Fatwood opinions ?

**Pocomoonskyeyes3** · 12-17-2010, 09:03 PM

OK A couple of things.... The Longleaf pine found in the Southeast is also sometimes protected by law. You see the Red Cockaded Woodpecker is a threatened/endangered species and they will only make their homes in Longleaf pines of a certain size. Also these nesting sites have a ring of trees that are also protected.... sorry I don't recall the exact site size.

Another use for Lighter knots, is the use in a "War Club". In the area I grew up in, there was a Pioneer that was reported to have killed a Black Bear with a "Lightered knot" (Local slang for fatwood) Obediah Barber was nicknamed "King of the Okefenok" (Okefenokee Swamp). As bear have REALLY Dense bone, oak or hickory would have not worked in this respect. They would have most likely broken. Anyone that has ever busted Lighter wood will tell you just how tough it is. I've broken axe handles trying to get the axe out of fat lighter. It took a while to get the axe head out of the stump, with a hammer.
http://www.okefenokeeswamp.com/history.htm
http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/places/okefenokee.html
http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/ogh/Henry_Obediah_Barber
http://www.okefenokeeswamp.com/

In the last site I posted you can see pictures of his cabin. According to the legend, Obediah was going out to feed his hogs one day about dark. He heard a commotion coming from the hog pen and seeing a bear in the pen, grabbed a piece of lightered knot and went hand to hand with the bear, eventually killing the bear with nothing more than the piece of Fat lighter he had picked up. True or not? I don't know. But it is some of the toughest wood you can put in your hands. I can tell you this if I had to choose something to make a war club from that would be my first choice, if it was available. The toughness of it, and weight/ solidity is almost impossible to beat using natural materials alone. Even rock would shatter under the kind of force a lighter knot will take.

**fatwoodfirestarters** · 12-17-2010, 09:08 PM

LOL I have not even said our name,posted our site or even made a sig. with our stuff all over it I think you should calm down get a grip. If I wanted to advertise here I would have all ready made that sig. with our information and web page links to our on line store.

**hunter63** · 12-17-2010, 09:15 PM

Fat-wood is a component to ease the starting of a fire.
I don't know if it could be considered "The good S*** man, it's like long leaf, Man....."
Sorry:
It's not really magic, and not something I would PAY for, rolled up newspaper dipped in wax work just as well, as do the egg cartons filled with sawdust and dippind in wax.

Heading south in a week or so maybe bring a trailer load home........

**crashdive123** · 12-17-2010, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by fatwoodfirestarters

We are a major dealer in fatwood and it is one of the best starters around.

Your first post told us you are selling.

Originally Posted by fatwoodfirestarters

I may go over when I have time and do that. I figure if anyone is interested in our fatwood they can just PM me. We do have some of the best fatwood around and the best prices.

Anyone know of some of the better kind of trees to get fatwood from in the US other than long leaf? That is great some of you have the time and know enough about it to go get your own fatwood.

This post told us we can pm you to buy.

Originally Posted by fatwoodfirestarters

LOL I have not even said our name,posted our site or even made a sig. with our stuff all over it I think you should calm down get a grip. If I wanted to advertise here I would have all ready made that sig. with our information and web page links to our on line store.

This post got you banned. How's that for calm?

**Rick** · 12-17-2010, 09:52 PM

It's not nice to fool with Mods. In hind site, the PM me statement should have drawn a warning for solicitation. Guess I'm getting old. Sharpened up the old ban button tonight, eh?

**klkak** · 12-17-2010, 10:07 PM

Out Crash, Out!

Come!

Settle!

Good boy!

Here's a Crashbiscuit. Now go lay down the forum is safe.

**kyratshooter** · 12-17-2010, 10:44 PM

Way to go Crash!

They should make a movie, "Gone in Five Posts"!

People are so used to telling folks to "calm down, get a grip, I'll do exactly what I want to do!" I'll bet their head spins when they get banned that fast!

**rwc1969** · 12-18-2010, 02:10 AM

That's an intersting story poco, something I had not considered. Thinking back, the wood is very heavy and dense compared to even oak, hickory or ash. You could really clock someone or something upside the head with it if need be and those pine knots are already pre-shaped for the job, kinda like a shilalee, shylayle, ah, the thing the leprauchan carries. LOL!

**Pocomoonskyeyes3** · 12-18-2010, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by rwc1969

That's an intersting story poco, something I had not considered. Thinking back, the wood is very heavy and dense compared to even oak, hickory or ash. You could really clock someone or something upside the head with it if need be and those pine knots are already pre-shaped for the job, kinda like a shilalee, shylayle, ah, the thing the leprauchan carries. LOL!

Shillelagh?? I Love spell check... I was close but not enough L's LOL. Yes it is a super tough wood for that use. In the last link I provided if you click on history button, it shows a pic of a man holding a "Club" and a stuffed bear as part of their exhibits....funny thing is, is that the "Club" is a cypress knee...

