Best kindling?

[ryemck]

Hi all

I'm new to fire making, I have made just 3 fires total. First one j used a ton of dead grass and leaves as kindling, second we used cloth that I brought as there was no dead grass or leaves, semi-damp environment. Third time was stripped birch bark.

I know birch is very easy to get but can someone go through some really useful kindling tips for common UK forests or wilderness? I'll make a list and keep it here so I can keep track, and so people on search engines can find as I couldn't find anything.

- stripped birch bark
- dead grass and leaves

These are all I know so far.

 

[2trapper]

Fatwood for sure

 

[Monikieman]

I live in Scotland and often laugh (not at you) when I here folk suggest dry grass!!!

Sounds like you're just starting off on the pyromaniacs journey so I think it would be a better idea to start with man made tinders. Cotton wool balls, vaseline etc etc.

If that doesn't float your boat a lot of naturals, I feel, are seasonal. Birch bark is great. Look in the birch trees for hung up wood that has dropped from above. Also the bottom branches of the birch tree seem to die as it grows. If they snap off with a crack that's the stuff for on top of your tinder.

Hope this helps a bit. There's loads of other man made tips if you want, feel free to ask. Cheers

 

[mick91]

Naturals. Cattail fluff, grows near water and catches a spark nicely. rosebay willowherb fluff from inside the little purple seed pod looking bits (cannot for the life of me think of the name) also takes a spark, and that grows pretty much anywhere there's a fire scar.

Synthetics, jute for sparks. waxed jute dipped in sulphur is almost foolproof from ember to flame. Squat candles work as both a stove and a firelighter. Potassium Permanganate and glycerin is arguably a novelty but does work. Oily rags are also very effective!

 

[Monikieman]

Why type when you can watch this? Great video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTTi2bKo37Q

 

[Bishop]

Let's not forget 'feather-sticks'
https://youtu.be/osxfQkz104A

 

[Hammock_man]

Is it dry, is it small, is it flammable, its tinder. I always find the idea of "I just use what's around" is being ill prepared. If fire is important then so is bringing tinder. Some sites you go to often will allow you to say "I can get it there" but at the same time what's wrong with taking home enough for a or two fire starts. Don't leave home without tea bags or tinder I say!!!

On the basis that I don't have 500 acres of woodland to forage from, I forage from the poundshop! Cotton wool and vasaline is, to me, still the absolute best for price, power, size, ease of use, the lot. Birch bark gives me a much more bushcraft feel and is ideal 99% of the time. I don't have a lot of luck with feather sticks most time as fire starters but will use them to convert a twig to some which will catch very easy.

In short, gather 5 or 10 local naturals, make two or 3 "modern" and have a play in the garden.

 

[Wacker]

I don't think i've ever used feather sticks to catch a spark, anyone had luck with this? I usually make feather sticks if i've only got a little bit of birch bark left...

As for other tinders thistle down is abundant at the minute although i've heard mixed reviews on whether they take a spark, not yet tried it. There are a number of bracket funghi that can be processed to make tinder, horses hoof (Fomes fomentarius), southern bracket (Ganoderma australe), and artists conk (Ganoderma applanatum) being a few. There is a significant amount of processing needed with most of these however so there's a lot of work involved. Cramp balls (Daldinia concentrica) are good to go off the shelf

 

[mick91]

My mate Joe also has a certain penchant for liquid tinder, petrol, cellulose thinners, paraffin they all work XD

 

[Tommyd345]

Another thing you can buy is a magnesium fire steel. Got mine from eBay for 2 quid. Scrape the magnesium into a pile and then spark onto it. It will give you a small flame which you can then put a few feathersticks on.
Douglas fir has little sap pods which will catch a spark. Or just find a large ish pine log or branch (preferably dead). Cut away till you get to the super sappy wood. Scrape with your knife to get a small ball off fluffy sticky wood, and it will catch a spark no problem
I away carry char cloth which will catch any spark, and that is really good for fire starting.

 

[dewi]

Pine cones are good... I've been told a dozen or more times why... maybe someone else can explain properly, but its to do with the structure and resins inside them.

 

[Mike313]

I bought 6 balls of jute twine for 99p in Poundland (or whatever it's called) and it makes great tinder if you take your time and fluff it up well. I also collect the lint from the filter in the door of our washer/dryer and that takes a spark very well (no wonder these machines are responsible for so many house fires). I also 'cheat' by keeping a bag of wood shavings and little sticks in the airing cupboard so it's bone dry. If you take any of these along in a waterproof container, it'll make fire-starting very easy. I like using a firesteel (probably using the wrong term there) but I should add I also take a lighter just in case.

 

[Bishop]

It's funny when you think about but pound shops have more sources of tinder & kindling than most camping stores.

Cotton wool, Vaseline, Candles, Jute twine, WD40, Lighter fluid, De-icer spray, BBQ fire-lighter blocks, Batteries+steel wool, Disposable lighters, matches, toilet tissue, kitchen rolls and all the scrap cardboard is free.
If they do food as well then crisps, animal fat and vegetable oil also burn well.

 

[GGTBod]

Like Hammock_man said I always carry tinder with me, I prefer natural tinder and any chance I get in nature I top up my supplies a little at a time, my favourites are birch bark, extra fine birch twigs, cramp balls fungus, horse hoof fungus, cattail fluff, fatwood and lengths of braided dried grasses. Everytime I go on a little nature based adventure I have a small roll top drybag with a small amount of at least 3 things from that list and I am always looking for supplies of them when out and about

 

[woof]

Not natural but fluff from the tumble dryer works well.

Rob

 

[Goatboy]

One of my favourites and like Dewi's cones maybe not exactly a tinder but definately speeds the transition from wee fire to roaring blaze. It's the stubs/knots of pine knocked out of rotted logs. You can with work make feather sticks out of them but the resin content is so high that they catch pretty quick without.
My main spark-catcher 'round here is thistledown as theres screeds of the stuff easily collected. Catches the coolest of sparks and passes it on down the chain of tinders in the bundle.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Ferret75]

I have tried fluffed thistle down on several occasions, it seems that even the slightest dampness hinders its ignition, even from good quality ferro-rod sparks. Sometimes it smouldered, but without much heat. The down from Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) sometimes called fireweed, was an excellent primary tinder... as the name suggests! I really like to use birch bark or charcloth and also have a big stash of Crampball fungus that I have built up, I find these burn slow but hot and give plenty of time to start a good flame.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Wacker]

Curiously I still haven't come across any cramp balls in my lifetime, I must be blind to them... do they grow only in particular conditions?

Good to know about the Rosebay Willowherb, there's loads about at the moment so will be grabbing myself a load at the weekend. Birch bark is a firm favourite of mine since I always seem to come across a fallen/deadstanding birch before I've run out of the last lot.

 

[Monikieman]

Macdonalds is the place for birch bark! They seem to plant a particularly nice silver birch with lovely papery bark at most of their eating places. I don't get taken to Macdonalds very often now

 

[Wacker]

Macdonalds is the place for birch bark! They seem to plant a particularly nice silver birch with lovely papery bark at most of their eating places. I don't get taken to Macdonalds very often now

Haha I noticed that! Almost surreal how nice those trees are