View Full Version : Chared Tinder Fungus
TheViking
28-08-2004, 11:07
Hi...
As posted in my charcloth thread, I wrote that I tried to char a piece of tinder fungus. This is exellent! :D As long as it's fully dried before taking out of the can. I can highly recommend you all to try this out.... :wink: :biggthump
The ultimate natural tinder!
masongary44
13-09-2004, 12:58
Does Crampball fungus need to be charred before it will take a spark from a fire-steel, or will it work OK straight from the tree (assuming it is nice and dry)??
I am doing a demo tonight for some local scouts on bow drill, and am throwing in some other stuff too... I managed to find my first crampballs yesterday while out on a 10 mile run and it would be nice for me and them if i can get it working with ease...
If i need to pre-char the fungus i can do it before i get there...
It works fine as long as it's dry - charring is not needed and the longer you keep them the more fragile and crumbly they get.
Andrew Middleton
14-09-2004, 08:29
Where do you get tinder fungus from in the UK? I gather you mean the "horses hoof" stuff?
masongary44
14-09-2004, 08:42
Thanks for the reply, the demo went well, but as I expected, the scouts and cubs were more impressed by the chemical ignition techiques than the more traditional, harder learned skills.....
As for the fungus, how good is that!!!??!! :super:
As for the type and where I found it; it is the Crampball type, not the horses hoof and I found it on a dead ash tree (which they grow on exclusively), I have not yet found a source of the horses hoof fungus, but i will be keeping an eye out for one while I am out on runs...
On the plus side (and slightly off thread... sorry), I appear to have gotten the nack of bow drill, I successfully made 4 bow drill sets last night and managed to achieve fire with each, first time, within 1 minute (after the burn in and notch cutting) :rolmao:
I suppose hand drill has to be the next challenge.....
:yikes:
bushwacker bob
14-09-2004, 12:03
The last horse hoof fungus I found was growing on a living Beech tree.
The three I'm hoping to collect this week are all on live trees. Infact all on the same tree!