Main Discussion Area > Primitive Skills
Friction Fire
nclonghunter:
Lots of talk about wood types, what type of cordage is being used for the bow. What about making cordage while collecting your spindle and board. I believe that is the next step in bow drill or learn the hand drill and skip the need for cordage.
Outbackbob48:
Nc, Went to a knappin with a friend of mine and he says anybody can build a fire with a manmade string lets try natural cordage. The odds of getting a coal before your string breaks defintly are harder, Had one guy make dogbane string but made it to thin and friction broke it before coal, my friend gathered some fresh hickory bark( smoothbark inner) and some grape vines and soaked in water. He 4 braided a huge in dia. rope(1-1/4") we laughed at his string and he started working bow stopped as string got loose but braids and stretch reduced his string to a 1/2" cable and ya should have seen him turn out the coals one after another with hardly any fraying, yea he had the last laugh. Actually hand drills are alot less labor as far getting materials gathered up. Try some natural cordages and let us know how it worked out. Bob
Ranasp:
--- Quote from: Outbackbob48 on October 14, 2015, 03:36:22 pm ---I am sure they learned to carry a coal without it going out also, or spent some cold damp nites. :( Bob
--- End quote ---
According to material found on the Iceman (copper aged mummified corpse) he carried a cylinder made of birch bark, packed with maple leaves and other plants was used as a coal carrier. http://www.iceman.it/en/node/285 (don't know if the link will go directly to that or if you have to look at his equipment, it's all neat anyway)
Forest_Farmer:
On YouTube I saw a great video on a ember extender fungus that grows on birch and other trees. It's called a milipore fungus. I collected a few on the Appalachian trail a few weeks back, and tried them out. Amazing stuf!!! Attached is a pic of a thimble sized piece that I transferred a bow drill ember to. This small piece kept an ember going for 35 min!!!
I will now keep a couple of these in my fire kit at all times. I've also attached a pic of the full fungi.
I also recommend checking out that YouTube video, it's under rewind university and search milipore fungus or chaga.
Ed
riverrat:
my next friction fire im gonna try using twisted cambium from elm as my cordage. just to give it a whirl. might try elm roots too. the small diam. ones make for strong cordage.i bet you get about 3 thin ones twist into 3 ply cordage and they would work.Tony
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