h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: How to Start a Fire from Scratch (Or Impress your Friends While Camping) - A5985048
Author: Erik_Nelson - U1552428

Sorry it's been so long. I've been without internet access for almost 4 months while I've been at US Army basic training. Sigh. This has been floating around flea market that whole time, so this should have been submitted months ago.

cool

Hi Erik

Firstly may I say I would find this *very* useful should I ever be out in the wilds and requiring heat.

I'm totally unqualified to comment on your methods so I'll leave that for others, but I *can* help you with your Guide ML.

"A784091 - The Bow Drill - Fire Without Matches! - This link is one of the best and most effective methods of of [one too many "of"] starting a fire sans igniter equipment, and is extremely well put together"

needs to be:

The Bow Drill - Fire Without Matches! is one of the most effective of starting a fire sans igniter equipment, and is extremely well put together.



First, you need to select a place for the fire to go. This may be different from the location that you start the fire at, if you are a hardcore SOB who starts his fires over here and moves them over there*.
Then at the end you have:
*As a quick reference to the pre-fire buildup, this is a somewhat more advanced trick. It's possible to set up all of your fuels before the fire even starts. Drop a pile of pencil-sized sticks into a circle about a handspan in diameter and a few inches high. Over these, put down secondary tinder such as pine needles or dried grasses. Atop that, (later), you will put down your tinder, presumably afire as you're a hardcore kinda guy who plays with fire away from the pit. Now, take your forearm sized logs and stack them around and above -but not on! -the starter base. You can either create a log cabin (no bigger than a 12" square) or a tepee shape, again, no more than 8" above the starting flame. This will light up like a flare when it takes and is a great way to impress the neighbors, or give someone a job to do while you're doing the cool 'I'm f***ing MacGuyver and can make fire!' trick. Once the tepee or log cabin is built, put your tinder down on the starter pile and watch it fly.

I am sure that's too long for a footnote, but here's the footnote tag anyway, I'm sure the sub-ed will sort it out with you

First, you need to select a place for the fire to go. This may be different from the location that you start the fire at, if you are a hardcore SOB who starts his fires over here and moves them over thereAs a quick reference to the pre-fire buildup, this is a somewhat more advanced trick. It's possible to set up all of your fuels before the fire even starts. Drop a pile of pencil-sized sticks into a circle about a handspan in diameter and a few inches high. Over these, put down secondary tinder such as pine needles or dried grasses. Atop that, (later), you will put down your tinder, presumably afire as you're a hardcore kinda guy who plays with fire away from the pit. Now, take your forearm sized logs and stack them around and above -but not on! -the starter base. You can either create a log cabin (no bigger than a 12" square) or a tepee shape, again, no more than 8" above the starting flame. This will light up like a flare when it takes and is a great way to impress the neighbors, or give someone a job to do while you're doing the cool 'I'm f***ing MacGuyver and can make fire!' trick. Once the tepee or log cabin is built, put your tinder down on the starter pile and watch it fly..

Same with the ** after the first *



After your subheader Location, Location, Location you need tags around the text.



Tinder
You'll want to start with tinder. Starter tinder is fine. Not 'Denise Richards' fine, but more in terms of texture and volume per weight. Think 'human hair' in size and you're getting on track. For the science geeks out there, the reason for this is that a pound of say, cotton fluff has hundreds of times more igniteable square surface space than, say, a one pound piece of wood. There is more air and more access to the air, as well.

You need to put the "Tinder" in a subheader as well.



After the Header "Starting a Fire from Scratch" the text needs to be in tags.



I really think you should end with a note on taking care to ensure the fire is completely OUT before moving on. With possible reference on how to do this (embers can smoulder for quite some time, even I know that...)

Great stuff, Erik

Galaxy Babe

eep...the closing FOOTNOTE needs to be but I'm sure you knew that

What was that hidden post about?

Nice entry

it was *my* post, detailing how to fix the Guide ML.



I've not received an email, so I can't possibly know what was wrong with the posting.

I'll let you know as soon as I know!

8 hours since my post was removed and *still* no email!

That's very bizarre.

*still* no email.

I'm perplexed.

Hope the eds get onto it this morning

Honestly, all I did was give Guide ML advice!!!

Well, somone yikesed my post for containing offensive material.

As I had copied & pasted from the entry, and the entry is still there, I've yikesed it. The entry has been there all day!

I'm annoyed because it looks like my words, when they're not.

Scratches head

Well would you believe it, the entry doesn't break the rules.

Now I'm hopelessly confused, and I'm going to protest!

Please remember that if a post is referred to the Moderators on a weekend, then the clock really only starts ticking when the main Monday-Friday staff come into work. So although it might look like a long time to you, it's only been a few hours since this joined the referral queue.

Secondly, with reference to this entry, the swearwords should be removed. They add nothing to the entry.

Did you hear that, mods?

whats that ml?

The handdrill method you describe is very difficult for anyone to do without guidance, and I've never seen anyone attempt it as you suggest. The fireplough is easier, or the Aborigine handdrill - you don't mention either of these methods. As far as your method goes:

>You'll want two fairly hard pieces of wood, preferably ash or oak.

Handdrills generally work best with a hard hearth and soft spindle. Ash and oak are extremely difficult for the beginner to start with, too. Try elder.

>One of the pieces needs to be a stick as straight as you can find, smooth, no more than an inch in diameter.

How long though? Length is key; once you reach the bottom of the spindle you need to return to the top, so minimising the number of times you do this without losing friction is important.

>The other needs to be a slightly softer bowl-shaped piece about a foot in diameter. The interior part of a piece of dried tree bark works wonders in this case.

I'm now lost. Where does the ember gather? Is the hearth made of bark???

>Put a -very- dry, soft, and fine piece of tinder between them and begin briskly grinding the two pieces together, like making a snake from a piece of clay.

The ember is formed by the friction between the wood causing tiny hot pieces of wood to detach and gather together. Not by trying to ignite your kindling directly - if you actually did this, the tinder would disintegrate almost immediately.

>This is going to take quite a while to do, so stick with it.

Sorry, Erik, but it just wouldn't work as you describe it.

>Once you get some smoke continue to rub, gently adding in more oxygen to get it hot. Don't stop once you get a spark, wait until you get some good red coloration and wisps of smoke. Now, while blowing steadily but not too hard, add in the ultra fine tinder.

The hot dust will be dark brown - I've never needed to wait for a bright red ember - and start to turn black and smoke as it consolidates into an ember. This should be added to a cricket-ball sized bundling of very light, dry kindling and with plenty of huffing and puffing, should ignite.


I find it hard to believe that an experienced firelighter with some knowledge of primitive techniques wouldn't start with a brief outline of the far easier bowdrill method linking to the existing entry.

Where is the discussion of types of fires? Good types of wood? Dry bark that can be found in a sodden forest? How to build your fire in windy, wet or very dry conditions? I could go on, but even these basics are absolutely crucial - certainly more so than the virtues of flicking a match at some petrol.

I remember this entry from before you deleted the old one; Zarquon's Singing Fish made a few valid points in post 3 of F2113685?thread=642962 when it was in PR last time. It may be worth re-reading that thread, particularly that post.

Oh, you didn't mention feather sticks, either - they're a common item to use here in the UK, especially when it's wet. You're basically splitting wood and shaving it almost to the end, very finely, so that eventually the stick looks a bit like a feather duster and lights very easily

what do ya mean????????????????????????????///stuip

Jamster, please stop flooding the conversation with nonsense.