The purpose of fuzz sticks is to reduce kindling into tinder, from sticks into shavings for easier ignition by flame. This can make a significant difference when building a campfire.

A sharp knife is the key to success. There are basically two approaches… pushing the blade into the wood that we call “carving” – or – holding the blade in a fixed position while pulling the wood into the knife’s edge. Both methods have merit and basically boil down to which method gives you more control. Of course I recommend that the blade faces away from you.

Making fuzz sticks is a good skill to pursue and can be a critical element when resources are limited when creating a campfire. Feel free to share your experiences and advice for success.

I set out to acquire some at the local grocery store and discovered that today’s version differed from my childhood variety which were wax with an infused wick. This current type appears to be a very thin infused plastic rod so I purchased it to see what it could do.

To begin my experiment I stood at the kitchen sink and lit one, and was sorely disappointed that there weren’t more sparkles. I watched as it burned down and blew it out with sadness but was taken back when it relit by itself! Now this showed promise!

Next, I stepped outside but it was a drizzley day so I pulled a dead juniper branch from within a bush and kneeled under an overhead cover and set up the tinder in a lean-to configuration using a rock. I placed the sparkle candle underneath the branch and lit it. Slowly it began to sparkle and then I blew it out. Almost immediately it relit by itself! I repeated that process several times.

The concept was validated but a more robust fire starter (vs. igniter) would be more reliable, especially in survival situations. Nonetheless it was a fun experiment to explore more firecraft possibilities.

This kit was small and light weight and could easily be carried when out in the field. I had to try it out. I built a small fire that I let burn down and revived it by blowing onto the remaining few embers. For those who make fire-by-friction, they are aware that building the ember is the path to a flame so a tool that supplies oxygen can give you an advantage in this process.

In days past, when fireplaces where a feature in a home, large blowpipes were often used (see “Fireplace Blowpipe”). This was a larger scale tube that offered help from a more convenient distance in a contained fireplace setting. But in the event that you don’t have a tube it is nice to know an alternate method using The “Carolina Diamond” Airway Blowing Method.

In the world of firecraft, it can be a “life saver” to know different methods to create and maintain a fire, so next time you go shopping look for a metal straw to add to your tools of the trade.

I have been watching some social media videos regarding how to find fatwood. Fatwood is the resinous portion found in old softwoods like pine. Some folks who live in pine forests often find old stumps or fallen tree trunks that have rotted, leaving remains of the stubby limbs where they attach to the trunk. This is where to look for the resin that has gathered within the tree.

 
The challenge that I face is that I live in a hardwood forest area and there are few pines. I ventured out to see if I could find a fallen pine tree or stump and I finally found one. I used my hatchet to cut away at the base of a limb and saw the dark sort of transparent layers of fatwood. I removed the wood and shaved it down. I split off a piece to test for burning and was delighted to see the smokey, bubbling flame that fatwood produces.

 
 
I will continue to look for larger pieces but even small pieces can be helpful to maintain a flame when wind and moisture would compromise regular tinder when making a campfire.

Many years ago I decided to fry some eggs on a stone and used oil on the stone surface. In this case I tried to keep in mind a simpler approach by dusting the surface with flour instead of using oil. I rolled the dough out in thin sheets beforehand and began to cook them one by one, learning stone cooking techniques with each piece.

To have too low a temperature takes a long time and the bread dries out and becomes brittle. A high temperature with shorter cook time is needed for best results. Once the dough is placed over the hot spot of the stone you can see how it creates air pockets or “bubbles” on the dough’s upper surface. You can check for small brown spots on the dough’s contact surface to see when it’s ready to flip over onto the other side. Whereas I am used to cooking over coals when using a stick or grill, active flames under the stone is what is needed to create the proper temperature on top.

The trick is to cut the shortening into the flour before adding the water, then kneed the dough for about 5 minutes and let it rest for 20 minutes while the baking powder makes them rise. This makes 8 large tortillas if you roll them out as thin as possible.

