Starting a Fireplace Fire: Tips & Techniques

[Evo]

Maybe it's my night to be slow, but...what? How do you get from a fireplace in the bedroom to a fire on the dresser?

Probably the tv location.

Evo, on one snowy night, I decided to just pull out the sofabed and turned my living room into the bedroom for the night so I could watch TV in bed by the fire. There was only one thing missing.

A good single malt scotch?

 

[Moonbear]

Probably the tv location.

Oh...as in the video? Yep, I'm definitely slow tonight.

A good single malt scotch?

Nope...a guy!

 

[chroot]

There was only one thing missing.

Batteries?

I kid, I kid.

- Warren

 

[Moonbear]

Batteries?

I kid, I kid.

- Warren

I never run out of batteries!

...for the remote for the fireplace of course.

 

[Chi Meson]

Did everyone read Chroots list, CAREFULLY?

1. Two quarts of water
2. Compass
3. Storm whistle
4. Two sources of cold light (LED headlamp and larger flashlight, plus some glow sticks)
5. Two sources of fire (waterproof matches and lighter)
6. Firestarter material (I use a pouch of lint from my clothes dryer)
7. First-aid kit (basic bandages, ointments, sting kit, gloves, etc.)
8. 6,000 kcal worth of granola bars
9. Change of clothes (polypro)
10. Foldable 3-inch knife.
11. Two trash bags for improvised shelter.
12. Prussik cord for self-belay
13. Tubular webbing for seats, harnesses, shelter, etc.
14. Leather work gloves
15. Lots and lots of batteries!
16. Waterproof paper/pen
17. Flagging tape

- Warren

 

[zoobyshoe]

The granola bars?

 

[Evo]

Oh my! I have a feeling chroot doesn't need batteries.

 

[Moonbear]

Did everyone read Chroots list, CAREFULLY?

Lots and LOTS of batteries. Hey, if you're going to be stranded in the wilderness, you have to have your priorities straight. Deer are a lot harder to sneak up on than sheep.

 

[zoobyshoe]

#4 where he says 2 sources of cold light, but then names 3?

Give us a hint, what kind of thing are we looking for?

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

#4 where he says 2 sources of cold light, but then names 3?

Give us a hint, what kind of thing are we looking for?

GLOW STICKS!
He's trying to tell us that Chroot is a raver!

 

[chroot]

I don't know what I said that was so funny either. Glad I'm entertaining though.

- Warren

 

[Moonbear]

I don't know what I said that was so funny either. Glad I'm entertaining though.

- Warren

Your survival kit includes lots of batteries and you were picking on me for needing batteries.

 

[Chi Meson]

I don't know what I said that was so funny either. Glad I'm entertaining though.

- Warren

Item 15 in the quote.


I too kid.

 

[jimmy p]

Our fireplace is ornamental. We have stones in it. And a rollmat shoved up the chimney to stop the draft. In my house we have radiators so there is no need for a fire, but if I were desperate, put some bread in a toaster and turn the knob right up... why do they have settings that burn toast?

 

[chroot]

Your survival kit includes lots of batteries and you were picking on me for needing batteries.

My survival kit doesn't include lots of batteries. Chi Meson was just misquoting me for humor value.

- Warren

 

[jimmy p]

I'm guessing that this is a stupid question but shouldn't your survival kit also include a map and mapcase?

I wouldn't just carry a knife, I'd get the fattest swiss army knife there was. You are bound to use most of the appliances!

 

[chroot]

I would take a good-quality folding pocket knife over a Swiss Army knife anyday.

And, of course, maps are integral to search and rescue operations, but you rarely know where you're going to be sent until it's time to go. We generally photocopied USGS maps and headed out moments later.

- Warren

 

[Chi Meson]

My survival kit doesn't include lots of batteries. Chi Meson was just misquoting me for humor value.

- Warren

You're kind for using the word "value."

 

[turbo]

I would take a good-quality folding pocket knife over a Swiss Army knife anyday.

Yes, a good quality folding knife with a blade that locks open and a lightweight alloy frame. Big size, but light - I have several.

As a kid, I learned how to make a fire fairly quickly with a friction bow - just carry a piece of rawhide in your pack, cut a hard branch for the shaft another branch for the bow and some softer wood for base and top pivot - drill the sockets with the tip of a knife. That's handy to know, but not as practical as the little kit I kept in my pack for hiking, fishing, and hunting.

It was an aluminum film can packed with some tinder, into which I jammed a short piece of hacksaw blade and a small hardwood stick into which I drilled proper-sized holes and embedded lighter flints. Place a bit of tinder in some combustible materials, hold the stick near the tinder and rake across the flints with the hacksaw blade to make a shower of sparks. You can start a fire very quickly with that set-up, and my parents were comfortable with my carrying that. They would probably not have liked to see a 10 year old with a Zippo, but if you're going to go miles into the Maine woods alone, it's a good idea to have some way to start a fire in case you are injured and can't walk back out.

 

[Moonbear]

My survival kit doesn't include lots of batteries. Chi Meson was just misquoting me for humor value.

- Warren

I guess you can tell how carefully we read the original list then, huh?

 

[chroot]

:sniffle: :tear:

- Warren

 

[zoobyshoe]

As a kid, I learned how to make a fire fairly quickly with a friction bow -

OK, you're the one we want to ask. Having all the proper pieces of wood, how long does it take from when you first start bowing till having a fire started?

