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Cold weather friction fire

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ricktrojanowski:
I've been messing with the hand drill for a little while now.  I'm by no means an expert.  I thought I would challenge myself the other night and get a fire going with it.  I thought since it was only 9 degrees it would be really tough.  To my suprise it was actually some of the easiest coals I have ever gotten.  Which leads me to believe that it has much less to do with air temperature as it does with relative humidity.  Since the RH is so low when it is that cold.  This is probably pretty obvious to some but I'm kinda slow. ;D 

Boofus:
that's wonderful information!!! i always thought it would be harder to get a friction fire going in COLD temperatures, i would think that the cold would prevent a coal from "glowing" Thanks! i've never tried a hand drill.... yet i have made fire from a bowdrill once. i think it took me about 3 hours, my right arm was sore for about a week too!  ;D

Kegan:
Very cool. I've tried it a number of times in the summer when it was wet/raining out, and even when the kit was dry or I was under an awnign of sort it was harder. That would explain it :)!

billy:
Rick,

You are dead on.  HAnd drill fires are MUCH easier when the humidity is low.  when I lived in Oregon I remember I got an ember with my hand drill in about 12 seconds.  It was easy!  But I was living in the high desert.  When I went up into the mountains and tried it there, the humidity was much higher and I could barely get it to smoke and never got an ember.  When it's humid, I go with the bow drill. 

ricktrojanowski:
Boofus- Give the handdrill a go.  It is much easier than the bow when you get a feel for it.  I have much more trouble with the bow than the handrill.
Kegan-I hear ya about the summer humidity.  When it is really bad out.  I usually go to a harder board like ERC heartwood and spin for a looong time really easy to dry everything up.  But I was amazed at how easy it was in the dry cold air.
Billy- Have you had any luck with the fire saw?  Maybey dry air would make this easier?  I tried all summer and could only manage smoke.

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