I want to thank my friend Gregory for sharing his grandmother’s recipe and I hope that you can experience this fun method of cooking some day as well!

There is a basic safety rule to not use wet rocks in or around a fire because a hot fire will cause the moisture within the rock to expand, thus causing the rock to explode. When selecting rocks be sure that they are dry and preferably non-pourous. Although I collected rocks along a creek I selected ones that were not in the water and elevated off the ground where possible.

There is an old saying “the White Man builds a large fire and needs to step away from it’s heat, whereas the Native Man builds a small fire that he can hover over to keep warm”. With this in mind I decided to build a small fireplace with small fires having the advantage of using less fuel and less materials for construction.

I began by selecting an advantageous site to construct the fireplace. I chose a spot behind a large tree on the leeward side so that the tree would help to provide shelter from inclement weather. It needed to be set out a bit from the tree so as not to harm it. I made a hearth floor of flat stones to somewhat protect the roots from the heat but also to keep the fire elevated off of the ground so if it rained the coals wouldn’t get wet from the soil.

Next, I placed flat supporting rocks on edge in a pattern similar to the outline of a baseball home plate, meaning, two stones were placed in a “V” at the rear with two parallel stones for the sides. I placed a flat stone on the top, leaving open space over the “V” area for the smoke to vent. This I hoped would create a draw for smoke when I pushed the firewood and coals toward the back. Behind that I placed a flat stone as a shield to the tree but also leaned it forward over the “V” beneath it to protect it from rain.

After my fireplace was constructed I momentarily removed the flat top rock to more easily assemble the tinder and sticks to start the fire and once the flame was established replaced it.

Years ago I wanted to fry eggs on a slab of rock but it was heated it too fast and it cracked so this time when I used one to cover the fireplace I initially made a small short term fire that would dry out any moisture that might be present. It was successful in not cracking and I was able the following day to cook some bannock on it.

It rained that night and I wondered how the fireplace would fare. Would it be wet in the morning? Nope! Although there were puddles present in the surrounding ground the ashes were dry inside!

As always, be careful on your site selection and what materials that you select to build with. An initial small fire to dry out any moisture is a good idea before you make a hotter and longer burning fire.

Many ferro rods come with a companion striker, often shaped like a hacksaw blade. You can hold a cotton swab parallel to the striker with the swab portion in front of the striking edge so as the striker travels down the ferro rod the sparks that are generated are cast upon the cotton head and a flame is immediately created. Alternatively, many folks use knife blades as a striker that have a 90 degree spine and the swab can be positioned parallel to the blade with the cotton head next to the portion that does the striking. The head of the swab should be “fluffed out” enabling it to catch the sparks more effectively. The striking process works best if the tip of the ferro rod rests on the ground or log surface, so when the striker travels down the rod, the sparks are confined to the fluffed cotton area, ensuring it’s ignition.

By virtue of the cotton swab’s stick design it can now be used like a regular match stick to light a campfire, candle, or whatever, allowing you to have the convenience of a “match” by using a ferro rod to generate the initial flame. It would of course make sense to keep the cotton swabs in a water proof container for storage so that they will be dry and readily available to catch the sparks when employed.

A friend of mine, and fellow firecrafter, was demonstrating a method of blowing that can be done from a distance while the bundle rests on the ground, thus avoiding the heat and smoke normally associated with the hand-held method. He used his fingers to direct his breath in a focused manner, enabling him to grow the ember from a distance.

As shown in the top photo the tips of both thumbs and forefingers are held together thus forming a small diamond-shaped hole where they touch. Your lips are placed over the top and bottom of the thumbs and fingers while you blow through the hole and the resulting channel of wind can be focused on the coal in the bird’s nest. Properly done there is no sound produced when blowing. Your cheeks act like a bellows to gather air while blowing through the hole. You can practice aiming your breath while blowing over dry dirt or blades of grass to see where the air stream hits.

