ferro rods and natural tinders

[rwc1969]

This thread should be a sticky, if it ain't already. But, I'm gonna reneg on a couple natural tinders I posted about here.

Now, it could be the time of year or maybe these items have a shelf life or something.

But, hornet nest that I saved from last winter would not take a spark from my ferro rod, it would last winter though.

Cattail fluff wouldn't take a spark, but it was slightly damp.

Cedar bark did take a spark and actually flamed up momentarily, but I wasn't able to keep it lit. Better prepared I think it would have worked well.

Dried oak leaves, a no go. They were real dry too.

Chaga aka true tinder fungus worked repeatedly and it was two years old and was stored in a non airtight container right along with the hornet nest.

Cherry sap, nothing. I even held a charcoal extendo-lighter to it today and all it would do is get red and snap and pop. But, it wouldn't hold an ember. When I gathered it this spring it would burn just like pine sap when lit.

That's it, my rant is over.

Oh wait! one more, birch bark! not as tinder or from a spark, but, I've lit this stuff on fire when it was soaking wet, just wiped off the excess water with my pantleg or shirt, but the other day it was very hard to get lit and it was only a little damp.

[Rick]

Good trials and good info!! I like cedar bark fuzzed up and I like birch bark, too. I prefer cedar bark from a standing dead tree. I don't know what why the difference but it seems to work better for me. Both cedar and birch work pretty well. The tinder fungus is always a good one. Everyone should be able to find one or more of those three when in the woods and gather them as they walk along.

Thanks, RWC! Good stuff.

[your_comforting_company]

Good to know the storage times on some of this stuff. Thanks RWC! I'll have to run some tests on my stored items to see if they are still viable. Bow season opens up on 9/11 so I'll be spending a LOT more time in the woods, hopefully finding new sources for resources.
Excellent review and great reminder to check our little stockpiles!

[rwc1969]

The storage part was more of a question than anything. I can't see why dry tinders would hAVE a shelf life unless they get damp, but???

The dead cedar definitely works better even though they both appear the same. Some of my cedar was gathered from a live tree, but was flaking off.

The thing that surprised me most was the hornet nest. I thought that would be a sure thing, but it wasn't.

[Rick]

The hornet's nest is chewed up plant material mixed with their saliva. There's no telling what they used. I don't know if the plants used vary by insect or not.

[your_comforting_company]

Dog fennel leaves when dry work. It might take a few strikes to get them to catch, but they work. I have a few dead in the yard, and the rest will be dying back soon.

pretty soon we'll have a list of materials available for each season!