In this blog we will be dealing with wood choice, identification and selection for friction fire. Friction-fire technique will be covered in the next blog.
As the season progresses we as instructors are asked many questions by clients on our courses. Perhaps the biggest “inspiration” for blog posts are these questions, especially if they are asked continually. Due to time constraints on some of our shorter Survival courses techniques such as making hand or bow-drills from scratch are not possible, and to be honest our thoughts on friction fire are somewhat “double edged”.
Generally the attendees on our courses are on the spectrum from complete novices to reasonably experienced outdoors people, every now and then we’ll get someone that is very much skilled-up and want to progress further. For the average person booking on a single multi-day course the likelihood of mastering friction fire is slim, by mastering I mean being able to source the correct woods, making sure they’re properly seasoned, fashion them into their constituent parts and finally getting the technique down to a tee. For this reason and given the level of clientele’s basic skills, we always feel that the realistic foundations should be addressed before leaping into the intricacy’s of friction-fire. To put it simply, we’d rather see everyone leave our courses and be able to start a fire with a lighter/fire-steel, and safely/consistently maintain said fire.
Q. Is Friction-fire a realistic way to get a fire going in the wild?
A. Yes and No! As experienced outdoors folk and instructors, every member of the BCS team is capable of heading out into a woodland environment, Identifying the appropriate tree’s, choosing the appropriate standing dead wood and fashioning them into a hand/bow drill set. Now ask the same instructor to do this same exercise in the torrential rain, or in a purely soft wood forest. The answer is going to be very different, probably a No!
In our opinion, friction fire has too many variables to be 100% successful, 100% of the time, compared to a ferrous rod. As an amateur or semi-skilled person, even being put in the same environment where success is almost guaranteed, there’s an overwhelming chance that they’ll fail. Having said this, the more you practice and bring your own skill set up, the higher the chances of success in a favourable environment……more tools in your tool box!
Remember; From an Anthropological point of view, friction fire was used as a traditional living skill, whereby the friction fire sets that were used were kept in an indoor setting, or kept dry 100% of the time or dried/seasoned prior to use.
Choosing your woods
Q. What am I looking for when selecting wood for a friction fire?
A. As the old saying goes; Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! We’ve included a table below to give you an idea of what woods should be used in combination if you’re just starting off, however just as important as your combinations is the “state” of the wood. By “state” we mean how old or seasoned is it? there are two main considerations when choosing seasoned wood for your friction fire set;
- If the wood is green then you’re on a hiding to nowhere. Any piece of wood that’s green means it’s still alive, like all organisms, if the woods alive it needs moisture to survive, as we all know moisture will put a fire out. As you can see in the close up picture below, cut into the inner wood, if you see any green then it’s no good. Discard it or keep it in a dry place for next year. Note – Woods such as Hazel & Ivy will give you an ember when slightly green, although this is unusual for other woods.
The wood on the left has been cut as a hearth board for a bowdrill set. You can see the green tinge to it if you zoom in. This piece has a good 6 months worth of seasoning to go until it is ready to be used. Note; If you are unsure of the age/condition of the wood, then place it against your lips, you will be able to easily feel any moisture as supposed to your finger tips that aren’t as sensitive.
Another good signifier that your wood is not seasoned/too wet is to begin spinning the spindle against the board . If you look closely you will notice that the shards of punk wood being deposited are “sausaging”. This is to say they are long thin strips of wood coming off either the spindle and/or board. This is the classic sign that either the spindle or board are not seasoned, and to try and get an ember from this set will not be impossible but will take a ridiculous amount of work.
- If the wood is starting to rot or turn into “punk wood” then it’s no good, you need good solid seasoned wood which turns into a fine dust for friction fire to work. When you cut into the wood if it’s got streaks of dark grey/blue then it’s starting to rot. Similarly if the wood is crumbly or fibrous its past its best.
Of course you can select and cut the wood you need green, then keep it in your house or shed ready for future use. To give you a rough idea it takes 1 – 1.5 years to season wood for friction fire (7% moisture content), however in a “survival” scenario you won’t have this luxury, so identifying “standing dead wood” still on the tree is a great skill. A top tip for this during the spring/summer is to look for the branches that don’t have any leaves on them, as they will be dead.
The opposite piece of wood is in optimum condition for friction fire. The wood is a pale, smooth and “creamy” texture to it. When placed against the lips you can feel it is bone dry, and as discussed above has no grey fletchings signifying it is not “past it’s best.
When a spinndle is spun against the board the dust is coming off in a fine brown/black dust. This is a signifier that both spinndle and board are in ideal condition.
Below is a table of combinations for the Bow Drill friction fire, the Bow drill is used as it’s the most likely technique used by beginners. Please be aware that this is our personal findings, and various species of woods, environment and individual user will all have a bearing on a successful outcome. The following gradings have been given for success rates;
Excellent – >90% first time success with very little effort/technique.
Average – <100% Success with moderate output. Good technique used
Poor – <60% Success. High physical output needed. Good technique used
Note- The above percentages have been given for “standing dead” wood.
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Q Should you use a hard wood spindle on a soft wood board?
