Im proud of you for trying on camera. Practice will build your confidence, and self-reliance. Very nice vid. Sure gives a feeling of accomplishment every time that flame takes off! Great job! The ability to make fire from various resources will keep a calm on ones mind when stressors are introduced on one while in the field. Wamth for survival, heat for cooking are mental strengtheners for sure. And its just dang fun.
Thanks Rich! I caught the flint and steel bug, and its addictive! Made some steel strikers out of old files. Been scrounging flint and chert and got a bag of it now. Been messing with amadou for a couple months and finding out some neat things. Big learning curve. I gotta get out of my back yard and back into the bush for some real tests!
Thank you! Flint/chert and steel is alot of fun and can become addictive. I have yet to boil up some amadou in birch ashes to see how that improves the spark taking. Looking forward to it. I have since made many chars of various natural materials, and used the strike down into method into a brass tinder case, and its interesting the differences between various chars and how they take a spark.
Thanks! The research I have done indicates that for flint and steel, if you boil the amadou in wood ash and then dry it, then it takes a flint and steel spark better. I have yet to try that, but want to. Several vids out there showing that. The charring works, but I have found that the char breaks off easy, so a tin might be a good carry option for carrying and storing the amadou to keep the char from breaking off.
Thanks! Hope to be out soon on a trip. Its been very hot here, like 85 yesterday, not nearly as bad as folks in the States have it, but man that is too hot for me. I am looking forward to winter when I can burn wood in my woodstove!
Still learning and enjoying! Yes, please do some canoe tripping. Its 100-105 degrees here with overnight lows around 75 so no camping for me. I will stay in the A/C and watch others for another couple months.
Thanks Eqlzr2. Yes the hand lens technique works very well on amadou. Sunny day, plus high sun angle. Evening and morning are tough unless its super clear in the sky. We have alot of haze here right now from forest fires further west, so lots of variability. My amadou is all gone - it got eaten by bugs (worms or insect larvae) in it. I opened the containers and its all dust and droppings. Lesson learned is to boil it before storage!
Thanks Canesser1! Was playing today with some Chaga, and man that's the "true" tinder fungus - takes a spark easy off the flint and steel. Vid to come later hopefully. Too hot here. Looking forward to the hard water season, sooner the better. Summer bah humbug!
Excellent demo Hoop. Good to tie everything together that we've been learning from Lonnie and Mike. It is blazing saddles out here in eastern Manitoba today @32C and crazy humidity. Severe thunderstorms passe to the south of us and heading your way so heads up. Longing for the first frost already!? How is Thunder Bay?
Thanks Torgny Norden. Interesting comment on the back of your F1 dulling. That has never happened to mine, and I use it quite often with the ferro rod. I wonder if you might have got a counterfeit imitation with softer steel? I have heard there are some look alike fake F1's on the market. Yes I too find the back of the F1 is great for making fine scrapings on some softwoods for tinder.
hi thank you for your reply i will try and keep some cedar bark as you suggested my cousin has tried your method for harvesting and processing horse hoof fungus and exactly as you said there is very little to be used after what seems quite a lot of worki myself will continue to use easier methods such as cotton wool or gypsie tinder and thanx again.Tim
My F1 urges me to tell you to use the flint to scrape the ferro rod if you have it near at hand anyway. Instead of the backside of the knife and dull it down. It gets worn down rather easy (atleast mine did) and the backside is good to keep somewhat sharp for scraping other things with :)
Thanks Timothy! The cedar bark was collected off dead logs earlier in the year and had been sitting in my garage to dry for several months. In the bush, its likely it would have a higher humidity unless it was in direct sunlight, and several days between rain. I have found that our white cedar bark when reasonably dry here is good for a coal extender, but not good for bursting into flame. For flame I prefer to use something else like grasses or finely shredded birch bark.
Thanks Quercus! Yes I have heard about the ash impregnation effect. I have never tried it, so I should give that a try. My go-to system that is always on me in the bush, is waxed jute fiber. But just in case I should try that cotton plus ash trick and experiment with it.
Sorry, long day at work, and I dozed off periodically. Assuming you didn't mention it already at some point, another easy way to get amadou started is with a small hand lens. Sunny day required, of course.
+hobbexp Thanks Fredde! Yes, after this learning experience, I read about the ash boiling. I never did get around to doing that, but need to try it. Our horse hoof fungus here has a very thin amadou layer, so ya, its really a pain in the ass to carve it out. Next time I may just take slices off the top with the fungus left on the tree.
hobbexp We don't have flint here either, but we do have chert which works well, but chert is in very localized areas. There are vast areas here with no chert at all, and only quartz to work with. I know one site with river stones with chert about 45 minute drive away and I have a nice chunk of it.
