I'm a real bushcrafter now!

[WhichDoctor]

I'm just writing to report that for the first time I have made fire by friction!

I've been using a Ferro rod for years and have tried a couple of times to get a bowdrill working but could never quite get it. Anyway after coming across some really nice videos on youtube and doing some research I decided that this year I was going to crack it!

I collected some bits of wood while taking the dog for a walk last week and today I decided to really give it a go. It took three attempts, after the first one I determined that my bow was too short so hunted round the garden for a longer one. The second time I manage to get lots of powder but I just couldn’t get it to light, so I did a little more research on this site and the web and worked out that I wasn’t pressing hard enough. So third time lucky, by now it was dark so I had to come up by the house under the back light. I got a lode of nice black powder quickly but the drill sprang out of the bow and I thought that would be it for the day, but I noticed the powder was still intact so I resolved to give it one last effort. With the powder from the last attempt still in place I just gave it all I had bowing like crazy, then the drill flew out again and my hart fell. But after a few seconds I realized the powder was still smoking! I had made fire! I was totally exhausted and aching but hugely satisfied .

So now I feel like a real bushcrafter .

[drewdunnrespect]

well done mate sounds great

[Treemonk]

Well done! it is a bit of a milestone isn't it?
technique and PERSISTANCE! a real lesson on not giving up

[Wilderbeast]

it's really VERY satisfying isn't it!!

[John Fenna]

It is somewhat satisfying aint it!
Well done!
The second time is easier!

[Mooseman1]

Nice job mate, bravo.

[Chris G]

WhichDoctor - Well done! Out of interest was there a reason why you chose the standard bow drill over the egyptian bow drill?

[Barney]

well done your determination paid off.

[bushcraftbob]

Congratulations m8

[john scrivy]

well done : A wonderfull feeling to actually do it - now you can do it keep practicing

[Andy2112]

Well done Witchdoctor.

[mick miller]

Nice one, two things that really helped me were a faceted drill, so squared off edges and not round and a 'bumpy' cord, made by doubling over length of paracord and twisting it into a thicker, knobblier cord. Both provide more grip and less slip.

Both bits of advice taken from Ron Hood over at survival.com.

[Jus_like_that]

Well done! brilliant achievement!

[WhichDoctor]

Thanks for the kind wirds everyone . I've just got to keep up the practice now

WhichDoctor - Well done! Out of interest was there a reason why you chose the standard bow drill over the egyptian bow drill?

I actually tried the Egyptian method a bit at first but I found the string kept getting tangled up and rapped over itself.

Nice one, two things that really helped me were a faceted drill, so squared off edges and not round and a 'bumpy' cord, made by doubling over length of paracord and twisting it into a thicker, knobblier cord. Both provide more grip and less slip.

Both bits of advice taken from Ron Hood over at survival.com.

Thanks, I'll have to try those ideas, they sound very sensible.

[Pict]

Congratulations. It's a good feeling to see it all come together like that.

The first time I made fire from friction was with a bamboo fire saw. The fun part was that there was about 40 people watching and the thing produced a coal almost instantly. I hadn't anticipated success and didn't have a tinder ball ready to make it into flame. I was really surprised that it formed a coal.

The next friction fire technique I'm going to work on is the floating hands hand drill. It looks so easy but I know how things like that go. Every time I see someone doing it on video I get spurred on. Mac

[Karl5]

Well done!!

Haven't managed it myself, so now I'm jealous...

[ZDP-189]

Yay! (Somebody please send him a patch of some kind.)

[WhichDoctor]

Congratulations. It's a good feeling to see it all come together like that.

The first time I made fire from friction was with a bamboo fire saw. The fun part was that there was about 40 people watching and the thing produced a coal almost instantly. I hadn't anticipated success and didn't have a tinder ball ready to make it into flame. I was really surprised that it formed a coal.

Wow I wouldn't have liked an ordeance . It was hard enough without any presher.

The next friction fire technique I'm going to work on is the floating hands hand drill. It looks so easy but I know how things like that go. Every time I see someone doing it on video I get spurred on. Mac

It was actually seeing some vids on youtube of people doing the floating hands fire drill that got me interested in fire by friction again. That's my eventual goal, little way off as yet though