As a rule, hardwoods burn slower/longer than softwoods. Softwoods are ideal for kindling.

Alder- A poor wood. It burns quickly and gives off little heat.
Apple - A good wood. It burns slowly and gives off good heat. It also smell nice and doesn't tend to spark/spit too much. Really needs to be dry (seasoned).
Ash - One of the best woods to burn. Gives good heat and flame, burns slowly. Will also burn when green.
Beech - Like Ash, burns well but not so good when green. Has a tendancy to spark.
Birch - Is a very good burning wood although burns fairly fast. Mix with slower burning woods.
Blackthorn - Another good wood. Burns slowly with lots of heat and little smoke.
Cedar - Good wood for cooking. Gives lots of heat but little flame. Also smell nice.
Cherry - Burns slow and with lots of heat. Needs to be seasoned. Little or no spitting.
Douglas Fir - Not very good. Produces little flame or heat.
Elder - Burns quickly with little heat. Very smokey.
Elm - Needs to be well seasoned to burn. Slow burner and good heat output.
Hawthorn - Burns slowly with lots of heat and little smoke.
Hazel - Excellent wood when seasoned. Burns fast but without spitting.
Holly -A good wood. Can be burnt green.
Hornbeam - Another good wood. Burns well.
Horse Chesnut - Produces heat and flame, but spits a lot.
Larch - Needs to be seasoned well. Spits excessively while it burns.
Laurel - Produces a good flame.
Lime -A poor wood.
Maple - A good wood. Burns slow with good heat.
Oak - One of the best firewoods. When seasoned well, it gives off a good, lasting heat. Burns reasonably slowly.
Pear - Needs to be seasoned well. Burns well with a pleasant smell and without spitting.
Pine - Burns well but tends to spit. The resinous wood makes good kindling.
Poplar - Burns slowly to produce a black choking smoke even when seasoned.
Spruce - Burns very quickly and sparks badly.
Sycamore - Burns well but produces only moderate heat.
Walnut - Low quality firewood.
Willow - A poor wood. Do not even try unless it is well seasoned.
Yew - Burns slowly and with a fierce heat.

Ace.

[Arzosah]

Ace, brilliant post there! Sounds like you've been doing this stuff for a lot of years!

[The Ace of Spades]

Ace, brilliant post there! Sounds like you've been doing this stuff for a lot of years!

Thanks!! Yeah, been into what I do for a looooooooong time. Making fire using different methods, and using different woods is one of my fave things to do when I'm out camping.

Ace.