i respect that you didnt cut the camera and make it "work" for you first try, THIS IS real world issues we will face in the bush !! thank you for being real
true. i've met a lot of folks who thought it would be easy after the set was constructed only to frustrate out when they failed the first 2 or 3 times. truth is, even someone who has done this 600 times will work up a sweat and occasionally have the spindle fly or simply tire out before it's hot enough.
Blummin brilliant! Honest and real. It’s possibly the hardest skill I’ve tired in the world of bush craft. Have left it for a year need to get back to trying it again. Thank you for your work and content.
The best bit about this (for me) was the simple truth and reality of the situation: cold, not going well, etc etc. Now this is what it takes. Pure determination. Recognising what goes well, and what doesn't and learning from it. None of this "in the garage / back garden, with beautiful weather" set up. It's sometimes hard and harsh.... and if it was 'required' (in that kind of a situation) you have to realise that you're gonna have to dig deep. Really like watching this kind of video to see some *real honesty*. Top man :)
Great to see you fail. The very fact that you shared your frustration was more informative than an ideal set up and success. Congratulations on sharing an excellent learning experience. Love your pragmatic approach. Keep it up.
Love that you failed. It is always worth reminding people that it is only through failure that we learn. Truly a real word scenario. Great video with lots of good info.
Dear Nick Thanks for the great video and sharing a "fail" with us. Your technique of bowing looked spot on and the set you made equally excellent. I am a very inexpert, unpractised buscrafter and did a weeks course about 20 years ago. From what I remember you had a couple of things going against you which would have made it a lot harder. There is a lot more moisture around in winter and the temperature of the materials all start from a lower temperature. Also (and I could be wrong - from memory), Hazel is a difficult wood to gain an ember from when using fire by friction. I tried with Hazel once and only managed to get brown dust - not even close to an ember and that was in ideal conditions. I only ever managed to get an ember twice and that was by cheating (drying the set out on the radiator overnight) and using Lime and Sycamore. I was taught on the course that wood selection can make a significant difference (as well as all the other endless variables when bow drilling). My main memory of fire by friction was failing, try again, failing, try again, failing, try again (I could go on) whilst getting ever more tired Would love to meet up on one of your courses in the future when Covid permits. I live reasonably close in Clevedon Thanks for sharing the excellent tutorials John
Mad respect for uncut videos, mate. You didn't fake a perfect performance, and that added to the charm. I have got an idea. If we have time, we could plane the wood at home and prepare it, and then put it in the oven at say 180 degrees and let it lose a lot of moisture. Conversely, we could put it in the hot sand near the fire and dehydrate the wood, can't we? We must take care to not set the oven on fire, so play with the temperatures carefully. I got this idea when I remembered how we make meat jerky, and also the drying of willow clefts in Gunn and Moore factory at Nottingham. 😁
Pleased I found your channel. Explanation and Demonstrations are excellent. Now it is for us to Imitate and Practise!! I enjoyed watching the video and it certainly explained what is required to create fire by friction. The other comments have expressed intelligent feedback. "Bravo Zulu" Royal!
Loved the POV camera so we can see what you’re looking at/for. Haven’t seen enough of this on many channels on bushcraft. Very useful indeed and great see you label trees and show us what you’re doing practically. More please! (and NP about the bow drilling.....Sod’s law says it doesn’t work when you want it to!).
I like the fact you were honest. The first time I did a bow drill it took me 30 mins. The time after I failed and got a lighter out to do the job and was angry with myself for not doing it, wondering what I had done wrong. It's just luck some times. I have met a gentleman who dose Not seem to rush it. He dose a bit and stops dose a bit etc etc and he never fails to start a fire. But he dose always seem to bring the wood with him from his home so it is always nice and dry and the type of wood he likes to use.