In the Southeastern US, (Most notably S.Ga) there used to be the "Naval Industry"(Nothing to do with ships or boats). People used to intentionally scar pines to collect the sap. This sap was then processed to make Turpentine, rosin and such as this. The scars were called "Cat faces" and at the bottom of the Cat face they would nail a collection cup. IF you can find one of these stumps still standing it is some of the best fat lighter you can find. Even better than naturally occurring fatwood as the sap is even more concentrated on these than normal.
The reason I know about it is that my Mother (Yes mother) used to work "Dipping Turpentine" during the Depression era(as a teenager), and again during WWII(While her first husband was off to war). And yes, Longleaf pines were the "Preferred trees" for this industry. Probably why so much fatwood is attributed to this tree. That and the woodpecker I mentioned earlier. Their nests are made in Live Longleaf pines. They like the sap oozing down as it helps keep predators like snakes away. This industry was scattered throughout the southeastern states. Just speculation on my part, but this may be another reason that Fatwood is so strongly associated with this region. Nowadays they use other methods to make turpentine, rosin, etc.

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/n....jsp?id=h-3549

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstrac...DD405B8585F0D3

http://www.cardcow.com/258213/scrapi...n-gum-georgia/
In this last link you can see what a "Cat face" actually is. Although it is an ad for a Collectible post card it has a very good picture of men collecting or "Dipping" the sap. You may also Note the Mule, wagon and the barrel in the wagon. The Barrels I have seen that were used in this industry were almost always of that particular shape and were of metal. (Presumably to melt the last bit of sap out of the barrels)

EDIT: Something that occurred to me is that sometimes as you are walking in pine woods you will come across these stumps where they have logged out an area. I am assuming that they cut above the "Cat faces" due to the sap gumming up the Chainsaw blades and the dulling effect they would have on those chainsaws. These stumps are one of the best sources for fat lighter you can find, as almost the entire stump is fat lighter.

**JPGreco** · 12-18-2010, 06:28 PM

This stuff sounds like fun. Are you guys sure that pretty much any pine will make some sort of flammable fatwood? I imagine if this is the case, its a matter of just how flammable the sap is in each species of pine. I'm gonna have to start kicking downed pines.

Also, I guess this thread answered the self defense in the woods question. Fatwood club > bears

**Pocomoonskyeyes3** · 12-18-2010, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by JPGreco

This stuff sounds like fun. Are you guys sure that pretty much any pine will make some sort of flammable fatwood? I imagine if this is the case, its a matter of just how flammable the sap is in each species of pine. I'm gonna have to start kicking downed pines.

Also, I guess this thread answered the self defense in the woods question. Fatwood club > bears

I know that with all pines I have encountered the pitch is flammable. But I have not seen every type there is....

OK before people go off thinking they can take on a bear With a lighter knot. Obediah Barber also had another nickname "Paul Bunyan of the Southeast" He stood 6' 6" in a time when the average height was only about 5'4" - 5' 6". Due to the rigorous hard work of the time period he lived in (1825-1909), I would think he would be in MUCH better shape than most of us. This alone (killing the bear) made him a regional legend. Even then, MOST people couldn't have done that. He was known as the "King of the Okefenok" (Local pronunciation of Okeefenokee) Not many local people could outdo old Obediah either. Another story (unknown if true or not) had him beating a professional Boxer from NYC. It was said that he liked to fight and no one ever beat him. He outlived 2 of his 3 wives too. At 73 he married a 26 year old, Who ended up leaving him 3-4 years after he had a stroke. Anyways he was an exceptional character.

**RCKCRWLER** · 04-12-2011, 04:16 PM

Woohoo! I love fatwood. I never knew about it until this thread. My neighbor gave me a box and I was all about buying some more. Well last weekend I was chopping some wood and to my surprise I split a piece of pine and....WOW! That's fatwood!

Anyways I was like a fat kid in a candy store. Here are some pix just because...IMG_20110402_133645.jpg IMG_20110402_133702.jpg IMG_20110331_173629.jpg IMG_20110328_184836.jpg IMG_20110331_193501.jpg

**Aurelius95** · 04-13-2011, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by RCKCRWLER

Woohoo! I love fatwood. I never knew about it until this thread. My neighbor gave me a box and I was all about buying some more. Well last weekend I was chopping some wood and to my surprise I split a piece of pine and....WOW! That's fatwood!

Anyways I was like a fat kid in a candy store. Here are some pix just because...IMG_20110402_133645.jpg IMG_20110402_133702.jpg IMG_20110331_173629.jpg IMG_20110328_184836.jpg IMG_20110331_193501.jpg

Very cool. My address is 155 Forest Drive, oh wait, nevermind!

**Highhawk1948** · 04-15-2011, 09:16 PM

Here in Florida we call it by several names, "fat light'r" , "light'r" among the most common. It is all over the pines woods down here and we take a sharp hatchet and slice small 1/2"-1" by 6" - 10" piece. Don't use it in my fire place but do use it when having outside fires. Also take a small supply when we go to the woods for an extended trip. Working in the woods we will find it and ask the landowner if we can take pieces or the whole log. We always share if he needs some. on some State lands we can pick up downed logs. We will take a chain saw and cut it into 10" lenths,or just load it up in big pieces and shave it up at a later date. Just take a match or lighter and you can use it to start your fire. It burns very hot and will catch fairly large logs on fire. We always keep a bunch of it on our wood piles. Great stuff. I have seen it for sale by L.L.Bean. Pretty expensive. Some will sell it down here at flea markets in small bundles for 5 - 10 dollars.