Horse hoof fungus woes!

[ateallthepies]

I received a bag of prepared horse hoof fungus today bought from ebay but have run into a problem. I cant get it to take a spark. I can get it to take with a ferro rod if I fluff up the surface a lot but no chance with a flint and steel? Even the ferro rod takes several large spark showers to catch.

Quite disappointed to be sure, was expecting a substance that takes the vaguest of sparks and on a par with charcloth? Charcloth is in fact many, many times easier in catching a tiny spark from my traditional steel.

Any suggestions?

Steve

[Mesquite]

Ignore my post....

[ateallthepies]

Yes scraping it into a pile of fluff. The ebay advert said to just break a bit off and put the torn fluffy end to the edge of the flint and strike a spark into it. Well there is zero hope of this catching if done that way!

Steve.

[Toddy]

What on earth did you buy it for ? The blooming stuff grows on every birch tree around, folks would have happily sent you some.

How prepared is it ? any chance of a photo?
It should look like thick suede if done right and if scraped gently, just to raise the fibres, it will take a spark no bother at all.

That said, the rest of the fomes can be used too, just not 'quite' as effectively.

How much did you get ? and what did they charge you ? and do you want some sliced up ones to work on for yourself ?

cheers,
Toddy

[ateallthepies]

Never seen a horse hoof fungus growing Toddy, plenty of king Alfreds cakes, birch polypore though.

It's very spongy and lush and quite light in colour and yes does look like suede. May as well just link to the ebay item so you can see what I got... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMADOU-TIN...06447622699569

Yes for the money I was expecting something special, very disappointed.

Steve.

[Toddy]

I will refrain from commenting

Tell you what though, if you can source me a few King Alfred's I'll find you a fomes and I'll send it to you with some broken out bits and some saltpetre too, to have a shot for yourself ?

atb,
M

[Bazzworx]

I bought some off this chap from the wilderness gathering a couple years ago. It was great, took the spark from flint and steel no problem. He let me try a piece before I bought it too. I think he's on the forum might be worth sending him a message. He's always seemed to be a decent chap when I've seen him at the gathering.

[ateallthepies]

I've just had another go and fluffed up a thumb nail size pile of fluff. I put this pile on my flint and get several sparks land in the pile but nothing happens apart from the pile of fluff ending up all over the place. I then gathered the bits of fluff and tried my ferro rod again and still no joy!

I have a small piece soaking in salt-petre and will see if that helps when it dries out?

Will try to get a vid up tomorrow so people can critique my technique.


Steve

[Toddy]

It shouldn't really be the fluff, but a fluffy scrap that gets used like that.
Mind that if you get it soaked in saltpetre you'll not be able to use a bigger bit and put it out.

Sorry to sound as though I'm nagging it's just that fomes really does work well.

cheers,
Toddy

[ateallthepies]

Does this look normal...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpL_t...ature=youtu.be

... sorry about the TV noise! It doesn't look like it but loads of sparks land in the pile each time.

Steve

[ateallthepies]

Well today after many tries I got a spark from my traditional steel to catch a pile of horse hoof fungus fluff! I scraped a 2 pence size of fluff and placed it on my flint like how I do it with charcloth. It was a bit more difficult than charcloth still as bits of fluff kept flying away but I now know it's doable.

I think where I was going wrong was I needed a bigger pile of fluff so as to actually get a spark to land and also I was not fluffing it up into tiny enough fibres and was merely shredding it?

I made some leather pouches yesterday to hold my fire kit which is now complete but will show them in a new thread.

Try and try again,

Steve.

[BareThrills]

Thats an awful lot of dosh given how long its taken you to get fire Steve but then i guess there is a massive amount of prep to get it processed. I would have been expecting instant results for the cash. Well done on sticking with it

[ateallthepies]

Yep I hear it's a pain to process so this is where the money goes I suppose. I still don't know how you get a torn off piece to take a spark even from a ferro rod, I have worn my rod down flat on one side trying!!

Steve.