I made my first bow drill friction fire a couple of days ago. In full sun, sweat was dripping off me by the time I'd got a good ember 🤣 but boy did it feel good starting a fire that way for a first time :-) . Thanks for the videos and your honest approach to all you show us
I had a nasty cut from a slip when cutting a v notch years ago, so now I always use a small saw to do small jobs on wood, usually a Victorinox Swisschamp or Workchamp, sometimes added to by the wood file, which also gives some small wood filings. Just a personal thing. I have seen people use a razor saw, and small wood files, a wire saw or even a hacksaw blade held in locking grips (all useful in a bushcraft/field tool kit). I have only been successful at this method once, after 2 hours of trying, so I find this video of great value, I will have another try.
I've found having the spindle a bit thinner seems to help. It seems to spin faster and generate more heat. I still get fail, fail, fail, fail, fail then eventually success! Really enjoyed the video.
Many indigenous groups use a rope across dry wood to achieve the same friction, I have never seen it myself but it might be an idea for a future try-out like this one.
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 I have just made my first bow drill kit, so one to practice with, it is a bit wet here for the rope friction test but I will do so as soon as possible and report back.
When bedding in I usually use a reasonably pointed end with about four sides to the point (Like an Egyptian pyramid) I find this cuts the hearth board quickly and in doing so produces lots of charred dust. Because it had a nice conical fit, there is a lot of friction too which makes for faster smoke.
I've heard that fatwood is good for the bearing block, because of the oily surface. I carry vasaline lip balm, for my lips. They tend to suffer in the cold. It is also useful as a fire lighting aid, and I suppose it could be handy in a bearing block as a friction saver. Maybe give that a try. It seems the sort of thing that the average person may be lucky enough to have in their pocket.
I tried this a few years ago and it worked,but I also had a lot of failures. I found a willow hearth and lime spindle work well. Hazel wasn't the best.
I carry a split piece of cow shin bone that I use for my bearing block, I find it allows me to apply more pressure with less friction. As another comment said, I think your spindle was a little too thick and maybe a bit too round, I have found a more octagonal spindle reduces the amount the string slips on the spindle providing a better transfer of effort. Having said all that,I only a 5 - 10% success rate with a bow still in the wild, though I do live in one of the wettest counties in Ireland (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!). Great video.
Good video, showing thee reality of the bow drill. It is a method i try to practice a couple of times a year to keep in my skill set, but definitely one i do not like. I have a damaged knee and two shoulders in which i get tendentious, so my technique is slightly different. bow out in front of me going side to side.
I always imagine the first person to get this to work! How many different tree types, dead/living bit of wood, different sizes, lengths, widths etc, bow string materials, bow lengths, ember temps, nesting materials and so on did that person try! I bet the others hated meeting up with him! Hours tramping across a dusty trail, carrying bits of meat scavenged from a lion kill, only to sit around listening to some guy tell tales of failed spindles, snapped bow strings and notches cut at the wrong angle! How those evenings must have dragged! 😉😆😆
Hey Nick you have a great approach to these videos and teaching method is great!! Only thing to comment is the knife technique when you’re creating your tools you used the knife towards your chest!! 😱 I know when my son was learning bushcraft skills it was really important to remind him how sharp those blades can be... great video and very informative thanks for sharing these great skills on this platform 😍
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 I haven’t watched the knife skills yet but I’m confident that you are experienced enough to know what you’re doing! Thanks for the reply 😊
Nice to see the hassles involved in fire by friction. Just wondered, you know how heat treating a point of a stick can harden it, have you tried that with pointy end of the spindle and, does it work? What do you recon the problem was? Maybe the hearth board just a bit too damp? I think you mentioned you were a little unsure when you found the bit of wood you used. Thanks for this video
Thanks Nick, I suppose the point gets hardened a little with the friction , all be it less, when it spins in the bearing block. I might try no lubrication for a while as I burn my next set in and see if it helps at all. What’s you fav wood for bow drill? I like using ivy or climates if I can get it.
CSI:Woodlands... Camera pans to grizzled Detective drawing on a cigarette, "S' no good Lieutenant, this branch has been dead too long for me to do anything..." **Hearthboards, I got taught to make it half the width of your thumbnail, easy to gauge and repeat.
