Fire Starting & Building

Protect eyes, hands and feet, tie back long hair, remove loose-fitting jewelry, wear long sleeve shirt (tight cuffs) and long pants. Learn how to properly use any tools or equipment (ax, hatchet, maul, wedge, chain saw or wood splitter) before use. Keep fingers away from any tool in motion. Keep children and pets away from the work area. Have a second person to assist to increase safety, decrease injury and call for help if someone is injured. Have others stand back when tools are in use to reduce potential injury from flying shards of wood or metal. Never operate any machinery when you've been using alcohol/drugs or if you're feeling ill or very tired. Cutting Firewood in 2-inches slices (like a pie), instead of splitting it length-wise, may be easier on the back. It will dry faster and naturally split halfway through. In a camping or survival mode, tools may not be available to cut wood for a fire and resorting to "breaking" it may be necessary. Unnecessary risk is not a good idea. A sprained ankle or gash in the hand can severely hamper the ability to effect survival. As good as a fire is, getting injured in the process of gathering firewood is not worth it. Forget breaking wood over any body part (knee, etc.) or slamming it against a tree to cause flying debris. The fork of a tree is much better option. Knowing how to break wood without injury is knowledge worth having. Splitting Wood Safely Splitting Wood Quickly with a Fiskars How to Safely Fell a Tree with a Chainsaw




Cutting Small Fire Logs can be challenging and dangerous (especially when using a chainsaw). Keeping the log secure, and not moving around, can be done with a Log Cutting Holder. There are many commercial versions but P4T is all about self-reliance and DIY so this one fit the bill for me. Determine the maximum diameter of log you'll want to cut. Logs that are larger than 6" in diameter are, probably, going to be heavy enough to not move around easily. The angle of the legs is entirely up to you and based on the log diameter. Making them angled too far out will lower the log closer to the ground and would be less room for the saw to move (especially a hand saw). On the other hand making the legs too close to each other will make the device less stable, so you have to find a middle ground. The legs in the photo (click to enlarge) are about 26" long.




Log Cutting Tools are useful for making a difficult task easier. Learning how to properly use these tools will make the task even easier and safer. The following tools are recommended to learn for proper use: Axe Sledgehammer and Wedge Hatchet (portable) Bow Saw Chainsaw    [Video 1]    [Video 2] Saws-All (Reciprocating Saw) Log Splitter - reduces the size of logs for use in a fire (fireplace or woodstove). Gas-powered and manual versions are available.

FIRE BUILDING:

Building a Fire
Building a Smokeless Fire
Self Feeding Fire - 14+ Hour Fire
The Upside Down Fire Building Technique allows the fire to burn longer before having to add more wood.    [Video]


Building a Stealth (Dakota Fire Hole) Fire:    [Blog Link]
Building a fire in a hole in the ground (Dakota Fire Pit) is useful for windy conditions, reduces detection (if stealth is desired) and can be closer to heat a shelter. It's also easy to put the fire out, filling the hole with dirt, when ready.
• Dig a hole on the windy side of a tree (to disperse smoke).
• Dig it one foot deep with a diameter slightly smaller than your cooking pot/pan.
• Make the bottom of the hole (fire area) larger than the top.
• Surround the top of the hole with rocks to support the cooking pot/pan.
• Dig a smaller second hole (open to the wind) about 10 inches from the first hole that tunnels at an angle so it connects with the bottom of the first hole.
• Use small twiggs and pine cones as fuel for the fire.

FIRE STARTING:

Fire Starting Materials You Probably Have At Home

Friction Fire by Rubbing Sticks Together

• 1 - Gather a fire bundle of dry grass or other material that will quickly catch fire.
• 2 - Gather different sizes of wood, from small twigs to larger logs, to make a wood pile where you want to build your fire.
• 3 - Find hard wood for your spindle and soft wood for your fire board.
• 4 - Find an arm-length stick of sturdy wood for your bow and strong cordage to wrap around the spindle.
• 5 - Find a piece of wood to be your handhold – this will protect your skin from the heat the spindle generates.
• 6 - Use a knife or rock to carve out a hole for the spindle to sit in on the fire board.
• 7 - Sit on one knee, and prop your wrist against your shin for maximum stability.
• 8 - Pull your bow back and forth to allow the spindle to further carve out a hole in the fire board.
• 9 - Carve a notch in the fire board to allow oxygen to mix with the wood dust created by the spindle.
• 10 - Once again begin pulling your bow back and forth until a significant amount of smoke emerges from the fire board.
• 11 - Move your embers from under the fire board to fine plant material.
• 12 - Blow on the bundle to increase oxygen flow to the embers. Continue until the bundle produces flames.
• 13 - Transfer your fire bundle to your fire wood pile, adding small twigs to larger wood as the fire progresses.
  Make a Fire By Rubbing Sticks Together
  Make a friction fire using the Bow Drill method
  Make a friction fire using the Pump Drill method
  How to make a friction fire using the Hand Drill method
  Using a Fire Plow:    [Article]    [Video]

Ferro, Flint and Magnesium: Ferrocerium (Ferro) is a synthetic pyrophoric alloy that produces hot sparks that can reach temperatures of 3,000 °C when rapidly oxidized by the process of striking the rod, thereby fragmenting it and exposing those fragments to the oxygen in the air which causes the sparks. When scraped with a metal "striker", a Flint and Ferro create sparks and can start fires when the sparks enter a tinder pile. It requires some practice to produce a spark but, once learned, they are reliable fire starters in nearly any weather condition. Magnesium is a volatile metal that ignites quickly with any spark and burns white hot (2200 °C, 4000 °F) to catch nearly anything on fire. In and of itself, it cannot burn without an ignitor (flint or ferro).
The Difference Between Flint & Steel, Ferrocerium Rod And Magnesium Bar Fire Starter
Using a Ferro Rod Fire-starter (video)
Using a Magnesium/Flint Fire-starter (video)    Magnesium can burn nearly anything (article)

Battery
Starting a fire with AA battery and (foil) gum wrapper
• Step 1: Place foil or steel wool on a flat surface. Surround the metal with two pieces of firewood.
• Step 2: Place a densely-packed bundle of kindling on top of the metal.
• Step 3: Wedge a cotton ball underneath the kindling. (Pro tip: Soaking the cotton ball in petroleum jelly will make it burn much longer.)
• Step 4: Contact both ends of the battery (or protruding end of a 9V battery) against the metal until the metal begins to spark and catch the cotton ball on fire.

