I have seen a number of posts on social media where cordage has been made from plastic beverage bottles. By creating a jig from wood that incorporates a knife blade, a plastic bottle can be cut into a thin ribbon that spirals the circumference along the length of the bottle. I wondered if that plastic ribbon could be used as cordage for a bow.

I made a jig, made the plastic “cord”, and found it to be strong but slippery and unweildy. My plan was to make an Egyptian Style Bow with a knot around the middle of the spindle with cordage wound above and below it. This method does not depend on friction to spin the spindle but just unwraps and rewraps with each stroke of the bow.

Because the ribbon was unwieldy, I cut slots at each end of the bow that were perpendicular to the bend, tying one end into a fat knot and wrapped the other end around the handle to allow for adjustable tension.

As I stroked the bow back and forth it performed beautifully and I brought the resulting char to a smoldering ember.

As mentioned above there are many materials used for cordage but now you know of yet another resource should others be scarce or not available.

Creating the fiber roll

The simplest fiber source are 100% cotton balls that can be unrolled, stretched out, and given a generous sprinkling of ashes on top. Then it’s tightly rolled lengthwise into a cylinder that when complete looks like a cocoon. As experience is built there are other
“Fire Roll Tinder Variations” that can also work.

Prepping the fiber roll

The fiber roll is placed on the bottom board and the top board is placed over the fibre roll and is repeatedly stroked in one direction to compress the roll until it smooths out and takes the shape of a pencil. This process initiates heat in the roll.

Stroking the roll

Now the back and forth stroke action begins. It helps to lean over the board to generate greater friction for increased heat. After many passes at some point you should feel some resistance where the roll kind-of grabs. It’s not uncommon to smell smoke so after a few more rolls it’s time to stop and remove the top board and view the roll for a dark spot and perhaps smoke.

Finding the ember

You should be able to feel a hot spot and I have found it helpful to prop up the roll vertically against the boards that allows the internal heat of the roll to build upward much like you might hold a bird’s nest upward with an ember in the center to maximize the heat. A small black char spot begins to appear and a slight breath on the roll should reveal an ember that you can let build and in turn place in a tinder bundle to work into s flame.

Inspired by the Swedish Log Candle I decided to make a similar cross cut approach thinking that the char produced by the spindle combined with open saw cuts for air might be sufficient to create an ember.

I began using a Western cedar board and made a perpendicular cut across the width followed by two adjacent cuts at 45 degrees to the right and left. Each cut was halfway deep into the wood. I made a burn-in with the spindle at the center of the adjoining cuts and continued the bowing process.

This first configuration was unsuccessful so I decided that I needed to break out one of the triangular spaces between the cuts to allow for more air access while providing a place to catch some char. Evidently that wasn’t quite enough but was headed in the right direction, so I decided to cut that triangular space all the way through the side of the board thus creating a conventional notch that enabled a successful creation of a coal.

It is helpful to slant the spindle tip slightly away from the notch to counter any slippage out. I made sure to have a sufficient amount of char accumulated in the notch with smoke emerging from it before stopping the bow.

The Western cedar that I used is fast to heat but also fast to cool so when I stopped drilling I lifted the spindle only slightly upward within the hearthoard and held it close by while letting the char sit quite awhile to build heat before fanning the coal.

This project was a successful proof-of-concept that shows the possible advantage to using the cross cut method when your only prep tool is a saw that allows you to construct a working hearthboard. Give it a try and see how it works for you.

A “bearing block” is any device that is used to bear down on the top end of a spindle to facilitate the stability and pressure of the spindle as it is spun using a bow or strap. There is usually an indentation that keeps the tip of the spindle in place. The best feature of a bearing block is that it is hard and durable while at the same time being as friction free as possible.

As illustrated in the photo some rocks have a natural indentation that will stabilize the rotation of the spindle while in use. Rocks of this nature are often found by lakes, streams, and seashore. Other rocks may have angular crevasses that can be used as well. The material of the rock may vary in surface from smooth like agates to gritty like sandstone but most often has the advantage of not transferring heat to your hand.

For more information regarding bearing blocks in general check out my post “Bow And Spindle Bearing Blocks”

The action begins when the shaft is rotated by hand, causing the cordage to rap around the shaft which in turn lifts the handle with each wind of the cord. Once the handle reaches the top of the shaft both hands are used to grasp the handle to press down, causing the spindle to turn. Once the handle reaches the bottom of the stroke, the inertia of the flywheel continues to turn the shaft, thus rewinding the cordage and lifting the handle to the top. The cycle of pressing down the handle repeatedly keeps the shaft turning in alternate directions with each push until the resulting char and smoke is produced from the hearth board.

The most difficult element to construct on this device is the flywheel where wood blocks or stones have been used that usually needs some lashing or stone drilling. The purpose of this article is to offer a simple alternative for the first-time firecrafter when constructing a fire pump drill.

I saw a three hole masonry brick that gave me the idea that the center hole would allow for a balanced flywheel. Without the need for lashing, I could use wedges of wood to attach it in place on the spindle shaft. By cutting notches below the brick it would hold the bottom two wedges in place while at the top an additional two wedges tighten the brick in place (see photo).

