Firemaking

[Shell]

Firemaking​

1. Ignition

Vocabulary:

tinder - the material that first catches fire - Example
kindling - the quick-burning material - Example
fuel - the slow-burning material - Example
​

Any of these supplies will help you ignite a fire.

A match or lighter (a)
A 9 volt battery and a small pile of steel wool (b)
A magnifying glass and the sun (c)
Flint/quartzite and steel (d)​

a: Lighting a fire with a match or lighter is rather self-explanatory. If you're going camping and you need to waterproof your matches...

• Pour enough turpentine into a custard cup to cover the head and about one sixteenth of the match stem.
• Hold the matches head-down in the turpentine for 5-10 minutes.
• Put them on a sheet of paper to dry for half an hour.

...or if you realize that your lighter is dead...

• Wad up a bit of paper or tissue.
• Spray the wad with aerosol (bug spray works well).
• Hold your lighter to the side of the wad of paper and strike until a spark catches the ball.
• Toss the ball onto your other kindling.

b: This is the a simple method. Take your 9 volt battery and sweep the terminals (the two protruding parts) lightly and quickly against the steel wool, then drop it on your tinder.

c: Aerosol helps here as well, but isn't necessary.

• Take some paper, tear it into one-inch pieces, and place it on a flat surface that is easy to move (like a broken log or a thin rock).
• Hold your magnifying glass so that it creates a small dot of sun on the pile of shreds. The smaller the dot, the better, as more focus creates more heat.
• Hold the dot in the same place for at least 5 minutes.
• If you haven't ignited yet, adjust the paper, focus the dot, and try again.

d: This is a tricky method, but it has saved many lives because it requires that you bring only one very common material (steel). The rest you can find in the wilderness.

• Find anything with a steel blade. A hatchet works best, but a pocketknife may also work, if you're careful not to damage it.
• Find flint
  • Walk to a riverbed.
  • Find a rock that appears rough, often with one very smooth edge. In color, it should be greyscale or a very deep blue.
  • Test it with steel to see if it makes sparks.
• Strike the flint across your steel object near your tinder until a spark ignites.

2. Gathering tinder, kindling, and fuel

Tinder:

Lint
Wax
Paper bits
Fungus
Newspaper
Char paper
Dry needles
Dead grasses or plants
​

Kindling:

Cardboard
Dry twigs
Wood pieces
Dry bark
​

Fuel:

Dry logs
Hardwoods
Newspaper logs​

3. Design

Clear the area (a)
Build the fire (b)

a: Clear the area of any dry materials or grasses, leaving only dirt for two meters around your fire (more if it's particularly windy).
b: Set up your fire.

A few common designs are...​

Tepee: fuel arranged in a circle meeting at the top, with kindling in the middle.

• This is the simplest, and easiest to build.
• It offers little protection from wind.

Log cabin: alternate sticks to build in a square pattern, usually around a tepee in the center.

• More wind protection
• More stable
• Simple
• Requires larger logs

Pyramid: much like the log cabin, but it continues all the way across the logs with a closed top, gradually thinning to a small flat surface at the top, with kindling in the middle at the base.

• Requires much more logs
• Very stable
• Maximum wind protection

​

 

[Rhodesy]

Good concept of the guide, however I think it lacks colour, pictures. Think the layout is ok, just add those things really.
Not bad guide, you obviously have a good knowledge of this, and it's well written and informed. Just add bit of colours, pictures and it'll be a good guide.

 

[Shell]

Good concept of the guide, however I think it lacks colour, pictures. Think the layout is ok, just add those things really.
Not bad guide, you obviously have a good knowledge of this, and it's well written and informed. Just add bit of colours, pictures and it'll be a good guide.

I color-coded it some and added examples for each type of fire and material. :noworry: Any other suggestions?