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Backyard Survival Challenge. Challenge #1: Fire Making

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  • #16
    11HE9
    Senior Member
    • May 2011
    • 771

    Originally posted by joash
    Survival skills are cool & all, but has anyone here ever been in a real life situation where they had to make a fire without matches or some type of lighter?
    I know what frostbite is all about, my fingers & toes are very sensitive to cold & damp now... it really sucks

    During certain times of the year, I will have several means to start a fire with me...

    Rain or shine
    Last edited by 11HE9; 03-12-2012, 10:53 PM.

    Comment

    • #17
      11HE9
      Senior Member
      • May 2011
      • 771

      Originally posted by Sonic_mike
      your rite i'll try tomorrow after work if im not too tired from working 12 hours.
      That's the spirit!!

      Comment

      • #18
        Rhythm of Life
        Veteran Member
        • Apr 2010
        • 2800

        Originally posted by joash
        Survival skills are cool & all, but has anyone here ever been in a real life situation where they had to make a fire without matches or some type of lighter?

        It sometimes seems that many preppers spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for things that are extremely unlikely.

        Many are very concerned with wilderness survival, for example the idea of being stranded with only a knife as a tool. In reality most people never even set foot in a wilderness, nevermind being lost in the wilderness.
        This past weekend I went out for a survival test.

        3 days 2 nights

        1.5 cups flour
        4 oz nuts
        2 bullion cubes

        96 oz water

        Wool Blanket

        Flint
        Steel
        Charcloth

        Knife


        Well I'm here today right? Good test, glad I passed.


        _____


        For those saying fire bow.... how many can successfully get a fire from this method? Because if you haven't tried, it takes a little more technique than you think.
        Last edited by Rhythm of Life; 03-12-2012, 11:06 PM.
        The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

        Comment

        • #19
          CZ97B
          Banned
          • Mar 2012
          • 197

          Originally posted by Rhythm of Life
          This past weekend I went out for a survival test.

          3 days 2 nights

          1.5 cups flour
          4 oz nuts
          2 bullion cubes

          96 oz water

          Wool Blanket

          Flint
          Steel
          Charcloth

          Knife


          Well I'm here today right? Good test, glad I passed.


          ___....
          In a real situation it would not include flour, nuts and bullion cubes.

          It would include field mice, dandelions, and insects instead. Maybe even a big rat too (a delicacy in China btw).

          Comment

          • #20
            Rhythm of Life
            Veteran Member
            • Apr 2010
            • 2800

            Originally posted by CZ97B
            It would include field mice, dandelions, and insects instead. Maybe even a big rat too (a delicacy in China btw).
            You're assuming those are easily available in my local biosphere or the test location.

            And you are wrong.
            The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

            Comment

            • #21
              xrMike
              Calguns Addict
              • Feb 2006
              • 7841

              Originally posted by Exile Machine
              I'll take the challenge. Tomorrow I'll use my eyeglasses to focus sunlight onto a tuft of cat hair pulled from the tail of the neighbor's black cat. After starting the cat hair fire, I'll use my first aid kit to clean and bandage the scratches.
              -Mark


              I've always thought the bow + drill method was a badge of honor for the manliest of men. Never tried that myself, but someday. It must feel really good to know you can build a fire the same way the Neanderthal did.

              Comment

              • #22
                thenodnarb
                Veteran Member
                • May 2009
                • 2603

                Lots of TALK in this post and no ACTION(except for Rhythm of Life). Enough "I would do this"... DO it! This is about practice and challenging yourself. Common! I double dog dare ya!

                How I Powder Coat Pistol Bullets
                How I Powder Coat Rifle Bullets

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                • #23
                  TheChief
                  Senior Member
                  • Mar 2011
                  • 1864

                  Originally posted by thenodnarb
                  I'm aware of charcloth. In fact, making it will be a future challenge. But do you carry char cloth on you every day? I don't. I wanted to see if I could build it with just my firesteel and dry tinder that I could find.

