Tinder Thursday!! No not the dating app!! What is tinder? Any material that when heat, flame or sparks take it creates fire. Back to your early school days… what three things are required to create flame? Heat, oxygen and combustible material. Today's topic will be about the third leg of fire. Tinder.
We all have started a fire. (Assuming most of us have at least used a bbq grill) the combustible material was gas, either propane or white gas. it’s a simple process, turn the valve on, hit the igniter (which causes a spark) and boom (hopefully not) it ignites. We cook our meals and have a beer. Life is good, right?
Sometimes creating fire in the outdoors can be challenging. There is a reason that most bush crafters carry multiple ways to start fire. There is also a reason we carry a haversack (possible’s pouch) . We gather material from our surroundings as we travel. Why? Because we know that sometimes we lose stuff or things don’t work. And maybe we just like to show off and make starting a fire harder than it has to be. Tinder is just as critical a component to a fire as the method used to start it. You can hold a lighter to a log for hours, it won’t catch fire. However, if you have a tinder source, you are much more likely to succeed.
I should probably lay the groundwork here. The steps taken to start a fire in the wilds. Irregardless of the heat source. The steps needed to create fire are pretty universal. 1. Determine heat source 2. Gather or create tinder 3. Gather “smalls” pencil lead up to pencil size materials. 4. Gather” medium” materials ( pencil size to thumb diameter) 5. Gather” large” thumb to wrist size materials.
Your tinder is the crucial point where heat is transferred and becomes flame. It is important albeit a critical step in the fire making process. You should have dry, very fine tinder, think fluffy cotton type consistency. This allows the material to take heat easily and allows oxygen ( the third leg of the fire triangle) to easily reach the tinder. Once your heat source has been introduced to your tinder, you have a limited amount of time to introduce “smalls” to your tinder. As your smalls take light, introduce mediums and so on and so forth. ( a general rule of thumb, once flames exceed the height of your material add your next level) also fire loves chaos, you don’t want or need this pretty condensed little stack of wood.. you add material progressively, you can make a cute little picture perfect fire for YouTube later after it’s going. Back to tinder…
What materials and processes can be used? Not every material or natural fiber is created equal.. some are better than others, some are very hard to use. Every bushcrafter has his or her favorite. Honestly if it’s dry, has fiber and can be roughed up, shredded or shaved fine… it will probably work.
We typically build what is called a “birds' nest” it looks just like one when done properly. It is and probably always has been natures gift to humans. A birds nest is built to protect eggs and young. Usually with pencil size twigs around the outside and as it gets closer to the hollowed out interior, the materials become smaller and finer. To the point that the inside has become soft and fluffy…
Watch birds in the spring building nests. They love cattails, fur, thistle etc. for their final layer.
What can you use to make tinder? Poplar bark that has been down and dead for awhile ( typically the part that was close to the Cambrian layer( trunk) when dry can be shredded and fluffed up nicely. Wild grape vines have lots of stringy bark that also is easily processed. Dead cattail seed pods are perfect for great fluff( be quick about adding smalls) Dead grass can be used but be aware that most dead grasses have a hard shell that is sometimes hard to take. (It doesn’t always break down easily) although I have had great success with grasses.
Lint… yep lint.. either from your dryer or your clothes.. cotton works best, however modern synthetic’s do burn but are hard to get fluffed. Feathersticks… preferably not green wood. The options are endless and only limited by your imagination. No topic like this would be complete without covering accelerants. Accelerants are any substance natural or man made that ignite at a low flash point. They are very useful and easy to create, find and use. there are literally thousands of types available.
Fat wood, a naturally found material that is relatively common in conifers, predominantly pine, red and white in our area. YouTube is flooded with videos on how to find and process. But here is the condensed version. As a pine tree dies, the chemicals(turpentine) basically stop flowing throughout the tree. Due to gravity it begins to migrate down. It typically is found in condensed areas around branches off of the trunk (the older, the lower branch junctions have more, typically but not always) and at the base of the tree down into its roots. Recently I found a 150 yr old red pine that had died and been uprooted by a windstorm. The entire base of the tree was a gold mine. Roots from the base to about two feet out and all just solid fat wood. Fat wood when shaved or rubbed (spine of a 90degree knife) takes a spark and burns like nothing you have seen. It’s waterproof, natural and free..( to those who find it).
Cotton balls, cotton (non-treated) make up remover pads and cotton dental plugs. All make perfect tinder and when treated with Vaseline or coated with wax become waterproof and burn great and for quite a while. I make my own and am currently experimenting with added accelerators. (YouTube video coming soon) Just rip apart and your ready to go. Fire rope, jute twine etc. their are thousands of products available.. literally everybody and their brother are selling this stuff. My recommendation.. don’t waste your money, make your own. What they charge is insane… Note: I will be selling some systems for fire starting in the near future… don’t buy my stuff , just make your own!! Lol. Ok I think that’s enough for todays Tinder Tuesday talk!! Have a great day and as always…
Keep your powder dry and your paddle wet! J
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