Hmmmm... concerning that stump is a bit high ...I would suggest you dig the ground a bit so that the stump sit in there at a desire height...I like this video because it makes us aware that sometime we have to improvise due to the situation..also you can try using two strings around it to create a better friction when sawing...
Only just found you possibly you have 2 hard woods hazel as I believe is a hard wood, plus if the log seems to high why don't you bury it some bit into the ground should be easy enough if the grounds soft hearth board needs to be soft & spindle either hard or soft. Hope to have helped you somewhat.
Some days 10 minutes some not. Not sure if you know of Les Stroud " survivorman " but on camera on his show said it took him 8 hour to start a friction fire. Practice and practice but it is still luck.
We have to embrace our failures and learn from them. Nick you could carry a 6"x 6" piece of thick leather for the damp ground and the hearth board to sit on, but I see what the video is demonstrating for the viewer's.
I suppose if you used this alk the time to make fire, but that set was wearing out, you'd make a new set over a couple of days, not idea fir a survival situation when the sun is going down.
As a fellow Bootneck, with a passion for survival skills especially primitive fire lighting i really enjoy your videos. Great to see the realities of how hard fire by friction can be , especially in Jan in the uk with materials sourced on the spot. great work 👍
i respect that you didnt cut the camera and make it "work" for you first try, THIS IS real world issues we will face in the bush !! thank you for being real
true. i've met a lot of folks who thought it would be easy after the set was constructed only to frustrate out when they failed the first 2 or 3 times.
truth is, even someone who has done this 600 times will work up a sweat and occasionally have the spindle fly or simply tire out before it's hot enough.
That's exactly it. Honesty. Real time. Takes courage and confidence.
Blummin brilliant! Honest and real. It’s possibly the hardest skill I’ve tired in the world of bush craft. Have left it for a year need to get back to trying it again. Thank you for your work and content.
There's more to learn when things don't go as you hope. Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate and respect your honesty and, showing real life. Great video! Thanks for posting!
Thanks for sharing again Nick, I like the ‘warts n all’ approach . I appreciate the honesty of a failure! Best...Cam 👍🏻
I love your videos, thank you for making them. Most of all thank you for the screech warning, it saved my autistic ears.
Great stuff. That’s the truth right there. No sugar coating. I bet that’s how it would be for most people giving it a go.
Love that you show the reality of your attempts
The best bit about this (for me) was the simple truth and reality of the situation: cold, not going well, etc etc. Now this is what it takes. Pure determination. Recognising what goes well, and what doesn't and learning from it. None of this "in the garage / back garden, with beautiful weather" set up. It's sometimes hard and harsh.... and if it was 'required' (in that kind of a situation) you have to realise that you're gonna have to dig deep.
Really like watching this kind of video to see some *real honesty*. Top man :)
Great to see you fail. The very fact that you shared your frustration was more informative than an ideal set up and success. Congratulations on sharing an excellent learning experience. Love your pragmatic approach. Keep it up.
At least you show how hard it can be and not just the perfect bits.
One of if not the hardest ways of starting a fire, so clearly shown.
Love your work mate thank you for being real.
Love that you failed. It is always worth reminding people that it is only through failure that we learn. Truly a real word scenario. Great video with lots of good info.
Nice that you put in the failed attempt. It's real life and it don't always work out. I'm enjoying the channel
Great, brave, patient and honest. I never managed this.
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 My arms can't do that any more, but no issue at all. I use my good old fire steel ;-)
Dear Nick
Thanks for the great video and sharing a "fail" with us. Your technique of bowing looked spot on and the set you made equally excellent. I am a very inexpert, unpractised buscrafter and did a weeks course about 20 years ago. From what I remember you had a couple of things going against you which would have made it a lot harder. There is a lot more moisture around in winter and the temperature of the materials all start from a lower temperature. Also (and I could be wrong - from memory), Hazel is a difficult wood to gain an ember from when using fire by friction. I tried with Hazel once and only managed to get brown dust - not even close to an ember and that was in ideal conditions. I only ever managed to get an ember twice and that was by cheating (drying the set out on the radiator overnight) and using Lime and Sycamore. I was taught on the course that wood selection can make a significant difference (as well as all the other endless variables when bow drilling).
