There
always seems to be a fire expert that emerges on camping trips. Typically,
it looks something like this: the novice fire starter takes a wad
of toilet paper or rolled up newspaper, places it under a few logs
of a large diameter tree, and then spends the next few hours trying
to light the smoldering log with a lighter or matches. When that doesn’t
work, they resort to a combustible petroleum product of their choice.
If you are caught unprepared in a real survival situation, you don’t
have the luxury of matches, lighters, toilet paper, or gasoline, so
fire building skill and technique is critical for providing warmth
and making it through the night.
Creating
fire by friction is no easy task. Believe me, it is much harder than
the Woody Woodpecker cartoon or Hollywood portrays. Below I will describe
the materials and technique for perfecting the bow drill friction
fire method. It is important to note that our ancestors spent hundreds
and thousands of years perfecting this skill. Practice makes perfect,
but so does patience and persistence. Remember to check with Forest
Rangers to make sure it is ok to have fire, fully extinguish fires
when you are finished with them, and don’t give fires a bad
name!
Bow-
The bow should be approximately the length from your armpit to fingertips.
It should be slightly curved and slightly flexible. It is easier to
tie if there is a crotch in one end. Any type of wood can be used,
although green wood should be avoided.
Bowstring-
The bowstring should be approximately one wingspan long. Parachute
cord, braintan buckskin thongs, shoelaces, and natural 2-ply cordage
all work well. The string should not be tied too tight so you can't
put the spindle in, but also not loose to where the spindle will not
rotate.
Socket-
The socket should fit comfortably in the palm of your hand and is
used to apply downward pressure to the spindle while creating friction
to the fireboard. Stones, bones, shells, and hard woods can be used
as sockets. Small notches or holes are drilled into the socket to
create the least amount of friction where the spindle and socket meet,
so choosing the right materials are key. The socket can also be lubed
with oils from your face, earwax, lip balm, and other lubricants.
Spindle-
The spindle is one of the most important pieces of the fire set. The
spindle should be the width of your finger and the length from your
pinkie to thumb when your palm is extended. The spindle should be
created from dead and downed Cottonwood, Sagebrush, Juniper, Aspen,
Cedar, and other softwoods. The end applied to the socket should be
longer and pointed to reduce friction and the end applied to the fireboard
should be short and blunt to increase friction. The spindle must be
straight as an arrow. I repeat: The spindle must be straight as an
arrow!
Fire
Board- The coal of a friction fire is actually born from the
fireboard. The fireboard should be about two fingers wide, one finger
high, and as long as your pinkie to thumb with your palm extended.
The fireboard should be as soft or softer than your spindle and an
impression should be left after piercing it with your thumbnail. Fireboards
can also be created from dead and downed Cottonwood, Sagebrush, Juniper,
Aspen, Cedar, and other softwoods.
Coal
Catcher- The coal catcher is placed underneath the fireboard
to catch the coal after it is produced to be transferred to the tinder
bundle. This can be created from almost anything flat. A piece of
bark works well.
Tinder
Bundle- The tinder bundle is the most essential element in making
fire. It is used to blow the coal from the fire set into an actual
flame. The tinder bundle should be finely shredded and resemble a
birds nest at least the size of a fist. Fluffy and fibrous materials
are key. Juniper bark, Sagebrush bark, Cottonwood bark, crushed grasses,
and crushed pine needles make good tinder. Cattail down, Milkweed
silk, and pocket lint make good coal extenders, but are difficult
to ignite. You should make a tinder bundle by tying your material
in an overhand knot and then tucking the ends towards the center.
The tinder bundle should be tight and the outside should be coarse
while using progressively finer material in the center of the nest.
The finest sawdust material should be put in the nest last and it
will mark the place where the coal will be placed.
The
Fire Board Notch- The notch is what allows the fine powder to
form into a coal during friction fire. The notch should be about the
size of 1/8 or 1/6th of a pie wedge throughout the entire thickness
of the fireboard. Start by marking your fireboard with exactly where
your spindle will be burrowed into the fireboard. The hole you burn
should be at least a millimeter from the edge of your fireboard, but
not in the center. Use your spindle to burn a hole the width of the
spindle into the fire board before you carve your notch. Then use
your knife to mark the exact center of the burned hole and make a
mark on the outer edge of the fireboard. Begin cutting your notch
on both sides of your line in a pie shaped wedge. The notch should
almost go to the center of the hole you burned with your spindle,
but not quite. The notch should be widened on the bottom of the fireboard
to allow the fine powder to collect. If you begin drilling and the
punky material collects on the top of the fireboard, reexamine your
notch. You may have to widen the notch or make it deeper towards the
center of the spindle hole.
