Survival – Fire by Bow & Spindle

Catagory – Friction The bow and drill method consists of 6 parts: socket, spindle, bow, thong, fireboard, and spark tray. There is a method called the 20-20-20 method which goes like this: The first 20 strokes are slow and steady, just to heat things up; the second 20 strokes increases speed and pressure… you should start to see smoke; the next 20 strokes add more speed and pressure to create the live coal. When you see smoke, keep spinning and gently blow on it. If it just goes away, it’s too soon to stop. If you blow and the smoke resists your breath, it is ready to remove the spindle, then gently blow to increase the ember size for transfer to tinder.

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2 thoughts on “Survival – Fire by Bow & Spindle

  1. What type of wood for each piece? Is the spindle a hardwood, and the bottom piece of wood (tray?) a softwood? Or vice versa?

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