+hobbexp Thanks for that unlisted hand drill video link - I watched it. I like your principle that you cannot force an ember with flint and steel, or ferro rod on damp tinder, but you can force the ember on damp hand drill components by working it. I will remember that. Good wisdom.
Great video Wintertrekker . I have had little success with flint & steel and uncharred fungi . Have not tried the boiling in wood ash scenario , but this is on my to do list . I like your blade and wonder who makes it .... ? Thank you once again bro and take it easy . Lefty northern New Mexico
Master Tracker Thanks Lefty! My knife in that video is a Fallkniven F1. I really like it. I have basically concluded that for the fungi in my area, when using flint (chert) and steel, the only one that can work dependably un-charred is Chaga (true tinder fungus from birch). I have not boiled the horse hoof false tinder fungus (amadou) yet. (I was lazy and never got around to it before I ran out, but its easier to char). For chaga un-charred, I have better luck when I shave it into small pieces into a tin, then strike down with the chert towards the tin.
Wintertrekker Have heard and read many good things regarding the Fallkniven F1 . I'm still using an old Cold Steel (high carbon "carbon V" ) SRK - Kabars and a few others . Thanks for the input on your technique - un-charred chaga and striking down towards it . Do you live in the North west ? . Thanks again .
Hi Lefty! I live in northwestern Ontario. The F1 is a true convex grind, and can be maintained easily with stropping. I wanted a micro bevel on mine, so I took it to the Japanese water stones and worked in a micro bevel. So I can touch it up in the field with a small stone or diamond sharpener. And I can strop it which will round the micro bevel back to a a convex. So its a versatile grind. I like the stainless steel. It has a sharp 90 degree spine which rips off molten globs from a ferro rod. :o)
Pretty sure you need to soak the amadou in nitre (potassium or sodium nitrate, the oxidizer in black power) to get it to take a spark with an old fashioned fire steel. Once dried again, the nitrate acts as an oxidizer/catalyst, making it far more flammable and reactive. The primitive source for nitrates? Urine (nitrate source) and woodash (converts to usable niter--google Swiss process). Soaking in washing soda, then rinsing makes the amadou more pliable and easy to pound out flat.
+Tyler Miller Thanks Tyler! Yes I think you are right. In the bush on a trip, I have heard that a boil with wood ash will prepare it well. For gathering I am now leaving the fungus on the tree and just slicing off the top if I can reach it easily. Our horse hoof fungus here seems to have a very thin amadou layer, so its not worth fussing with the entire fungus because its mostly all gills.
Wintertrekker Agreed, nice demo. I have a third method to suggest; I cut it in open as you do to expose the innards and then instead of smashing it just whittle the spore tubes away using a small blade. I don't even bother with the cortex. When I want to start a fire I'll produce about a teaspoon of powder by cutting off a slice (so now it's like a crescent-shaped slice of honeydew with the cortex being the rind) and then scraping the amadou with a knife, or even better, using a small saw like on a SwissArmy knife. That powder will quickly take a spark and produce a hot little ember. It'll also light with a magnifying glass. Try it out and let me know if it works for you too!
800lb Gorilla Thanks for that tip! I will give that scraping method a try. I am out of good amadou now, as there were tiny insect larvae or tiny worms in all the fungi (that were impossible to see), and over a couple years they ate it all! I had a big bag of horse hoof fungus and its all rotted out and eaten from within. I think the tradition of boiling the amadou in water plus ash was not only for easier ignitions, but also for killing the larvae or worms in it.
Im proud of you for trying on camera. Practice will build your confidence, and self-reliance. Very nice vid. Sure gives a feeling of accomplishment every time that flame takes off! Great job! The ability to make fire from various resources will keep a calm on ones mind when stressors are introduced on one while in the field. Wamth for survival, heat for cooking are mental strengtheners for sure. And its just dang fun.
Thanks Rich! I caught the flint and steel bug, and its addictive! Made some steel strikers out of old files. Been scrounging flint and chert and got a bag of it now. Been messing with amadou for a couple months and finding out some neat things. Big learning curve. I gotta get out of my back yard and back into the bush for some real tests!
Thank you! Flint/chert and steel is alot of fun and can become addictive. I have yet to boil up some amadou in birch ashes to see how that improves the spark taking. Looking forward to it. I have since made many chars of various natural materials, and used the strike down into method into a brass tinder case, and its interesting the differences between various chars and how they take a spark.