 

[turbo]

OK, you're the one we want to ask. Having all the proper pieces of wood, how long does it take from when you first start bowing till having a fire started?

Here's the trick: you drill a pocket in your soft base with the tip of your knife, and you shape the tip of the spindle to fit that pocket as close as you can. This gives you a lot of contact area (friction) when you start bowing. You also want to carve a little channel from the pocket in which to place your tinder. If I recall, I've gotten a nice flame in as little as 5 minutes or so. If you've done well (and you're bearing down on the top block as you bow) you will get smoke in just a couple of minutes, but you will not get flames unless you've got good-quality tinder adjacent to the pocket in the bottom block. It helps if your bottom block is soft, dry wood, and can easily deform to the pressure of the spindle, giving you the maximum surface contact and friction. Soft white pine and cedar are really good choices, here.

The optimal choice is VERY hardwood for the spindle, VERY soft wood for the base (where you want to build the fire), a relatively hardwood for the top block (to reduce friction), and the selection of wood for the bow is "whatever". It is very easy to get a fire going with this technique if you have collected some good tinder. Some good tinder might be sun-dried peat, leaf duff, lichens, etc. There is a lot of stuff that can be found for tinder, even when it is cold or very wet - you just have to know how and where to look.

 

[Evo]

I would carry a flint.

 

[turbo]

I would carry a flint.

That's great, if you remember to bring along something that is hard enough to generate sparks when you abrade the flint, and can find suitable tinder. My little film can "fire kit" was sufficient to ensure that I could build a fire any time that I wanted. Carrying a piece of flint in my pocket would not have ensured this, at least not on a timely basis, especially if I had a broken leg and could not forage for tinder and firewood. The fellow who taught me this was a pretty sharp old guy.

 

[Evo]

That's great, if you remember to bring along something that is hard enough to generate sparks when you abrade the flint, and can find suitable tinder. My little film can "fire kit" was sufficient to ensure that I could build a fire any time that I wanted. Carrying a piece of flint in my pocket would not have ensured this, at least not on a timely basis, especially if I had a broken leg and could not forage for tinder and firewood. The fellow who taught me this was a pretty sharp old guy.

Yeah, a flint and striker and some dry tinder. That was a common "fire kit" back in the old days. A lot easier than the bow, although in areas that flint was not available, that was the next best option.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Here's the trick: you drill a pocket in your soft base with the tip of your knife, and you shape the tip of the spindle to fit that pocket as close as you can. This gives you a lot of contact area (friction) when you start bowing. You also want to carve a little channel from the pocket in which to place your tinder. If I recall, I've gotten a nice flame in as little as 5 minutes or so. If you've done well (and you're bearing down on the top block as you bow) you will get smoke in just a couple of minutes, but you will not get flames unless you've got good-quality tinder adjacent to the pocket in the bottom block. It helps if your bottom block is soft, dry wood, and can easily deform to the pressure of the spindle, giving you the maximum surface contact and friction. Soft white pine and cedar are really good choices, here.

The optimal choice is VERY hardwood for the spindle, VERY soft wood for the base (where you want to build the fire), a relatively hardwood for the top block (to reduce friction), and the selection of wood for the bow is "whatever". It is very easy to get a fire going with this technique if you have collected some good tinder. Some good tinder might be sun-dried peat, leaf duff, lichens, etc. There is a lot of stuff that can be found for tinder, even when it is cold or very wet - you just have to know how and where to look.

These are very much the same details I read in a book on Indian Craft. One additional thing was the reccomendation to grease the spindle where it meets the pressure block. Bear grease was the Indians choice. Otherwise you're sort of starting an ember at that end as well. If you have no bear grease he reccomended rubbing the non-friction end on your face now and then to pick up the oils. (Presumably you've been out in the wilderness without a proper bath for weeks, I guess. Or you're a teenager.)

 

[Mk]

Zoobies can do things with brush people

First zoobies, now brush people?

 

[Mk]

As a kid, I learned how to make a fire fairly quickly with a friction bow - just carry a piece of rawhide in your pack, cut a hard branch for the shaft another branch for the bow and some softer wood for base and top pivot - drill the sockets with the tip of a knife. That's handy to know, but not as practical as the little kit I kept in my pack for hiking, fishing, and hunting.

It was an aluminum film can packed with some tinder, into which I jammed a short piece of hacksaw blade and a small hardwood stick into which I drilled proper-sized holes and embedded lighter flints. Place a bit of tinder in some combustible materials, hold the stick near the tinder and rake across the flints with the hacksaw blade to make a shower of sparks. You can start a fire very quickly with that set-up, and my parents were comfortable with my carrying that. They would probably not have liked to see a 10 year old with a Zippo, but if you're going to go miles into the Maine woods alone, it's a good idea to have some way to start a fire in case you are injured and can't walk back out.

VERY cool! Flint in holes in a stick! Maybe I should put that in my future emergency kit! Or maybe a magnifying glass or a Fresnel lens would make-do better. But not as cool.

 

[Chi Meson]

It has been a while since I did any off-route packing...

but I still have my Zippo lighter. I'd usually use a disposable Bic lighter, but the Zippo would always spark nicely (unless wet). Starting up the Whisperlight stove, the spark is all you need.

Never, ever rubbed two stick together. I figure, if I got myself in that situation, I didn't deserve any fire.