View Full Version : Buying tinder
Wilderbeast
03-01-2009, 01:16
Things are getting pretty wet and I wanted to buy some tinder for my possibles pouch,
I was told that the maya dust blows away and so is not too practical, therefore choice is between:
Maya sticks (Could I feather them?)
or
Tinder card (very cheap!)
this is for lighting wth a steel!
I wouldn`t bother buying anything, just go and forage some and bring it home to dry out. Fibrous stuff like bracken and birch bark etc will dry in your pocket whilst you`re wondering about.
A few off the top of my head are grasses, clematis, honeysuckle, birch bark & cherry bark. Try finding some cramp balls aswell on dead ash trees.
There`s stuff in the house you could "borrow" aswell like cotton wool balls & tumble drier fluff/lint.
Have fun
if most of your clothes ar natural fibre just use the fluff/lint from the tumble drier.
works every time for me.
Wilderbeast
03-01-2009, 01:49
split open a small cushion which a watch was on and found a huge amount of this fluffy stuff that lighted with a spark like a treat, it feels kind of synthetic and silky..............what is it and is it dangerous to burn??
Wilderbeast
03-01-2009, 01:55
.................also leaves a crust plasticy solid after burning?
split open a small cushion which a watch was on and found a huge amount of this fluffy stuff that lighted with a spark like a treat, it feels kind of synthetic and silky..............what is it and is it dangerous to burn??
Sounds like polyester batting -- don't burn it, the gases are noxious.
There are plenty of natural sources of tinder in your house and garden and nearby areas.
As was mentioned earlier in the thread, dryer lint is a great source of tinder if you wash cotton or linen items. (For that matter, shred an old 100% cotton t-shirt, hit the fibers like crazy with a hammer on a hard surface to crush the threads and you've got plenty of tinder... or if you have a fireplace, save some of the t-shirt and make some charcloth as well...)
Also, if you have wood projects about, save the shavings to use raw, or mix them with a little bit of paraffin or beeswax to have a reliable wet burning tinder. I save any hardwood shavings from my bow projects specifically for using in this manner (FYI, you don't need much wax/paraffin, just a little).
You're surrounded by tinder, really.
Cotton wool balls with a dab of Vaseline in them works really well, and you can pack lots into a small ziplock bag
andywinkk
03-01-2009, 10:13
Tampax are very good and already compacted into a small bundel, fluf out the tumble dryer is good also
Ogri the trog
03-01-2009, 11:28
Take a tea-lite candle,
light it and blow it out, then finely tease the wick out - that should light with a firesteel! Takes a little practice, but thats what your after - right?
If you're just beginning your firelighting journey, and are taking items from home, why not take a few matches or a lighter - they all help if you are prepared to learn.
ATB
Ogr the trog
Wilderbeast
03-01-2009, 12:06
Take a tea-lite candle,
light it and blow it out, then finely tease the wick out - that should light with a firesteel! Takes a little practice, but thats what your after - right?
If you're just beginning your firelighting journey, and are taking items from home, why not take a few matches or a lighter - they all help if you are prepared to learn.
ATB
Ogr the trog
nah been doing it for a couple of years and always take a turboflame and a zippo anyway, just wandered what I could nick from th house!
Duraglit or other metal polishing cloth works a treat.