Chemical Fire Starting:
• Potassium Permanganate and Glycerin
  
• Potassium Chloride, Sugar and Sulfuric Acid
  
• Acetone, and Sulfuric Acid and Potassium Permanganate
  
• Amonium Nitrate, Sodium Chloride (table salt), Zinc Powder and Water

Other Options:
How to Start a Fire with a Magnifying Glass    [Fire From Ice]    [Fire From Water]
How to Start a Fire with a Soda Can (reflector)
Wet Weather Fire-Making
How to Start a Fire with Char Cloth
Other Fire-starting methods
Multiple Fire-making Methods and Information

TRANSPORTING FIRE:

In the Old Testament Bible account of Abraham and Isaac, it reads "Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife." [Genesis 22:6] It was not a simple thing to kindle a fire in ancient times. People would have found it easier, where possible, to get a hot ember from their neighbors rather than try to start a fire on their own. A number of scholars believe that what Abraham carried was a vessel — perhaps a pot suspended from a chain — that contained live coals or charcoal embers raked from the preceding night's fire. [Isaiah 30:14] Glowing embers transported in such a way could readily be used with tinder wood to rekindle a fire at any point along a journey. Here are some ideas for transporting coals (fire) from one place to another to save time starting a fire each time and avoiding wet conditions that reduce the chances of starting a fire from scratch.

COMBUSTION DEVICES:

You don't want your fire-starting materials to fail when you need them the most. Here's how to waterproof your matches for outdoor use.
Turpentine Soak Supplies:
2-3 heaping Tbsp turpentine
Matches
Small bowl or glass
Sheet of newspaper
Directions:
Step 1: Pour 2-3 heaping tablespoons of turpentine into a bowl or glass.
Step 2: Dip the tip of the matches into the turpentine and soak them for 5 minutes. This process will soak the head as well as the stem.
Step 3: Dry the matches by spreading them out on a sheet of newspaper and leaving them for 15-20 minutes.
This waterproofing technique will last for several months or longer.

When using Fingernail Polish or Melted Wax, coat the match heads and allow to dry thoroughly before storage. To use, strike as usual. This will scrape off the wax/polish while igniting the match.
Waterproof Matches Using Turpentine, Wax or Fingernail Polish:
Video using Wax or Fingernail Polish

Charcoal (carbon) can be used to grill your burgers, brats and kebabs, but there are tons of survival uses for charcoal (the black remains of burned hard wood, not the white ash) so, before you dump the coals, read this section for tips that might save your life in a survival situation. First, watch this Video to learn how to make charcoal from any organic matter.
• Camouflage: Rub the charcoal all over the exposed parts of your skin, particularly your face
• Stop Consumed Poison: Consuming activated charcoal will absorb poison it comes in contact with in your system
• Calms an Upset Stomach: Mix 2 Teaspoons of crushed charcoal to one (1) cup of water.
• Absorb Odors: Charcoal's porous qualities (especially active charcoal) allow it to soak in the foul odors
• Help Heal A Wound: Wrap charcoal in cloth and secure it against the infected wound to stop infection
• Stop Diarrhea: Swallowing a mixture of charcoal and water can help stop the diarrhea
• Writing Utensil: Convey a message by writing, with charcoal, on things like paper, rocks, or even bark
• Filter Water through ground up charcoal to purify water [Video]
• Mask/covering over mouth and nose for airborne contaminates (smoke, dust, debris, pollution, medical/virus)
• Clean (Whiten) Teeth
• Fertilizer for Garden/Plants
• Household Air Purification

How to Make Activated Charcoal:    [Article 1]    [Article 2]    [Video]

[Blog Link]

ILLUMINATION:

Candles From Natural Materials: From a wilderness practicality perspective, we can see it is a great skill to learn to make wilderness candles.
Fat/Tallow - Gathered from animals, they have a very distinct odor and smokiness. Dip wick in the fat multiple times to increase the candle girth.
Plant Oils - Give off more light with little smoke than fat. Wick the oil from a container.
Birch Tree Bark should come from a fallen or dead specimen and wrapped tightly onto itself, and lit only on one end , to extend burn time.
Pine Resin can be found at damaged areas on the exterior of the tree. Mel the resin and coat small dead twigs as wicks.
Beeswax (from honeycomb) is done by slow boiling the comb in a cloth with occasional squeezing to extract the wax. Remove the heat and cloth with the residue. The remaining liquid will separate and the wax will float on top. After the wax solidifies, pour out the liquid at the bottom. The wax is useable but repeat the boiling process if you want to make it cleaner. Melt the wax to pour into a container or molds. Add wicks before it solidifies unless you want to use the wax for other purposes.
Related Topics:
Waxes for Candles & Stuff
Crayons & Crisco for Light & Fire Starting

Lanterns can be fashioned from any can or concave shell or hollowed-out wood to prevent the flame from blowing out in the wind. Use any of the candle methods (above) to add the candle inside the lantern.

NUCLEAR EFFECTS ON FIREWOOD:

Building a fire using radiation-exposed wood will spread the radiation.