                  Remember, challenge yourself!
                  Altoids tin, and a fire you make with your firestell and dry tinder.

                  Punch a hole in the top of the altiods tin, place some 1-1/2 inch sqaures of cut up cotton t-shirt into the tin, close the tin, and throw it on the embers of the fire. Wait until smoke stops coming out of the hole and remove the tin. Let it cool and you now have char cloth.

                  The heat will burn the cotton to char without actually igniting it.
                  All things being equal...

                  Comment

                  • #24
                    TheChief
                    Senior Member
                    • Mar 2011
                    • 1864

                    Originally posted by xrMike


                    I've always thought the bow + drill method was a badge of honor for the manliest of men. Never tried that myself, but someday. It must feel really good to know you can build a fire the same way the Neanderthal did.
                    My Badge of honor was starting with nothing and making a fire...really!

                    One of the Leaders in my Boy Scout Troop was mR Hard Core and he had his own badges for the older kids. This was one of them...

                    Make a cutting instrument out of rock shards (bang em together till a nice sharp piece breaks off)

                    Use the cutting rock to make your bow drill and now you have fire. If there were no suitable bark, plant, of vines to make the string for the bow, you could do a hand drill. However that is serious blister time unless you have the knack and hands for it. We usually resorted to fire plough.

                    Here a nice site for how to make fire by hand

                    All things being equal...

                    Comment

                    • #25
                      speedrrracer
                      Veteran Member
                      • Dec 2011
                      • 3355

                      No, this is good stuff. The wife and I have been trading lighting the fire in the outdoor fireplace for about a month now using an extra firesteel tool we bought just for practice.

                      It's ridiculously easy, to be honest. Decent tinder and you're GTG. Agree with others who have said lighting a primitive fire would be a real test, and I would def fail that test at this time!

                      Comment

                      • #26
                        mif_slim
                        I need a LIFE!!
                        • Apr 2008
                        • 10089

                        Originally posted by joash
                        Survival skills are cool & all, but has anyone here ever been in a real life situation where they had to make a fire without matches or some type of lighter?

                        It sometimes seems that many preppers spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for things that are extremely unlikely.

                        Many are very concerned with wilderness survival, for example the idea of being stranded with only a knife as a tool. In reality most people never even set foot in a wilderness, nevermind being lost in the wilderness.
                        Yeah, so that means you dont need a gun or know how to use one because the chance of using one in self defense is slim to none. It only happens to others.



                        I'll take the challenge today. I'll see if I can have it on a short clip.
                        Originally posted by Gottmituns
                        It's not protecting the rights of the 1%, it's IMPOSING new laws because of the 1%.

                        Comment

                        • #27
                          vortec_cruiser
                          Member
                          • Jul 2007
                          • 467

                          I used what I had available and close by, which was a cotton ball that has been saturated with Vaseline. Actually, this is the first time I've tried to light these, so it was a slight learning process for me. Laying the ball on a piece of paper towel, which was atop a mortar can, I attempted to light it with the flint & steel that accompanied my magnesium lighter. I didn't use any magnesium shavings. Lots of sparks from the flint & steel, but the cotton ball just sat there like a rock. Okay, the steel for my magnesium fire starter is actually the end of a hacksaw blade. I used the teeth on the end of the blade to pull up a few of the cotton fibers before trying a second lighting attempt. First strike and I've got fire! The Vaseline-soaked cotton ball burns like a highway flare. When I blew it out, it just reignited itself from a small glowing corner piece - NICE! These things work great.

                          Comment

                          • #28
                            wjc
                            I need a LIFE!!
                            • Dec 2009
                            • 10870

                            This is a good idea to test one's proficiency...I try to do it now and then.

                            I'm currently reaquainting myself with the use of a bow drill.