Thanks! The research I have done indicates that for flint and steel, if you boil the amadou in wood ash and then dry it, then it takes a flint and steel spark better. I have yet to try that, but want to. Several vids out there showing that. The charring works, but I have found that the char breaks off easy, so a tin might be a good carry option for carrying and storing the amadou to keep the char from breaking off.
Thanks! Hope to be out soon on a trip. Its been very hot here, like 85 yesterday, not nearly as bad as folks in the States have it, but man that is too hot for me. I am looking forward to winter when I can burn wood in my woodstove!
Yes I have seen that on YT. A little goes a long way too. I don't have a fire piston, but they look like alot of fun.
Still learning and enjoying! Yes, please do some canoe tripping. Its 100-105 degrees here with overnight lows around 75 so no camping for me. I will stay in the A/C and watch others for another couple months.
Thanks Richard for the heads up on that link. I will check it out. Sorry for my late reply, I somehow missed this post.
Thanks Eqlzr2. Yes the hand lens technique works very well on amadou. Sunny day, plus high sun angle. Evening and morning are tough unless its super clear in the sky. We have alot of haze here right now from forest fires further west, so lots of variability. My amadou is all gone - it got eaten by bugs (worms or insect larvae) in it. I opened the containers and its all dust and droppings. Lesson learned is to boil it before storage!
Thanks Canesser1! Was playing today with some Chaga, and man that's the "true" tinder fungus - takes a spark easy off the flint and steel. Vid to come later hopefully. Too hot here. Looking forward to the hard water season, sooner the better. Summer bah humbug!
Excellent demo Hoop. Good to tie everything together that we've been learning from Lonnie and Mike. It is blazing saddles out here in eastern Manitoba today @32C and crazy humidity. Severe thunderstorms passe to the south of us and heading your way so heads up. Longing for the first frost already!? How is Thunder Bay?
Thanks Torgny Norden. Interesting comment on the back of your F1 dulling. That has never happened to mine, and I use it quite often with the ferro rod. I wonder if you might have got a counterfeit imitation with softer steel? I have heard there are some look alike fake F1's on the market. Yes I too find the back of the F1 is great for making fine scrapings on some softwoods for tinder.
hi thank you for your reply i will try and keep some cedar bark as you suggested my cousin has tried your method for harvesting and processing horse hoof fungus and exactly as you said there is very little to be used after what seems quite a lot of worki myself will continue to use easier methods such as cotton wool or gypsie tinder and thanx again.Tim
My F1 urges me to tell you to use the flint to scrape the ferro rod if you have it near at hand anyway. Instead of the backside of the knife and dull it down. It gets worn down rather easy (atleast mine did) and the backside is good to keep somewhat sharp for scraping other things with :)
Thanks! It is a very enjoyable pass time, somewhat addictive too!
Thanks Lonnie! Keep on making your videos, I learn alot.
Fantastic demo on the processing of the Amadou could you tell what you did with the cedar bark to make it so dry.thanx Tim
Thanks Timothy! The cedar bark was collected off dead logs earlier in the year and had been sitting in my garage to dry for several months. In the bush, its likely it would have a higher humidity unless it was in direct sunlight, and several days between rain. I have found that our white cedar bark when reasonably dry here is good for a coal extender, but not good for bursting into flame. For flame I prefer to use something else like grasses or finely shredded birch bark.
Thank you. Good video. Anything made of pure cotton impregnated with ashes will readily take a spark.
Thanks Quercus! Yes I have heard about the ash impregnation effect. I have never tried it, so I should give that a try. My go-to system that is always on me in the bush, is waxed jute fiber. But just in case I should try that cotton plus ash trick and experiment with it.
Can't get much better than your go to system old natural fiber rope with wax is waterproof. Tried and true.
Thanks! I gotta get out of the city and do some canoe tripping.
Sorry, long day at work, and I dozed off periodically. Assuming you didn't mention it already at some point, another easy way to get amadou started is with a small hand lens. Sunny day required, of course.
them fungus work very good in a fire piston
i hade feeling it was a good idea to take a look at your older vidoes,
smashing the fungus, brilliant! they are pain in the ass to carve
+hobbexp
i dont know this now, but ,, hoof fungus do not take a spark from a flin and steal,
it need to be boild with ash first,
+hobbexp Thanks Fredde! Yes, after this learning experience, I read about the ash boiling. I never did get around to doing that, but need to try it. Our horse hoof fungus here has a very thin amadou layer, so ya, its really a pain in the ass to carve it out. Next time I may just take slices off the top with the fungus left on the tree.
i have never try it either, dont have flint or rocks like flint here, so i dont see the point to
experiment with it,
hobbexp
We don't have flint here either, but we do have chert which works well, but chert is in very localized areas. There are vast areas here with no chert at all, and only quartz to work with. I know one site with river stones with chert about 45 minute drive away and I have a nice chunk of it.