A. This question is always hotly debated! Mears/Kochanski have always written and taught the hard on soft rule, and if you look at the combos above the mix’s with the ‘Excellent’ rating against them are all Deciduous woods with a harder spindle on a softer wood board……with the exception of Hazel on Douglas Fir. Having said that, at the time of writing this blog, my favourite combo is Ivy on Ivy. To put it in a nut shell, if you’re just starting out, try and keep to the hard on soft rule, as you’re likely to have better luck. Just try and remember that all broad leave tree’s are hard woods and all coniferous woods are Soft woods, having said this some hard woods are softer than other hard woods……It’s up to you to get to know the different qualities of woods.
The family Salix contains some 4-500 species within it; Weeping, pussy, green, crack, grey etc. The Latin “Salix” is where we get the word “salicylic” acid from. Before you go rushing out into your garden/wilderness please be aware that sound identification of the species is essential…..Willows can be notoriously hard to identify as they appear in many shapes and forms and are prone to hybridism, and you don’t want to identify the wrong tree and end up poisoning yourself.
What safety equipment do you guys carry with you when you’re out in the nature? Whistle, orange survival bag, foil blanket, head torch, first aid…….check! How many of you carry a group shelter or “bothy bag”? Running courses in the Highlands of Scotland, we would put a conservative number of our clients turning up with one at 50%.
This goes to show you that it can be 10 degrees, but with a 30mph wind, it’ll feel like -1!
it “in anger”, the Wind Sack 3 comes in UN blue. The two colours that are unnatural and are picked up easiest by the human eye are Orange and UN blue, so when buying a group shelter bear this in mind.
So with the winter passed but the weather still being fairly unpredictable I have been using a hybrid jacket that covers a multitude of arenas and when combined with other layers it is a diamond item. I am talking about the Abisko Hybrid Jacket…. Light, simple design, small pack down size and great against cold winds. It is constructed from G-1000 Lite with fast drying MT on the shoulders and hood. Ventilation is through a rear yolk along with a fixed hood.
I have been using a Fjallraven 3m x 3m Tarp now for just over a year and I must say that I am very impressed. Having used tarps or shelter sheets/Basha’s for 3 decades now this has to be up there as one of the best i have used. I have used it in all 4 seasons with comfort combined with a gore-tex bivi bag and sleeping mat.
Be it necessity or leisure, the snow hole is in many cases the most effective form of shelter within a winter mountain environment. Yet unlike woodland shelter, there has to be a lot more judgment and understanding of the building medium and topographical features to avoid an unpleasant or in some cases be a potentially fatal experience. The snow hole has been an essential means of survival for many over the years – from indigenous communities; the famous Heroes of Telemark; to present-day mountaineers.
Think you won’t get avalanched in Britain? Think again! Being avalanched whilst digging, or worse being buried whilst inside a snow hole is a real possibility. It should be noted that an avalanche can occur on a slope with an angle as little as 20°! The Scottish Avalanche Information Service or SAIS is the one-stop-shop for mountain snow conditions and should be adhered to prior to heading out.
Temperature will dictate which style of snow hole is more relevant. In Scandinavia and the Arctic regions, a ‘Kaloo’ or traditional Norwegian set up is the preferred choice. The idea is to dig a corridor straight into the snow pack and leave raised sleeping platforms either side. This has two distinct advantages: The first being that it keeps you closer to the top of the cave, where the warm air from body and stove rises. The second is, as the cold air drops to the floor, it is allowed to escape through the doorway, which is in line with or often lower than the sleeping platforms – in effect acting as a cold sink. The roof has to be perfectly smooth and rounded to support the weight of the snow being exerted from above and the sides. In warmer climates, however, the Kaloo is prone to collapse.
Believe it or not more people succumb to Carbon Monoxide poisoning than by the collapse of their snow hole. Carbon Monoxide is produced from using a gas or petrol stove in an enclosed space and is formed when there is not enough Oxygen to produce Carbon Dioxide. Two essentials are needed to counter this. The first is a small hole punched through the roof with a ski or walking pole to allow the Carbon Monoxide to escape (CO is slightly lighter than air). The pole is left in place to clear any spindrift that may accumulate during the night. The second is a candle, (apart from the obvious extinguishment of the flame telling you that there’s not enough oxygen for the flame to burn) which should be slightly flickering to confirm there is a small amount of air circulation throughout the sleeping space.
As we all know the mountainous regions of the world are amongst the harshest and unforgiving environments on the planet. The old adage of “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment” holds true! Apart from having the usual ice-axe, crampons, water proofs, map, compass, weather reports and spare clothing, you should be equipped with an avalanche probe, snow shovel, bone saw, a good 4-season sleeping bag and bivvie bag, a reliable stove and most important of all…. good quality training.
There is no margin for error when selecting a sleeping system when Snow holing or in an arctic environment. The majority of heat will be sucked out through the ground, the first law of Thermodynamics states- “heat dissipates from warmth towards cold”. This is to say that any warmth that you create is always trying to escape towards a cold source. The largest surface area for this warmth to escape is whilst you are lying down on an extremely cold surface. Modern day advancements have come up with the thermorest where by you fill an inflatable mattress with a poor heat conductor – air. A roll map that traps air within its body is also valuable. When in an emergency situation vegetation such as Polytrichium (star moss) bracken/ferns and spruce and Fir can be used. A highly effective technique is to cut a large amount of Spruce to the length of your fingers to your elbow, sharpen the stem and insert into the ground in an upright position. Continue this in rows and columns until you have a space large enough to lie down on. As you lie on the upright spruce they are bent down and come to rest on their neighbour thus creating a mattress with air trapped underneath leaving you off the ground.
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