[BareThrills]

I have a sample of it from them that i got with some ferro blanks. will dig it out and have a go with it tomorrow to see if its a faulty batch issue. Either way id be asking for a refund given the claims made in the listing

[southey]

It is a natural product, it takes time to get it right, how ever much it costs, I only fluff up the edge and top facing the direction the spark are coming from, but i dont cut any off, I just boil mine (Once cut from the mass) then bash flat and work it till dry, this leaves me with a shammy leather feel to it, takes a spark very well but I have practised A LOT! and still get times where it just takes an age to get the right spark in the right pace at the right time

[ateallthepies]

Can't imagine it's a faulty batch Paul, its just like everyone here describes-very soft and spongy velvety feeling shammy leather type stuff.

I'm just going to have to practice more, it's not like my life depends on it it's just a novelty nostalgic sort of thing.

Steve.

[tinderbox]

Does this look normal...

No mate it doesn't, it looks like a strip that hasn't been boiled and bashed. Even then it should still catch a spark when fluffed up like that, unless it is damp.

[The Ratcatcher]

I'd work on your technique. I got some Amadou recently in a Hudson Bay tinderbox from Shark Design (a birthday present from my kids!). I've never used it before, but after a couple of tries with the Amadou, I binned the charcloth that was also in the tinderbox, and I'm ordering some more Amadou.

Alan

[ateallthepies]

Hey Alan, Do you rip a piece off and put the fluffy side to the spark or make a fluff pile? Also are you using a traditional steel or ferro rod?

Steve.

[Colin.W]

The woods where I walk my dog is not tended (A complete waste of a woodland) so there are fallen branches all over the place you cant walk more than 10 feet without seeing King alfreds cakes clinging to dead branches If someone wants some I could send box loads.

[BareThrills]

well i dug out my sample and it caught a spark on the third pass over the flint. very very soft and velvety

[ateallthepies]

Wow 3rd strike, I'm jealous I think I have struck mine about 300 times!! I'm starting to think my steel maybe at fault and not throwing big enough sparks?

Here is a pic of my fungus...



Also while on the subject of horse hoof fungus, was taking a wet walk round a local wood and just by chance saw these on a beech tree, are these horse hoofs?







Steve.

[tinderbox]

The problem is that your amadou hasn't been boiled and pounded. The finished product is only about a millimeter thick. It doesn't need fluffed up, and catches a spark as readily as charcloth.

[Mesquite]

Also while on the subject of horse hoof fungus, was taking a wet walk round a local wood and just by chance saw these on a beech tree, are these horse hoofs?







Steve.

Looks more like Artist Bracket to me... Ganoderma applanatum

[ateallthepies]

I think your right as they don't have that classic hoof shape? It was one of these but from a different wood I harvested the other day thinking it was HH fungus and tried to make tinder by boiling. What I got from it was nothing like the bought HH fungus but some hard, darker pieces that when burnt smoulders very well and will take a spark if fluffed up with a ferro rod.

Steve.

[ateallthepies]

The problem is that your amadou hasn't been boiled and pounded. The finished product is only about a millimeter thick. It doesn't need fluffed up, and catches a spark as readily as charcloth.

Most of the bigger lumps are just under a cm thick down to about 5mm thick!

Steve.

[Toddy]

If you soak it and work it with your hands, you can stretch and spread it. If you have hardwood ashes you can slowly work the white powder into the fomes as you manipulate it.

I know it seemed expensive but it's a lot of work making good amadou by hand.

cheers,
Toddy

[tinderbox]

Someone has packed stuff that has been prepared for boiling, but not boiled. All the hard work has been done, cutting out the amadou layers from the skin and polypore layers can be hard going. You could either finish it yourself, or contact the vendor to swap for some finished stuff.

[ateallthepies]

I have contacted the seller and also had a go at soaking and bashing a small piece to see if that works?

Steve.

[tinderbox]

I usually boil/simmer it for 24 hours with some hard wood ash. Normally that 24 hours is split over a few days. The it's pounded gently or rolled while working in some more ash.

As Toddy says it's a lot of work, but worth it. A little goes a long way, normally more than on spark will catch. Put out all but one tear out the coal drop it in a birds nest, and blow it into a flame. It's a shame you've had such a frustrating experience, normally it's very rewarding to use.