+hobbexp Thanks for that unlisted hand drill video link - I watched it. I like your principle that you cannot force an ember with flint and steel, or ferro rod on damp tinder, but you can force the ember on damp hand drill components by working it. I will remember that. Good wisdom.
Great video Wintertrekker . I have had little success with flint & steel and uncharred fungi . Have not tried the boiling in wood ash scenario , but this is on my to do list . I like your blade and wonder who makes it .... ?
Thank you once again bro and take it easy .
Lefty
northern New Mexico
Master Tracker Thanks Lefty! My knife in that video is a Fallkniven F1. I really like it. I have basically concluded that for the fungi in my area, when using flint (chert) and steel, the only one that can work dependably un-charred is Chaga (true tinder fungus from birch). I have not boiled the horse hoof false tinder fungus (amadou) yet. (I was lazy and never got around to it before I ran out, but its easier to char). For chaga un-charred, I have better luck when I shave it into small pieces into a tin, then strike down with the chert towards the tin.
Wintertrekker Have heard and read many good things regarding the Fallkniven F1 . I'm still using an old Cold Steel (high carbon "carbon V" ) SRK - Kabars and a few others . Thanks for the input on your technique - un-charred chaga and striking down towards it . Do you live in the North west ? . Thanks again .
Hi Lefty! I live in northwestern Ontario. The F1 is a true convex grind, and can be maintained easily with stropping. I wanted a micro bevel on mine, so I took it to the Japanese water stones and worked in a micro bevel. So I can touch it up in the field with a small stone or diamond sharpener. And I can strop it which will round the micro bevel back to a a convex. So its a versatile grind. I like the stainless steel. It has a sharp 90 degree spine which rips off molten globs from a ferro rod. :o)
Pretty sure you need to soak the amadou in nitre (potassium or sodium nitrate, the oxidizer in black power) to get it to take a spark with an old fashioned fire steel. Once dried again, the nitrate acts as an oxidizer/catalyst, making it far more flammable and reactive. The primitive source for nitrates? Urine (nitrate source) and woodash (converts to usable niter--google Swiss process). Soaking in washing soda, then rinsing makes the amadou more pliable and easy to pound out flat.
+Tyler Miller Thanks Tyler! Yes I think you are right. In the bush on a trip, I have heard that a boil with wood ash will prepare it well. For gathering I am now leaving the fungus on the tree and just slicing off the top if I can reach it easily. Our horse hoof fungus here seems to have a very thin amadou layer, so its not worth fussing with the entire fungus because its mostly all gills.
Did you hear about the cougar attack? Google "Cougar hunted after its attack near Nevada City"
I found it on the Sacbee news website.
Brilliant video and demo mate, subbed I enjoyed watching cheers ,atb Martin
Thanks O-B and thanks for the sub!
Wintertrekker Agreed, nice demo. I have a third method to suggest; I cut it in open as you do to expose the innards and then instead of smashing it just whittle the spore tubes away using a small blade. I don't even bother with the cortex. When I want to start a fire I'll produce about a teaspoon of powder by cutting off a slice (so now it's like a crescent-shaped slice of honeydew with the cortex being the rind) and then scraping the amadou with a knife, or even better, using a small saw like on a SwissArmy knife. That powder will quickly take a spark and produce a hot little ember. It'll also light with a magnifying glass. Try it out and let me know if it works for you too!
800lb Gorilla Thanks for that tip! I will give that scraping method a try. I am out of good amadou now, as there were tiny insect larvae or tiny worms in all the fungi (that were impossible to see), and over a couple years they ate it all! I had a big bag of horse hoof fungus and its all rotted out and eaten from within. I think the tradition of boiling the amadou in water plus ash was not only for easier ignitions, but also for killing the larvae or worms in it.
Great video. Thanks.
Nope did not hear about it. No cougar issues around here, but lots of rogue black bears getting shot on a routine basis.
You could have cut out the hose scene at the end.
To my eyes everything you can utilize into making fire ... But what I know . LoL
Other use! th-cam.com/video/2jCJw7gB2sY/w-d-xo.html