"fatwood"

[Post Tenebras Lux]

So I've never actually used fatwood and I didn't know when I'd get out in the woods again so I ordered some on eBay.

It arrived and it's nothing like I expected it to me. It looks like treated bits of timber that may as well be fence panels split and chopped up. It isn't like a solid as such, but very rough and I've gotten two splinters already lol.

No doubt it burns well, even though it doesn't take a spark well, but I imagine it's just wood someone's sat in a barrel of something for a while.

Guess I'll just have to learn my lesson and do it myself next time lol.

 

[hughlle1]

In what way doesn't it take a spark well? I assume you are taking the wood and "processing" it into suitable tinder (from what i have watched, that is my understanding of how it is used)

 

[santaman2000]

So I've never actually used fatwood and I didn't know when I'd get out in the woods again so I ordered some on eBay.

It arrived and it's nothing like I expected it to me. It looks like treated bits of timber that may as well be fence panels split and chopped up. It isn't like a solid as such, but very rough and I've gotten two splinters already lol.....

it's supposed to be rough and splintery, otherwise it wasn't cut properly. Said splinters are similar to the feathers in feathersicks.

As to taking a spark, probably not. When properly cut it's best used as kindling rather than tinder (although you can easily light the pointy ends with a match)

Regarding the comparison to fencing, good lightard (fatwood to y'all) has been used for corner posts for centuries. Indeed some of the ones still standing are over a century old.

 

[hughlle1]

it's supposed to be rough and splintery, otherwise it wasn't cut properly. Said splinters are similar to the feathers in feathersicks.

As to taking a spark, probably not. When properly cut it's best used as kindling rather than tinder (although you can easily light the pointy ends with a match)

Regarding the comparison to fencing, good lightard (fatwood to y'all) has been used for corner posts for centuries. Indeed some of the ones still standing are over a century old.

My understanding concerning using it as tinder, as in to take a spark, is that you take the wood and use a knife to scrape shavings and fibres off, which then act as the tinder. Given the price, using it as kindling seems like an incredibly expensive way to go about making fires. Might as well just buy a bag of, well, kindling.

 

[santaman2000]

My understanding concerning using it as tinder, as in to take a spark, is that you take the wood and use a knife to scrape shavings and fibres off, which then act as the tinder. Given the price, using it as kindling seems like an incredibly expensive way to go about making fires. Might as well just buy a bag of, well, kindling.

Been using it for almost 60 years personally (regional culture has used it for centuries) Never bought any in my life so I wouldn't know anything about the price. it's far too easy to just go out and collect your own. When I was a kid and the house had two fireplaces we used to gather early in the season the same as we gathered fuel wood (a few cords of fuel wood and a pick-up full of lightard)

 

[GGTBod]

Shameless plugging my own video here, you get a good close up of fatwood in this video does it look like this?

[video=youtube;fbUHvfXWILU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbUHvfXWILU[/video]

 

[santaman2000]

Shameless plugging my own video here, you get a good close up of fatwood in this video does it look like this?

[video=youtube;fbUHvfXWILU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbUHvfXWILU[/video]

Yeah, that's it, but I've never used a piece that small. Usually about the size ot my forearm or a bit smaller (and much more rough cut---generally just but the pieces off the stump with an axe)

 

[GGTBod]

I usually just stick a few splints of it like that in the bottom of my fire kit to assist lighting a fire when it is wet, make feather sticks and small kindling of regular wood, shavings of the fatwood hit them with the ferro rod and hey presto

 

[santaman2000]

Here's a stump coming out if the ground. Daddy used to bring the whole stumps home when he found them at work (he was a dozer operator and would push them up while clearing land) but we also just wandered in the woods and split off bagfulls without moving or digging the stumps. https://youtu.be/FxF8V5TMy5Y

 

[rancid badger]

Here you go;
[video=youtube;_BQ0-fAruzo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BQ0-fAruzo[/video]

not just fatwood obviously

 

[GGTBod]

Good to see i'm not the only shameless Geordie plugging a video, just subbed your YT

 

[rancid badger]

Well if folk are asking and you've got info to share..........

You're not plugging GG you're sharing!


I sometimes wonder if I should "monetize" my clips, I doubt it's worth the hassle with the low viewing figures I get (apart from the 1.5 seconds of the beluga whale of Shields)

cheers


Steve

ps: just had a quick watch of your channel-really good stuff that made me smile within seconds!!

If you fancy a wander round Chopwell wood sometime soon, just drop me a pm and we can sort something out

 

[GGTBod]

Years ago i used to shoot video backstage and onstage at huge rave events across europe and my clips were monitzed and it was a pittance and not worth the adds showing in my vids and many had over 100'000 views, i ended up closing my channel in a strop after Youtube kept deleting vids and giving no explanation, only thing i can think is that the advertisers were saying certain clips were not in line with their brand image as none had any content not allowed in Youtube rules. I like my videos advert free so i'll not be doing that again

Apologies for my offtopic ramblings

 

[Post Tenebras Lux]

In what way doesn't it take a spark well? I assume you are taking the wood and "processing" it into suitable tinder (from what i have watched, that is my understanding of how it is used)

I am 'shaving' it to dust with the spine of my knife. I made a pretty significant pile but it wasn't taking sparks very easily at all.

 

[Post Tenebras Lux]

Shameless plugging my own video here, you get a good close up of fatwood in this video does it look like this?

[video=youtube;fbUHvfXWILU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbUHvfXWILU[/video]

Aye, that's the ticket!

I'll have to leave it on the boiler for a day or two. Maybe it found some damp on its way in the post. It's been pretty chilly.

 

[Post Tenebras Lux]

Here you go;
[video=youtube;_BQ0-fAruzo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BQ0-fAruzo[/video]

not just fatwood obviously

Nice one. Cheers I think I just need to let it dry out in case there's any moisture in it. If not maybe I need to admit I am doing something wrong and go from there!

 

[GGTBod]

It should light easily even soaking wet, it doesn't really take in any water due to all the resin in it, probably why it was perfect for fence posts you want to last a 100 years

 

[santaman2000]

It should light easily even soaking wet, it doesn't really take in any water due to all the resin in it, probably why it was perfect for fence posts you want to last a 100 years

Exactly so. Although a water coating on the outside could prevent the spark from actually reaching the resin? No problem with a match as the heat steams off any such coating quickly.

 

[GGTBod]

I've never had any issues with wet fatwood with fresh shavings and the ferro rod, just took a few repeated ferro rod grindings to dry it out and get the surface temp up to ignition level heat, like you said once flame is achieved nothing stops it

 

[rancid badger]

Nice one. Cheers I think I just need to let it dry out in case there's any moisture in it. If not maybe I need to admit I am doing something wrong and go from there!

You can shave the stuff with a knife easily enough, just think tiny feather sticks, like really tiny-say 1/4 curls? You don't want powder but something more like med coarse sawdust with feathery bits.

Ultimately, I and others can make these skills look pretty easy most of the time but it took time to hone and perfect those skill sets. It really does boil down to either working it out for yourself or else having someone there to show you, watch you try and then correct/encourage as required.

There shouldn't be any moisture in good quality fatwood but even if there is, you should be able to shave up sufficient viable tinder to overcome any issues with damp.

Keep going, it'll work out in the end.

Steve