He mentioned that by tradition the name of the “diamond” method is prefaced by the State where you learned it as long as it is outside of the State that you were born in and so this method and tradition is passed on to the next firecrafter. He also encouraged me to use this method to blow out the candles on my next birthday cake and “wow” the crowd in attendance.

There are many ways to make fire starters but I favor using cotton and wax/paraffin material combinations because raw cotton can easily catch a spark for ignition while the wax can sustain a flame. Wax (or paraffin) is not greasy like Vaseline and it acts to water-proof the cotton. Some folks make quite a production out of combining these elements using double boiler pans in the process to melt down the paraffin and they must take care to prevent spilling while dispensing. Then, there’s the clean-up at the end. I decided to take a more simple and direct approach.

My wife uses cotton facial pads in her make-up regimen that are conveniently flat with embossed puffy ribbed sections so I took a few for my project and cut a section off that was two ribs wide. I placed a metal jar lid top-down on the table and put the cut piece of cotton inside (see photo). I lit a tapered (or “dinner”) candle and held the tip horizontally over the piece of cotton and let the melted wax drip consecutively along the strips. By tilting the candle slightly downward while slowly rotating it on axis allows the wax to melt more quickly. Care must be taken to keep the flame a safe distance from the cotton pad so as not to ignite it during the melting process.

I only saturate about three quarters of the length of each strip so that the last quarter can be “fuzzed up” when needed to catch sparks from a ferro rod to ignite it. Once the dripping process is completed I extinguish the candle. The wax is warm and safe to handle so I fold the ribs of the pad together lengthwise and press it tight. This creates a “stick” as it cools that is easily stored for use. How many ribs wide to cut or not for this purpose is subjective but the more wax that is infused, the longer the flame will burn once lit. Not only does the fire starter host the flame by it’s self but as the wax melts it can saturate the materials beneath it that helps to enhance the fire starting process. The jar lid in this case is just a convenient way to catch any errant drips of wax but is not a necessity. For clean-up It can be simply discarded or kept for the next time these fire starters are made.

I have come to value fire starters as a back-up tool for building campfires. It is always wise to be prepared for adverse conditions. Due to the convenience of this production method combined with the ease of storage to carry I heartily suggest that you make some of your own so that you will be prepared for your next fire building project.

Recently I wondered if the sticks could be used to cook with or at least used to boil water in an emergency. I had kept the package in a sealable plastic bag however I believe the years of summer heat and the humid climate have effected it as evidenced by the box that seemed slightly saturated with the parafin base and when I struck the tip on the back of the package it would not light.

I decided to boil some water in my stainless steel Sierra cup and filled it with water. I placed it on a BBQ bracket to use as a trivit which allowed the fire starter to be placed underneath. I lit the Strike-A-Fire with a lighter and watched the ensuing flame as it slowly spread along it’s length. It took about 5 minutes to bring the water to a simmer… too hot to drink right away. I withdrew the cup, then the bracket, then placed a can briefly over the fire starter. It was hard to completely extinguish as small embers kept smoldering. I placed the remains in a used Altoid tin and it finally went out.

That gave me the idea that a Strike-A-Fire stick could be cut in half lengthwise to store inside a tin. When needed the tin could be opened and used as a hearth upon which the stick could be lit. So, round 2 was successful with tinder to spare.

In the end, I have to acknowledge that the Strike-A-Fire fire starters were not intended to be used the way that I tested it but it’s nice to know that they can be used that way in an emergency situation. The striking portion does not last indefinitely but the stick portion works fine once lit. It does have a sooty flame so it puts carbon on the bottom of the cooking vessel but I took it down to the nearby creek and rubbed it in the sand which cleaned it nicely.

There are other clean burning fuels available that I prefer to cook with but by trying this proof-of-concept I am happy to have learned the Strike-A-Fire’s capabilities and I put them back into my car’s emergency kit for the future.