To fasten the cordage to the handle I cut a joinery “dove tail” at each end, and for the spindle I cut a slit at the top of the shaft wherein I placed the middle strand of a “figure eight” knot while the rest of the knot encompassed the tip.

It takes a little time to adjust to the rhythm of pumping the handle but once it flows and the resulting char and smoke begins to appear, the resulting ember makes it is a delight to perform.

I decided to use a clam shell because of it’s concave shape and hard surface but I felt that it needed support because of it’s thin wall so I went down to the creek to find some clay material to surround it. After kneading the clay I applied about a half inch layer across the backside and along it’s sides so that the finished product looked like I had pressed the shell into a ball of clay.

I let it dry for a week and the results were great! I noticed that the clay had receded slightly around the outside edge of the shell but remained whole without cracks. I applied the new bearing block to the test and it worked wonderfully. After a successful coal was formed I examined the bearing block and noticed a discoloration at the pivot point which is to be expected and some small fractures, so it will be interesting to see the length of service that it will give me. I also noticed that the exposed edge chipped down slightly to the top surface of the surrounding clay leaving a flush clean edge. It was easy to handle and feel that it was a great success.

This bearing block is simple to make and would make a nice addition to your collection of firecraft tools.

Steel wool has some interesting properties and comes in different thicknesses or grades from “0” to “0000”, the later being the finest grade. Firecrafters prefer the 0000 grade and will use a 9V battery to touch the steel wool which creates intensive sparks that when combined with fine tinder will create a flame. However, once the steel wool has been lit it will have been consumed as a source of sparks and will not reignite. This is because steel wool when manufactured is coated with an oil to prevent rust and that coating is the part that combusts. So, to collect rust from steel wool it is best to burn off the oil in order to better expose the steel for chemical oxidation.

To burn off the oil coating on the steel wool you can touch it with a 9V battery or use a lighter or in my case I used a propane torch. The steel wool will turn a shade of blue due to the temperature of the burn-off as illustrated in the photo. It will also become somewhat brittle.

After the burn-off you can dip the steel wool into plain water or you can enhance the process by adding salt or chlorine bleach to the water solution then shake it out and lay it down to do it’s transformation over night. In my experimentation I also used hydrogen peroxide (H202) and sprinkled salt on top. Rust was created within hours vs. overnight. When it’s dry, you can rub the rusted areas with a finger while holding the bundle over a sheet of paper so that the iron oxide particles fall below. When finished you can lift the sides of the paper to gather the dust into the center then tilt the paper down to pour the rust into a cup or other container. This can be repeated until you collect a sufficient amount for your purpose. A magnet can be used to separate wool particles but it must be held only close enough for the larger pieces to be withdrawn.

I was able to use my rust to create fire with the fire roll firecraft method and was delighted to add to my firecraft accomplishments. And now you can too!

I’ve just been reacquainted with this fire-by-friction method recently and enjoy the simplicity and ease-of-use to create an ember/coal so I wanted to share it with others, enabling them to try it out for themselves. Folks who tried it were delighted with how quickly they could create a coal that could be placed into a tinder bundle to create fire. The more hefty the firecrafter the quicker the ember would be created when a person’s weight over the top board would cause greater friction when passed over the tinder roll.

 
In the course of the day some videographer’s from UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina arrived to capture footage for the program North Carolina Weekend (Airing Thursdays, at 9 PM, on UNC-TV) and I was able to demonstrate this fire-by-friction method as well as shared my thoughts on Turtle Island Preserve, Families Learning Together, and Eustace Conway. I was glad to give a positive report! I was featured (for a whole two seconds worth! starting at 2:19) along with a host of other folks that day. Click on the photo to see the finished video production that captured the day’s events.

It is always fun to share my knowledge and skills but just as importantly to learn from others who have come to share their knowledge and experiences. I highly recommend this annual event as a destination for you, your family, and friends next year. Perhaps I’ll see you there.

 
I decided to try the popular combination of cotton and ashes. I used two 1/2″x4″ boards, one measuring one foot long as the rolling board with the other one being two feet long as the base board. I braced the baseboard end against a deck post. A cotton ball can be unraveled into a strip that measures approximately seven inches long by one inch wide. I sprinkled hickory ashes about half way along the cotton strip and rolled it up as tight as possible.
 

 
 
When completely wound I rolled the cotton strip in one direction by hand along the baseboard to ensure it’s self adhesion to prevent it from unrolling. After several rolls by hand the tinder roll begins to widen and I took the shorter board and rolled it over the tinder roll in one direction toward the post several times to begin to heat it up

then rapidly rolled it back and forth while applying downward pressure. After about thirty strokes I removed the upper board and examined the tinder roll for a dark/hot spot and when I found it I carefully pulled it apart. As the exposed spot gets air it begins to form an ember which can be coaxed to a larger size with a steady breath.
 

The ember came so quick I had to do it again. I found that using two hands to press down while rolling the tinder back and forth to be easier and more effective. It is probably the simplest, easiest, and fastest way to make fire by friction. Similar to flint and steel, where you need to have char beforehand to make a fire, it works best to have ash on hand for the tinder roll. However, other material can be used as well. It would be easy to create this kit in an urban setting but could prove to be more difficult in a wilderness situation. I plan to continue exploring this method using different materials for the tinder roll and the rolling surfaces.