Make
a Mound Fire Pit – To make a fire pit, find a source of
sand or dirt. The mound should be 6” – 12” off the
ground and the diameter of the mound should be about double the diameter
of the fire you will have. By making a mound, you will protect the
ground from burning and leaving a fire scar and you will make a fire
pit that is easy to clean and disguise. There is no need to use a
rock ring unless you are already in an established camping area. Remember,
we are trying to minimize our impact, not maximize it!
Gather
Wood - Before you begin to create a coal, you want to make sure
that you have gathered enough wood to make your fire. Start by collecting
a handful of dry kindling about 1 foot in length and no thicker than
a match. If you gather wood from a tree and it bends, move along;
you only want to gather dry wood that snaps. Gather a pile of pencil
size wood, then thumb size, then wrist. There is no need to burn wood
thicker than your wrist. Prearrange a teepee of your kindling by making
a tri-pod of thumb size sticks and then add your match size wood with
one side open to receive the tinder bundle. Then place your pencil
size, thumb size, and wrist size. Remember, even if it has been raining
for days, you can always find dry fire materials – you just
need to look harder.
Body
Position and Technique- A direct line of pressure is key to a
successful bow drill fire. Your chest, knee, and wrist should all
be directly over the spindle to use your body weight to apply the
necessary downward pressure. If you are right handed, begin by placing
your left foot approximately 1 finger width away from the notch of
your fireboard using the ball of your foot. You should be in a kneeling
position with your left knee bent while baring your weight on your
right knee. Your left arm should hug your left knee and you will hold
your socket in your left hand as well. It is important that your left
wrist is firmly locked against your shin. If your wrist is wobbling
while you are bowing, you will not be proficient in producing a coal.
When the spindle is in your bow, rock your weight forward giving the
direct line of pressure over your spindle.
Creating
a Coal¬- When you are ready to make a bow-drill fire, begin
with long bow strokes at a slightly diagonal angle. If you bow perpendicular
to your fireboard you will tend to hit your knee and use a shorter
bow stroke. Begin with nice fluid strokes and slowly add more pressure
to the spindle. Keep the bow as level as possible so your bowstring
does not ride up and down your spindle. When you begin to heat up
the fireboard and you see smoke, increase the pressure and the speed
at which you are bowing. A charred sawdust material will be produced
at the base of your notch and a coal will be produced when the pile
of punk reaches a temperature of 800 ?F. You know you have produced
a coal when the smoke begins to billow from the bottom of the fireboard
as opposed to the top. Don't forget to breathe when you are bowing
- you need oxygen too!
Blowing
the Coal into a Flame- When you have successfully produced a
coal, use a knife point to gently separate it from the fire board
and take a deep breath. Tell a joke, prepare your tinder bundle, and
take your time because the coal will grow stronger with a little room
to breathe. You may also gently fan the coal, but don't rush things
or you risk dropping the coal. When you are ready to blow the coal
into a flame, gently take the coal on the coal catcher and place it
gently on the fine sawdust section in the middle of your tinder bundle.
Gently close the tinder around the coal with both hands cupped around
the nest and hold it skyward to avoid inhaling all of the smoke. Blow
directly on to the coal forcefully and consistently to allow the coal
to spread and ignite the tinder. When your tinder bundle is aflame,
place it in the prepared teepee and carefully add larger pieces of
wood.
Extinguishing
the Fire- Coals may never biodegrade in certain environments,
so great care must be taken when extinguishing a fire. All fires should
be burned until it is reduced to white ash, which is why you don’t
want to burn anything larger than your wrist. Unfortunately, this
is not always possible so all coals must be completely crushed and
scattered without a trace. Ideally, water should be used to douse
all fires to ensure that the fire is completely out. When the coals
are cool to the touch, rocks should be used to crush all coals. The
pulverized ashes should be scattered at the base of trees and shrubs
to fertilize them and promote growth. The fire pit should be mixed
with sand and other organic material to make a fertile growing area
and covered so that the fire area blends with its surrounding environment.
Finally the stones used to crush the coals should be cleaned and disbursed.
