ferro rods and natural tinders

[your_comforting_company]

I have no idea what kind of palm or where he got the piece from. He probably doesn't know what kind either, but I'll ask him anyway next time I see him. I'm gonna get out there and try to find that piece in a little while and give it a go.. got some diggin' to do!

My co-worker has a date-palm (the kind with the little orange fruits) in his yard.. It looked like the same bark and I'll get him to bring a piece of that over to try too.

[your_comforting_company]

For some odd reason, I had stuck that thing in the bottom drawer of my toolbox..
I shaved and crumbled the palm bark and tried for a few minutes to get it to catch a spark and failed miserably.. It's very dry and crumbly and shaved down easily with my old hickory, almost to dust reminiscent of the fire-bow but I couldn't get it to catch. Maybe one of you guys can try some too and have more success.

[Batch]

The two palms to the right of my tent are sabal palms also called cabbage palms. This is the tree we get swamp cabbage from.

It is Florida and North Carolina's state tree.

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Close up of the boot jacks which might make a fire board.

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You can see the tinder in there:

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This is one pull of tinder.

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[your_comforting_company]

That looks like some good stuff to work with. The stuff I have here looks nothing like that. perhaps it's a different kind of palm?
Have you tried the ferro rod on that stuff with any success? It also looks like it'd be a really good tindle for friction fire.

[Batch]

This is my tinder of choice and I can find dry tinder and kindling (I have to split the boot jacks or burn the palm leaves). This tree is fire if you have a spark in any weather. Guaranteed!

I just think I didn't fluff my tinder enough. There are many palm species down here that have the palm fluff. This makes awesome and easy to make cordage as well.

[Batch]

I scrape a pile much like I do with a magnesium block, add a few shavings to the "powder" scrapings so there is something to burn for a bit.

I followed Cash's instructions and had no problem getting fire!

[Batch]

I followed Cash's instructions and had no problem getting fire!

I should have said I was talking about the lighter pine.

[your_comforting_company]

My 11 year old made his first fire last night with a ferro rod. He gathered a handfull of false dandelion seedheads. The pappus hairs ignite and burn hot enough to catch a handfull of dry grass on fire. add a few fatlighterd matches and a few twigs, then some dry limbs. In 5 minutes he had built a nice hot fire. It burned till it started raining last night.
A proud moment for YCC Jr.

[crashdive123]

My 11 year old made his first fire last night with a ferro rod. He gathered a handfull of false dandelion seedheads. The pappus hairs ignite and burn hot enough to catch a handfull of dry grass on fire. add a few fatlighterd matches and a few twigs, then some dry limbs. In 5 minutes he had built a nice hot fire. It burned till it started raining last night.
A proud moment for YCC Jr.

Woo Hoo! Tell him congratulations from all of us.

[justin_baker]

Just curious guys, how many here have started a fire with wood shavings and ferro rod, like what you do with fatwood shavings but with regular, unresined wood? The only people i have seen do it are iamwoodsman and bushcraftbartons. Its a really good skill to have. Very tricky and hard to do, but it could save your life when your out of stashed tinder and all of the tinder in the forest is wet.
Heres a good video example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I_WSt4tJu0

[Rick]

I've used shaved cedar bark if that counts as wood. You can fuzz it almost like cotton.

[hunter63]

Well, boys I want to add another item to the tried and had only limited sucess.

Dried rabbit pellets.....looked like balls of sawdust, so though I would give it a try.

Crumbled them down into dust, but they were kinda damp.
Did catch a spark w/ferro rod, but couldn't get it to stay going for long......maybe dry them out more?

[Rick]

Oh, well, ooooooooh.

Hey, Mrs. Hunter!!!!! Hunter is playin' with poop again!!!!!!

[hunter63]

Oh, well, ooooooooh.

Hey, Mrs. Hunter!!!!! Hunter is playin' with poop again!!!!!!

LOL, these were past the smeary stage, now the deer poop, on the other hand, need to dry ALOT before smooshing them down.

Besides some one had to try it, right think about the poor souls that tried Preparation- A thru E, before H?

[crashdive123]

Passerby: Hey Hunter63 - what are you doing?

Hunter63: I'm trying to light some deer poop.

Passerby: Well it looks like you've got is smoking a bit.

Hunter63: Yep. I've heard it's some good s**t.

[your_comforting_company]

I tried cow chips a while back with no luck too. hey if it looks flammable, I'll try it!

[Batch]

Just curious guys, how many here have started a fire with wood shavings and ferro rod, like what you do with fatwood shavings but with regular, unresined wood? The only people i have seen do it are iamwoodsman and bushcraftbartons. Its a really good skill to have. Very tricky and hard to do, but it could save your life when your out of stashed tinder and all of the tinder in the forest is wet.
Heres a good video example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I_WSt4tJu0

After, the lighter knot worked. I took and powdered hickory wattle and lit a powdered version of that with shavings.

Seems most any wood will burn if it is made small enough.

[your_comforting_company]

Birch paper
Cattail / dandelion / thistle fluff
Cedar Bark
Char-cloth
Charcoal
Cottonwood fluff
Dogbane fibers / various fibrous plants
Dry Grass
Elm inner bark
Eucalyptus tree bark
Fatlighterd shavings
Hornet nest
Mullien leaves
Milkweed seedpods
Old Man's Beard moss
Pine cone crushed up
Pine female fronds
Punky (rotten) Pecan wood
Pocket lint
Rabbit pellets/ various grazing animals' poop
Sabal / Cabbage palm fibers
Sycamore fluff balls
True / False Tinder fungus
Various wood shavings / powders (non-resinous)
Willow seed fluff (beard)

Just wanted to make sure we have the list further into the thread. Should we label each one for ease of use? I didn't worry with credits. Sorry if anyone is offended.
Lets try to keep the list updated and at least on each page of posts (mine shows 20 posts per page) If that's do-able. If your post is #81 (it would be at the top of a new page) please copy the list and paste it.
This is a very good list we are compiling here and I'm commiting as much as possible to memory.

THANKS EVERYONE!!

[your_comforting_company]

Black willow trees are going to seed and have long fluffy beards.
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It catches a spark as well as any dandelion or thistle fluff I've used.

[hunter63]

I tried cow chips a while back with no luck too. hey if it looks flammable, I'll try it!

I would guess that in a lot of places burning dung as a fuel source is a major deal, but I have to agree, "It don't take a spark well", need to be really dry.

But thanks for bringing it up.......I guess I'm not the only one that "Plays with poop"........