My main memory of fire by friction was failing, try again, failing, try again, failing, try again (I could go on) whilst getting ever more tired
Would love to meet up on one of your courses in the future when Covid permits. I live reasonably close in Clevedon
Thanks for sharing the excellent tutorials
John
Mad respect for uncut videos, mate. You didn't fake a perfect performance, and that added to the charm. I have got an idea.
If we have time, we could plane the wood at home and prepare it, and then put it in the oven at say 180 degrees and let it lose a lot of moisture. Conversely, we could put it in the hot sand near the fire and dehydrate the wood, can't we?
We must take care to not set the oven on fire, so play with the temperatures carefully.
I got this idea when I remembered how we make meat jerky, and also the drying of willow clefts in Gunn and Moore factory at Nottingham. 😁
Pleased I found your channel. Explanation and Demonstrations are excellent. Now it is for us to Imitate and Practise!!
I enjoyed watching the video and it certainly explained what is required to create fire by friction. The other comments have expressed intelligent feedback. "Bravo Zulu" Royal!
Loved the POV camera so we can see what you’re looking at/for. Haven’t seen enough of this on many channels on bushcraft. Very useful indeed and great see you label trees and show us what you’re doing practically. More please! (and NP about the bow drilling.....Sod’s law says it doesn’t work when you want it to!).
Awesome video, thanks
The hardest time to make fire is when it’s most needed!
You've gone a step up in my opinion, showing a failure or should I say a near miss, when many would have cut and edited in a blazing fire.
Good effort! I have yet to get my bow drill to start a fire! Ill keep trying!
I like the fact you were honest. The first time I did a bow drill it took me 30 mins. The time after I failed and got a lighter out to do the job and was angry with myself for not doing it, wondering what I had done wrong. It's just luck some times.
I have met a gentleman who dose Not seem to rush it. He dose a bit and stops dose a bit etc etc and he never fails to start a fire. But he dose always seem to bring the wood with him from his home so it is always nice and dry and the type of wood he likes to use.
I made my first bow drill friction fire a couple of days ago. In full sun, sweat was dripping off me by the time I'd got a good ember 🤣 but boy did it feel good starting a fire that way for a first time :-) . Thanks for the videos and your honest approach to all you show us
I had a nasty cut from a slip when cutting a v notch years ago, so now I always use a small saw to do small jobs on wood, usually a Victorinox Swisschamp or Workchamp, sometimes added to by the wood file, which also gives some small wood filings. Just a personal thing. I have seen people use a razor saw, and small wood files, a wire saw or even a hacksaw blade held in locking grips (all useful in a bushcraft/field tool kit). I have only been successful at this method once, after 2 hours of trying, so I find this video of great value, I will have another try.
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 I never do. Just made myself a new bow drill set looking forward to trying again. ATB
I've found having the spindle a bit thinner seems to help. It seems to spin faster and generate more heat. I still get fail, fail, fail, fail, fail then eventually success! Really enjoyed the video.
Many indigenous groups use a rope across dry wood to achieve the same friction, I have never seen it myself but it might be an idea for a future try-out like this one.
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 I have just made my first bow drill kit, so one to practice with, it is a bit wet here for the rope friction test but I will do so as soon as possible and report back.
For an established camp/longterm steading, I'd be tempted to make a pole lathe type set up and use that to operate the spindle...
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 can't wait to see that video :-D
When bedding in I usually use a reasonably pointed end with about four sides to the point (Like an Egyptian pyramid) I find this cuts the hearth board quickly and in doing so produces lots of charred dust. Because it had a nice conical fit, there is a lot of friction too which makes for faster smoke.
I've heard that fatwood is good for the bearing block, because of the oily surface. I carry vasaline lip balm, for my lips. They tend to suffer in the cold. It is also useful as a fire lighting aid, and I suppose it could be handy in a bearing block as a friction saver. Maybe give that a try.
It seems the sort of thing that the average person may be lucky enough to have in their pocket.
