whhhhhooooooooooooooopppp hand drill DONE!!!!

[lannyman8]

well after what seems to be an eternity i have managed to get a coal from the hand drill, i finally got the coal using teasl on poplar...

i watched a youtube video where the bloke wet his hands (by spitting on them) then rubbed it in, i do this but by no means as much as this chap did, so i tried it today, i found it gave much more grip than just a little bit rubbed a little, the key was to rub it in very well, and to do this several times....

i also found i was rushing things and broke my own bow drill rules, i use a 2 stage method on the bow drill, filling the notch, then catching/heating the dust, when applied to the hand drill it worked a treat, so i could have had a coal much sooner with the hand drill. you still need to keep the heat in the board and keep twisting the spindle, but the above method uses less energy.. i was tending to go for it to quickly, this meant i was burnt out too soon, and the dust was to burnt to catch properly as a fuel source..

hope this helps other people and pictures will come very shortly, they are on my phone as i was not expecting to get a coal...

regards.

chris.

[Chiseller]

Good elth Chris, chuffed to bits for yer. Now to perfect it

Hope alls wel ?

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[lannyman8]

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[Stringmaker]

Good work!

The single biggest tip I took from the Woodlore fire couse I did was to have well wetted palms for hand drilling. As you say, when you do it it is amazing the amount of grip you get.

I haven't cracked it yet but like you, I will stick at it. Teasel and elder are what I use so you've given me hope.

[Bushcraftsman]

Fantastic work! bet that's given you a real sense of accomplishment! I gave up after numerous failed attempts but I might just have to give it another go

[hog]

Well, well done !!!!!!

[JonathanD]

Congratulations mate. I remember trying to do it and photograph all stages of the event. Those pics never happened. I should have got a third party to record it, but she's useless.

[munkiboi182]

nicely done. im holding out on the hand drill until i manage to master the bow drill first. although i did manage to get an ember when trying it with someone else during staff training last week. we used tap water to wet our hands. theres a video on the Thecanoeman.com facebook page. not thought of using teasel as a staff. will defo try it.

[lannyman8]

thanks gents, its been long awaited, im still no prow, it was my first ember, i hope to get more now though....

[Angst]

well done m8....i've never even tried yet (ashamed)....i'm a believer in one thing at a time and as yet have not reached this point....teasal and poplar it'll be tho...

a

[toilet digger]

nice one mate

[Man of Tanith]

nice one mate
one ste[ closer to your goal now

[rich59]

Brilliant!

Re. Wetting hands, I taught a hand drill workshop at the Bushmoot and did a lot of encouraging to wet the hands enough. No-one got a blister,

I suggest 3 stages - smoke, easy smoke, and give it hell!

[Firelite]

Lannyman, I know how long you've been after this. Congratulations, both on your success and your persistence!

ATB
Firelite

[Forest fella]

Congrat's to you sir,and it just shows that practice does indeed make perfect.

[lannyman8]

thank you very much all.... still a long way to go in my goal of going out into the wild collecting the bits there and then and getting a coal first time though..

but as people have said, practice practice practice is all it is.... im confident in the bow drill, and i can do the above with that, and given some time use natural cordage too...

if i ever get time i want to go from entering the woods with a bit of flint to making tools and then fire with the tools and natural materials... we shall see how it goes though...

just finished work and im off for the hand drill kit...

thanks again all..

[lannyman8]

whoop whooop whoooooooop!!!!!!!!!!

EMBER NUMBER 2.......

i just recognized another thing i was doing wrong, the notch was to small... i was scared that the bigger notch or normal notch would lose to much heat, but that was a mistake, the notch was not big enough to hold the heat.... i also realize the spindle i had was, or is, to thin, i have a wonky bit of elder which is a little longer and thicker, i just got an ember with that after 3 attempts with the Teasel first that failed.....

im finally getting my eye in gents....:

pics when my phone signal decides to work...

[lannyman8]

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[Chiseller]

Morning Chris, blackthorn on ivy worked a treat with bow drill last neet. Have you tried it with hand drill ?


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[lannyman8]

no i have not tried it mate, im sure it would be way to hard for the hand drill though, im still in the very early stages of the hand drill but plan to try harder materials in the future, i might give hazel on willow a go later...

[Stringmaker]

To get an ember with a drill that bent is awesome!

It must have been wobbling around in the hearth like mad?

[lannyman8]

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.......

it was going all over the place, but it was still easier than the teasel, probably because it was longer and a little wider....

still lots of work to be done before im proficient at finding the kit and making fire in the wilds.....

i better get twisting the spindle then eh....

[Andy B]

A video of me doing the hand drill in the damp woods! It can be done its just quite hard!

[lannyman8]

well, now i have managed to get an ember or 2 i have begun to understand the hand drill allot more, now with this you NEED to keep your hand in or the skin gets soft and blisters will follow...

i managed 2 embers today with the short piece teasel, i have totally got this down now with the foraged dried bits, i know how to get an ember and find it easy now, so time to try different woods, i thought i had some hazel in the garage but no joy, so teasel on willow next i think....

pic's to come of the other coals from today as they are on my phone.....after all, it never happened with out the pictures...

[lannyman8]

From this morning...

& just now...


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[lannyman8]

ok another wood has been done, teasel on sycamore....

im getting better every day, my hands are nails now 2 embers today 2 embers the day before and 3 embers on friday.....

the teasel stalk is very short now, it has warn away quite a bit, but this has made it harder to form a coal, which is good for me....

[rich59]

Chris,

My first few hand drill coals were with an unknown stick from my neighbour's rubbish heap. I later worked out it must have been philadelphus. Weaning myself from that one stick was quite a challenge, but I remember I got myself onto a buddliea stick just as the first one was getting too short for me.

[mereside]

i have been trying this in vein i used teasel but now trying buddlia but just cant get it i think its my hearth boards not right i got smoke tonight but no catch im getting close i know so im not giving up i need to source some better stuff .
wow its hard going to find the right bits but i will get there in the end you made it look so easy on that vid congrats with that, atb wayne

[lannyman8]

i have been trying this in vein i used teasel but now trying buddlia but just cant get it i think its my hearth boards not right i got smoke tonight but no catch im getting close i know so im not giving up i need to source some better stuff .
wow its hard going to find the right bits but i will get there in the end you made it look so easy on that vid congrats with that, atb wayne

keep with it dude, it has taken me ages to get it, but now i know how to do it, and what to look for when im doing it, its easy, the bits are hard to find though...

but im happy now to try and find the bits in the woods and have a go from scratch, when i get time....

stick with it mate...

[rich59]

Wayne,

Just a thought, but if your finding that you can just get to smoke with buddliea then using a slightly narrower drill tip just might help you. (But too narrow and you will only get brown powder).