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

Entry: The Bow Drill - Fire without Matches! - A757983
Author: Zarquon's Singing Fish! (ACE) (Scout) - U182827

I hope the descriptions are understandable. Let me know if there are any typos.

There are pictures in the links, which may help.

Comments please.

Oooh, very nice Zarquon! Excellently described. Didn't note any typos either

*makes mental note to make sure she has shoelaces wherever she goes*

*giggles*

Boy, you were quick off the mark! Thanks.

I'm hopelessly bored today so reading my way through Peer review is endless fun

My first answer would have been 'Without matches, I'd use a lighter', ahem

'pre-prepared', is that a word? Perhaps say 'prepared fire-place'.

Ceterum censeo: in the Guide with it!

Thanks Bossel. 'Without matches or lighter' doesn't have the same ring to it, does it!

Pre-prepared means 'which you prepared earlier'. I did at one point consider describing how to make a tipi fire, but then decided against it on the grounds that making a tipi fire, including finding somewhere suitable (and sensible) to put is would make an entry by itself, if I was to do it justice. (Now there'a a thought - I don't think there is an entry on this.)

I'll amend the entry, if it causes confusion.

Well, you're the native speaker. I just wondered

I've already amended it, Bossel, just for you.

I've also put a footnote to the effect that if push comes to shove you can use a sharp stone instead of a knife to fashion the bow drill.

Have a look and see if it reads better.

Hello, Don't you just love someone who has written a proper guide entry, and doesn't have to be told all the basic things.

Typo.
"watch carefully for signs of a coal Your notch will produce dust which"
"coal. Your notch"

"The hand hold will need to be burned in and greased before it is ready to be used."
I read this bit and wondered how I would burn it in if I was trying to make fire? Maybe a note saying that how to burn in the handhold would be explained later.

Might want to put some more main headers,
Equipment needed
Burning In etc.

Making the two sections separate, ie preparing and actually doing, might make it easier to read.

Great entry

SallyM

Looks like the headers are already there

Thank you Sally .

Having looked again at the entry, I found a problem which I have now rectified. When I originally worked on it, I worked directly onto the entry. I lost part of it and had to redo it. I missed out a vital bit second time round about the notching process, which I've redone.

I think it now should make much better sense. I've also added a brief explanation of why the 'burning in' process is needed.

Slightly different from the method I was tought.

I was tought to use a hardwood base with a pit, and a softwood spindle.

I was also shown that the dry grass should be transfered as soon as it has safely caught light onto a bed of kindling including bark shavings from rough barked trees (they contain methyl alcohol in them).

still, it seems acurate enough to work.

Interesting xyroth,

I saw a programme on the Australian Aboriginals, some of whom go to great lengths to get really hard sticks to use as spindles. Just goes to show that there are more ways than one to skin cat, as they say. Before that, I had believed that they did not make fire and relied on fire sticks, which they never let go out.

I could add these in as variations, or as the links have variations in them (there's a competition - which I haven't linked to - to see who can make the smallest working bow drill, which is a few inches long), I could leave it to more interested people to look for themselves.

What do you think?

Nice work ZSF!

AS to other methods, I;d say have a little links section, with a sentence explaining that they're to variations on a theme.

Hi KerrAvon!

At one point, I toyed with the idea of having a 'history' section, but decided against it. I think the other methods are in the links I have already posted, however I will double check and say in the entry, that as in all methods, there are variations.

OK, I've made a couple of changes. How's it looking now?

Looks totally fine to me, my only comment is I don't know how well known the word 'twizzle' is. It makes perfect sense to me, but dictonary.com doesn't recongise it, so I wonder if it's a UK-only word? I really don't know, can any US/other countries researchers comment?

Yes, when I put that in, I wondered what a non-English language speaker would think, however Bossel didn't query it and I'd like to leave it in unless it really causes problems. The more boring alternative is 'rotate'.

Twizzle vs rotate? Vote now to change or keep it.

I personally would go for keep it- rotate doesn't imply any speed, whereas twizzle does. How about a footnote explaining twizzle means 'rapid rotation' or something like that?

OK. Will do.