Fire Starting when the wood is wet.

IMG_20120608_152051.jpgRGINN agreed,multiple ways to start a fire,good ol flint and steel with a dry tinder box some charcloth(no fungus trials yet)were in use long before sulphur match here. keeping a weather eye out too. Keep your powder dry! ( Good ol beeswax!) H.H.
 

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Releventchair, I have firesteels and charcloth in ALL of my survival kits.
Excellent way of starting fire.

Took me a few tries to get a suitable tin to make charcloth (I use an altoids tin now) but once you figure out how to make it ONCE, it's hard to screw up.
 

IMG_20120627_165236.jpgAltoid tin,good idea. I use a small paint can,not to portable. always noticing a little bit of this and that to squirrel away just for the worst times to get a fire.
 

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I think the main skill in firebuilding lies in the preparation of the initial fire and tinder, and having the wood nearby.
That way you're not scrambling to get wood when it's dark, or you let it go out while you are gathering more wood.
Birch bark is a GREAT tinder, no matter HOW wet, due to the flammable oil content.

And you can also make ONE paper match into TWO by gently splitting it down the middle, starting at the base and working upward.
 

A friend learned last month about birchbark. He had to get warm. Had him knock a dead snag apart and it was still damp.(days of rain). The next day he was with another group and showed his new skill for a shore lunch fire. I try not to insult trees integrity removing bark,do or die i wouldn't,t hesitate. Carry magnesium block but never had to use it.
 

releventchair said:
. Carry magnesium block but never had to use it.
Click to expand...
They WORK, just not a miracle cure. Like all things, you still need good tinder. They are thought by some people to make tinder as unimportant, but it still is.
It's a good, hot flame.
I noticed on mine that the striker doesn't NEARLY last as long as the shaving block.
 

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I will back up first and wish those in areas with fires out of control they get through o.k.. it is a nightmare tool when it gets loose. Diggit, i read somewhere people use pieces of magnesium off some import car engine block. Do not recall ignition method. Lots of ways to make sparks.
 

releventchair said:
I will back up first and wish those in areas with fires out of control they get through o.k.. it is a nightmare tool when it gets loose. Diggit, i read somewhere people use pieces of magnesium off some import car engine block. Do not recall ignition method. Lots of ways to make sparks.
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Magnesium is touchy to start, but a ******* to put out. (that's why plane and helicopter fires are so hard to put out)
You need a VERY hot flame to start it burning, like a spark from a flint. You can't just start it burning with a regular open flame.
It also has to be very "tiny" where the ignition takes place. (like shaved or splintered.)
 

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I need to let thread run without stepping on it worse,but the swedish firesteels and boyscout version in 70s you could use a piece of hack saw blade to throw sparks. The big blocks could go with more "flint"and less block. they do not get lost in pocket though. what we throw with RGINN type strike a lite is molten at first.H.H.
 

WooHoo! This thread is still alive! Here is an idea I remember.... The dead wood branches (the small ones) under the main branches of an evergreen, are always dry. Also, a good way to "make" tinder is to take a solid piece of limb and (using your knife) slice long, thin pieces that stay on the limb. Hard to explain, but what you are doing is make it look like a pine tree with tiny branches. A couple of these will make good tinder in leu of the real thing. Also, look for the "sawdust" made by tree beetles, under the loose bark. ( Tnx for the like, Diggit). TTC
 

cheese said:
Definitely hard to beat that lighter pine (we call it fat lighter), and it's right there in the woods for you to find. Starts a fire every time, wet or not.
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We call it Fatwood. Burns great. Find an old dead pine and cut out the hardest part of the center. Pure pitch. Then go change into you backup woolies. :D
 

I would suggest staying away from using magnesium, for safety purposes alone. Besides, once it starts burning it is blinding to look at... and nearly impossible to put out under camping conditions.

Again diggit mentioned birch.. Out of all the various birches, the best would be paper birch. The bark is actually peeled back like little scrolls on the trees and easy to pick off with no hassle.
 

TerryC said:
WooHoo! This thread is still alive! Here is an idea I remember.... The dead wood branches (the small ones) under the main branches of an evergreen, are always dry. Also, a good way to "make" tinder is to take a solid piece of limb and (using your knife) slice long, thin pieces that stay on the limb. Hard to explain, but what you are doing is make it look like a pine tree with tiny branches. A couple of these will make good tinder in leu of the real thing. Also, look for the "sawdust" made by tree beetles, under the loose bark. ( Tnx for the like, Diggit). TTC
Click to expand...
We called those curl shaved branches fuzz sticks , Terry . Learned from BOY'S LIFE magazine about scouting.
 

truckinbutch said:
We called those curl shaved branches fuzz sticks , Terry . Learned from BOY'S LIFE magazine about scouting.
Click to expand...
Great, Butch. I'm glad someone was able to visualize what I was verbalizing. Tnx. TTC
 

I worked for Columbia as a heli logger and when we had visibility issues the helicopter wouldn't fly, leaving us to wait in the wet, cold forest. To keep our hands warm one of the tricks I learned for starting a wet fire is to use duct tape. Loosely ball it up and light, that stuff will light up and smolder even if it is soaked.

Sent from my Android using TreasureNet
 

I am an avid hiker and I have found the best (lightweight/portable) fire starter to be vaseline dipped cotton balls. One cotton ball will burn for a pretty long time and can give you that extra time you need to get smaller wet twigs to dry up. Once you have something small, stack the wet wood around the fire to dry. Viola!
 

I find it a strange coincidence that I have just returned from a camping trip that the whole weekend rained and I had to make a fire from wet wood several times.

I'll be talking about my trip here:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/au24k/290699-camping.html#post3055164 (starting with post #51)

I really haven't read the posts of this thread yet,
but found it an interesting topic to gain knowledge and share knowledge. :thumbsup:

I certainly will add this forum to my read list!

Best,

Scott
 

I didnt see it here so i figured i would post it.Take some cotton balls and saturate them one at a time with vaseline.Quite a few will fit in a plastic film container and,one cotton ball treated that way will burn for up to 10 minutes
 

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