I tried this a few years ago and it worked,but I also had a lot of failures. I found a willow hearth and lime spindle work well. Hazel wasn't the best.
I carry a split piece of cow shin bone that I use for my bearing block, I find it allows me to apply more pressure with less friction. As another comment said, I think your spindle was a little too thick and maybe a bit too round, I have found a more octagonal spindle reduces the amount the string slips on the spindle providing a better transfer of effort. Having said all that,I only a 5 - 10% success rate with a bow still in the wild, though I do live in one of the wettest counties in Ireland (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!). Great video.
Good video, showing thee reality of the bow drill. It is a method i try to practice a couple of times a year to keep in my skill set, but definitely one i do not like. I have a damaged knee and two shoulders in which i get tendentious, so my technique is slightly different. bow out in front of me going side to side.
I always imagine the first person to get this to work! How many different tree types, dead/living bit of wood, different sizes, lengths, widths etc, bow string materials, bow lengths, ember temps, nesting materials and so on did that person try! I bet the others hated meeting up with him! Hours tramping across a dusty trail, carrying bits of meat scavenged from a lion kill, only to sit around listening to some guy tell tales of failed spindles, snapped bow strings and notches cut at the wrong angle! How those evenings must have dragged! 😉😆😆
Hey Nick you have a great approach to these videos and teaching method is great!!
Only thing to comment is the knife technique when you’re creating your tools you used the knife towards your chest!! 😱
I know when my son was learning bushcraft skills it was really important to remind him how sharp those blades can be...
great video and very informative thanks for sharing these great skills on this platform 😍
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 I haven’t watched the knife skills yet but I’m confident that you are experienced enough to know what you’re doing!
Thanks for the reply 😊
Great videos my friend . That jacket looks nice and solid too , what type is it ?
@@hiddenvalleybushcraft5683 nice jacket sounds robust , thanks mate
Nice to see the hassles involved in fire by friction. Just wondered, you know how heat treating a point of a stick can harden it, have you tried that with pointy end of the spindle and, does it work? What do you recon the problem was? Maybe the hearth board just a bit too damp? I think you mentioned you were a little unsure when you found the bit of wood you used. Thanks for this video
Thanks Nick, I suppose the point gets hardened a little with the friction , all be it less, when it spins in the bearing block. I might try no lubrication for a while as I burn my next set in and see if it helps at all. What’s you fav wood for bow drill? I like using ivy or climates if I can get it.
CSI:Woodlands...
Camera pans to grizzled Detective drawing on a cigarette, "S' no good Lieutenant, this branch has been dead too long for me to do anything..."
**Hearthboards, I got taught to make it half the width of your thumbnail, easy to gauge and repeat.
Hmmmm... concerning that stump is a bit high ...I would suggest you dig the ground a bit so that the stump sit in there at a desire height...I like this video because it makes us aware that sometime we have to improvise due to the situation..also you can try using two strings around it to create a better friction when sawing...
Only just found you possibly you have 2 hard woods hazel as I believe is a hard wood, plus if the log seems to high why don't you bury it some bit into the ground should be easy enough if the grounds soft hearth board needs to be soft & spindle either hard or soft. Hope to have helped you somewhat.
Some days 10 minutes some not. Not sure if you know of Les Stroud " survivorman " but on camera on his show said it took him 8 hour to start a friction fire. Practice and practice but it is still luck.
We have to embrace our failures and learn from them. Nick you could carry a 6"x 6" piece of thick leather for the damp ground and the hearth board to sit on, but I see what the video is demonstrating for the viewer's.
See feelix imler double rope tech on you tube...😅
I suppose if you used this alk the time to make fire, but that set was wearing out, you'd make a new set over a couple of days, not idea fir a survival situation when the sun is going down.
i did this once,,,,and burned on my fire after starting the fire with my lighter
As a fellow Bootneck, with a passion for survival skills especially primitive fire lighting i really enjoy your videos. Great to see the realities of how hard fire by friction can be , especially in Jan in the uk with materials sourced on the spot. great work 👍