                            btw, crushed pine needles make a good "birds nest".
                            sigpic

                            NRA Benefactor Member
                            NRA Golden Eagle
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                            • #29
                              thenodnarb
                              Veteran Member
                              • May 2009
                              • 2603

                              Originally posted by vortec_cruiser
                              I used what I had available and close by, which was a cotton ball that has been saturated with Vaseline. Actually, this is the first time I've tried to light these, so it was a slight learning process for me. Laying the ball on a piece of paper towel, which was atop a mortar can, I attempted to light it with the flint & steel that accompanied my magnesium lighter. I didn't use any magnesium shavings. Lots of sparks from the flint & steel, but the cotton ball just sat there like a rock. Okay, the steel for my magnesium fire starter is actually the end of a hacksaw blade. I used the teeth on the end of the blade to pull up a few of the cotton fibers before trying a second lighting attempt. First strike and I've got fire! The Vaseline-soaked cotton ball burns like a highway flare. When I blew it out, it just reignited itself from a small glowing corner piece - NICE! These things work great.

                              Yes! Good job! You tried something new and learned from experience! Excellent.
                              I think my next challenge for myself will be to do the NO tool fire like chief mentioned. The bow drill, now that I've done it, works pretty awesome. I strung up my bow again today and after about 30 seconds of drilling, I had smoke and embers. It really is a very effective method. The hardest part is cordage. I don't have too many good sources of plant fibers suitable for this in my back yard. I might have to make a trip to the forest for my cordage materials.

                              How I Powder Coat Pistol Bullets
                              How I Powder Coat Rifle Bullets

                              Comment

                              • #30
                                Rhythm of Life
                                Veteran Member
                                • Apr 2010
                                • 2800

                                Originally posted by TheChief
                                Altoids tin, and a fire you make with your firestell and dry tinder.

                                Punch a hole in the top of the altiods tin, place some 1-1/2 inch sqaures of cut up cotton t-shirt into the tin, close the tin, and throw it on the embers of the fire. Wait until smoke stops coming out of the hole and remove the tin. Let it cool and you now have char cloth.

                                The heat will burn the cotton to char without actually igniting it.
                                Thats the easiest and yields the most.

                                Another method is to ignite a pair of jeans on fire (a portion 10x6") and when its all black throw it in a jar and seal the lid.

                                However using my secondary method if you don't let the jeans burn enough it will not work and out in the field it is a pain in the ***.

                                Originally posted by vortec_cruiser
                                I used what I had available and close by, which was a cotton ball that has been saturated with Vaseline. Actually, this is the first time I've tried to light these, so it was a slight learning process for me. Laying the ball on a piece of paper towel, which was atop a mortar can, I attempted to light it with the flint & steel that accompanied my magnesium lighter. I didn't use any magnesium shavings. Lots of sparks from the flint & steel, but the cotton ball just sat there like a rock. Okay, the steel for my magnesium fire starter is actually the end of a hacksaw blade. I used the teeth on the end of the blade to pull up a few of the cotton fibers before trying a second lighting attempt. First strike and I've got fire! The Vaseline-soaked cotton ball burns like a highway flare. When I blew it out, it just reignited itself from a small glowing corner piece - NICE! These things work great.

                                Try using a flint rock and a piece of file next time. It makes it harder for those times you may not have your firestarter.

                                If you have no flint around you, jasper will work as well, all be it less effectively.

                                Also instead of the petroleum cotton balls you can use drier/pocket lint.


                                Originally posted by thenodnarb
                                Yes! Good job! You tried something new and learned from experience! Excellent.
                                I think my next challenge for myself will be to do the NO tool fire like chief mentioned. The bow drill, now that I've done it, works pretty awesome. I strung up my bow again today and after about 30 seconds of drilling, I had smoke and embers. It really is a very effective method. The hardest part is cordage. I don't have too many good sources of plant fibers suitable for this in my back yard. I might have to make a trip to the forest for my cordage materials.
                                Depending on where you live there could be a local plant that will work.

                                ie in the desert? Joshua Tree leaves will do, just break down into fibers and tie together.
                                Last edited by Rhythm of Life; 03-13-2012, 10:16 PM.
                                The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

                                Comment

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