Fire making
Creating fire with a magnifying glass
A magnifying glass has been used to start fires since ancient times. Greek and Roman writers recorded the use of ‘Burning glasses’ for domestic and war purposes. A concise history of these applications can be found on Wikipedia. Nowadays, fires…
Bow Drilling – following the method of Mattias Norberg
At the Global Bushcraft Symposium 2022 in Wales/UK, the Swede Mattias Norberg demonstrated his method of creating fire by bow drilling. Sweden has a rich outdoor tradition, and it was a privilege to meet him there, as he has deep…
Giant Fennel stalks for lighting fire
Various internet pages and YouTube channels describe lighting fire with stalks of giant fennel (Ferula communis) as easy. I doubted these claims, so I tested them myself. The outcome was sobering, which I will describe in the following article. I…
Egg carton fire starters
Fire starters are convenient aids in Austria’s cold winters. Wood shavings lighted wood- and coal-burning stoves one generation ago. These shavings lighted spruce kindling, which in turn started burning bigger pieces of wood. Nowadays, it’s easier. Either commercially available or…
Batwa pygmies traditional fire lighting method
The Batwa people live around Bwindi Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. This park is significant because it houses half the world’s mountain gorilla population. The Batwa were the last tribe permitted to hunt in this national park before they were…
Australian Firesaws
Firesaws are only known as a traditional fire-making method on the Pacific Islands. In Australia, these methods were replaced by friction fire hand drills and later, under Western influences, by bow drills. Nevertheless, fire sawing is an interesting technique, which…
Brief historical overview of man’s use of fire
Mankind’s use of fire goes back an extraordinary length of time. From humble collecting and guarding natural fires to producing fire by sparks or friction took about 1,5 million years. For more than 500,000 years, mankind has been producing fires…
Manketti wood for friction fire lighting
In the northeastern parts of Namibia, Ju//hoansi Khoi-san bushmen preferably use Manketti wood (Schinziophyton rautanenii) for friction fire lighting, at least in areas where Manketti trees are growing. Such areas have slightly higher elevations compared to savanna bushveld vegetation. Both…
Bushscout UK’s fire bundle basket
Terry Longhurst said, “Bundle baskets are what we use with young people when fire lighting. Using a bundle prevents them from getting burnt, and it also helps if they have special needs.” Such a fire bundle basket is chicken wire,…
Fire lighting with Flint & Steel
In the Stone Age and Bronze Age, European men created fire by striking flintstone on marcasite and catching sparks on tinder made from horseshoe fungi. Marcasite is crystallized pyrite (an iron sulfate mineral) and is not readily available but has…
Hand drilling in UK as taught by Dave Watson
Friction fire hand drills are usually not the first choice for fire lighting in the Northern Hemisphere, as they are regarded as a strenuous technique, especially in cold and humid environments. Dave Watson proved this perception is incorrect under overcast…
Bow drill standard procedure by Dave Watson
The approach to friction fire lighting with bow drills in the UK slightly differs from that in other countries. In the following, these differences will be explained. Materials and shapes of the various bow drill elements Hearth board of the…
Bow drilling in Australia by Gordon Dedman
At the Global Bushcraft Symposium 2022 in the UK, Gordon Dedman presented the bow drilling technique he teaches in Australia. Since readers are assumed to know the basics of bow drill friction fire lighting, I will only concentrate on specific…
Hand drill friction fire lighting in Australia
At the Global Bushcraft Symposium 2022 in the UK, Gordon Dedman presented the hand drill friction fire lighting method he teaches in Australia. As most readers of this topic will know the basic techniques of hand drill friction fire lighting,…
Spear shafts from grass tree stalks
Grass trees (Xanthorrhoea sp.) and grass tree stalks are endemic to Australia. They are locally called ‘Black Boys’ due to their appearance after bushfires. They need a certain number of regular fires for their survival and are well protected against…
Creating fire by hand drill in Namibia
The type of wood for fire hand drills changed over time Fire starting with friction hand drills was traditionally common among Khoi-san (Ju//hoansi) people in their distribution area, which was once over Southern Africa and became increasingly confined by invading…
Solar fire lighting
The energy received by the earth from the sun is called the Solar Constant, which describes the effect that every 1 m2 of planet Earth facing the sun’s rays at a 90-degree angle (directly overhead) will receive 1375 Watts (Joules/sec)….