As a firecraft enthusiast, I’ve explored a number of ways to create fire. It’s always exciting to produce a coal or flame… sort of “something from nothing”. However, it isn’t always easy to achieve. You might have limited resources or inclement weather which can inhibit ignition. That’s why ages ago primitive man learned to “carry” [...]
Friction Fire Methods of Bow-and-Spindle and Hand-Drill involve using a spindle on a hearthboard to generate heat and char in order to create an ember. The most successful material for this purpose is a non-resinous soft light wood that produces a slightly fibrous coffee-colored powder known as char. I prefer to make the spindle and [...]
A couple of weeks ago I was a vender at a local Faire. One of the benefits is that you get to meet interesting folks who share a wealth of wisdom from their experiences. One particular item was the Swedish Log Candle which was news to me. Of course, any topic with fire interests me [...]
Well, after 2 days at Merlefest, I’m starting to get the rhythm of daily routine at this festival. The first day I met many nice folks, some that have primitive living skills who were a delight to speak with. The second day began some sales of products… wallet magnifiers (A.K.A. solar fire starters) were a [...]
Well, it’s just about here… Merlefest, a Bluegrass Festival in Wilkesboro NC. Last year it drew 70,000 attendees, and this year promises more. At this event the air is filled with the sound of banjos, guitars, mandolins and singing. So what does this have to do with Survivaltek?? Well, until now, Survivaltek has been the [...]
Continue reading about Preparing for Merlefest - a Survivaltek first…
I remember as a teenager reading about great escapes during WWII and how the ingenuity of prisoners was employed out of necessity in the prison camps. As supplies were low, they had to stretch their resources in different ways. One way of increasing their limited matches was to split them lengthwise and then ignite the [...]
Translated from Latin, equinox means “equal night” and on this day of the year, daytime and nighttime are equal length everywhere in the world. This year Spring Equinox (also known as Vernal Equinox) begins On March 20, 2010. In the Northern Hemisphere, daytime will become longer, and the nights will become shorter, until it reaches [...]
Continue reading about Spring Equinox - Optical Firecrafts’ Friend
This lighter has been known by other names such as “shepherds’ lighter” or “rope lighter”. What makes it unique is that conventional fuel is not needed, and there is no flame. The method of operation is to strike the attached flintwheel to create sparks, which are caught on a charred cotton rope, that has been [...]
There are many facets to firecraft that take a lifetime to learn. However, baring hands-on learning, I found that a puzzle can be fun as well. So, just for fun, I have provided a word puzzle that includes firecraft elements for you to find and store in your memory as you search and identify them [...]
Fire pistons use a centuries old technology that capitalizes on a physics law, that rapidly compressed air generates heat… enough heat to ignite certain tinders. Fire pistons were discovered over 200 years ago in South East Asia and were brought to Europe where they were demonstrated among the scientific community, eventually leading Rudolph Diesel to [...]
