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.

I occasionally walk creeks with the purpose of searching for artifacts and relics. The geology in my area includes a lot of sedimentary stone that flakes apart and with the fire-roll method I began to collect flat rocks that might be suitable for use.

Most of the rocks that I found had some imperfections like bumps, split levels, or curved surfaces but I was finally able to find some that were quite flat. I began to examine the compatibility of the stone surfaces and found a pair that seemed to fit well together. I used the larger stone for the bottom and the smaller stone to be hand held.

I began to process the stones to better match surfaces by rubbing the top stone over the bottom stone much like a sanding block over wood. That action created some dust that I blew off and then prepared a tinder toll to test. The first try did not succeed because the two surfaces where still a little rough and I had to discover the best zones on the rocks to work on. after preparing a second tinder roll I had success!

In a previous post a comment was made that the person had seen a video of someone making fire using rocks and wondered if it was a hoax. I’m here to say that rubbing two rocks together can make fire-by-friction and it was a delight to achieve!

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.

(L-R) Cotton, Jute, Sisal, Dogbane, Coconut Husk

I used ashes as my base powder for testing fibers and was successful using cotton, jute, sisal, dogbane, and coconut husk. These were all natural fibers. Some of the fibers were obtained by unraveling cordage. What didn’t work was artificial fibers from dryer lint and cigarette butts.

(Clockwise from upper left) Wood Ash, Baking Soda, Comet Cleanser, Char Cloth (Carbon), Oxi-Clean Detergent

In the process of testing these materials I began to perfect my technique of preparing the roll, rolling it, and the signs of successful ignition. Here are some observations and suggestions.

When I roll up the thick fibers I end up with a roll that resembles a cocoon or fat AA battery. I begin by rolling it in one direction by hand so that it successfully adheres to it’s self. I continue to roll it in one direction using the upper board to compact it further while warming it up internally. Once it is reduced in diameter similar to a cigarette or pencil I use both hands to roll it back and forth.

I begin at a moderate pace then add speed and pressure over 20-30 strokes. Sometimes at a certain point you can feel a certain “grip” of friction that signals it’s ready to uncover and look for a dark spot or a wisp of smoke. You can feel the roll with your fingers for a hot spot and after a few successes you will know the temperature of a success. If the roll is not hot enough just replace it and roll vigorously again. In the humid atmosphere here sometimes it’s best if you see a wisp of smoke to just let it smolder a bit to allow it to build heat because if you blow on it too soon sometimes it cools it off enough to snuff it out. Once the ember appears you can use it in the conventional manner to add to a “birds nest” or tinder bundle to work into a flame. You can use the left-over fibers used for creating the roll for this purpose.

The fire roll method is my new best fire-by-friction friend and I’m sure that more tinder tests will be performed in the future.

 
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.