Making your own tinder

[vthompson]

I always carry my firesteel on me and I also carry another item on me to make my own tinder to make a fire with, and that item is a pencil sharpener.
You can always find small sticks to sharpen out in the woods and it is the perfect thickness to catch a spark and start burning. I usually make a pile that will fit in the palm of my hand, and then have a supply of sticks nearby also. Usually, I have a nice fire going in about 5 minutes.
Next time that you are at Walmart or wherever you shop, pick up a few of them and start carrying them in your pocket. One day you may be glad that you did.

[Ken]

This kind?

[talon]

This kind?


Whatever you find practical and easy to carry around with you.. I would probably opt for a hand held non power sharpener.. but assuming you have big pockets to put that in, and carry a power source.. that would work great.

[crashdive123]

A few folks use a pencil sharpener for tinder. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=5587&highlight=pencil+sharpener

[Stairman]

Hey V you also posted in the past about it. You must be getting older like me, its all part of it. I too have to watch that I dont start a thread twice since I hang out on the 2 best survival sites in the world. Here and survivaltopics , where I see you at as well.

[vthompson]

Sorry Stairman, they say that your memory is one of the first things to go.

[crashdive123]

Sorry Stairman, they say that your memory is one of the first things to go.

They lied. It's the second thing to go......now if I could only remember what the first thing was.....

[Ken]

They lied. It's the second thing to go......now if I could only remember what the first thing was.....

Don't look down. Promise me you won't look down. :innocent:

[Gray Wolf]

Ken, What he use to do all day long, now takes him all day to do. :innocent:

[crashdive123]

You guys been peeking?

[SARKY]

I carry a couple of OB brand tampoons in my kit for tinder. I get the large size and when I need to start a fire, I cut a third off fluff it out, hit it with a spark and voila' you have fire.

[rat31465]

Does anyone here carry char cloth with them anymore? I make it out of cotton cloth cut into 2" dia circles. Poke a small hole in an old shoe polish tin and place several pieces inside before closing it up and placing it in hot wood coals. Let it set for 5-6 minutes and pull out and allow the tin to cool.

Also Sarky...instead of carrying tampons for fire starting I have a buddy who keeps a couple of maxi pads in his kit. He will shred them for tinder or use them as a wound compress if the need ever arose.

[crashdive123]

Does anyone here carry char cloth with them anymore? I make it out of cotton cloth cut into 2" dia circles. Poke a small hole in an old shoe polish tin and place several pieces inside before closing it up and placing it in hot wood coals. Let it set for 5-6 minutes and pull out and allow the tin to cool.


Yep, one of the things in my fire kits. Here's some I made a while back. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4163&highlight=char+cloth

[Stairman]

Were lucky here in Florida with palm fiber all about. This time of year lots of cattail fluff and Bull Thisltle .

[Rick]

I have char cloth in my pocket all the time. I use a soup can and a vegetable can to make mine. One inside the other. I have a metal pill vial I carry on a pocket survival kit and it's filled with char cloth. I have it in my fire kit in my pack as well.

[oly]

Nice post V

[gryffynklm]

Thanks V,
I never would have thought of that. I like the other uses as well mentioned in the other post.

[Pict]

I carry a small round tin about the size of a dollar coin filled with charcloth. The tin has a small hole poked in the lid for making more as the need arises. Mac