Friction Fire

[RyanR]

I am looking for some fire making information from the experts. One of my goals this summer was to make a fire with a bow drill and well.....I haven't tried yet this year.  Last year I tried a few times with no success. Lots of smoke No fire. My string would slip  a lot and come off.  Is there a certain kind of wood to use for the spindle and base plate that works better. Also what type of string works best and how tight should it be on the bow? I am not necessarily trying to be 100% primitive here I just want to make a friction fire.  Any info would be appreciated.

[JW_Halverson]

Happens all the time when the mortgage papers rub up against insurance papers.

I've had luck with an ash spindle over a cedar plank.

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

Here ya go, check out my couple fire videos.  feel free to ask any questions you have after watching the videos. I have made friction fire a big part of my life. As long as I take care of my kits, I am plenty confident I can get a coal every time, except in the pouring rain, which really you just gotta plan ahead and get the fire made and established before the rains come.  but anyways, here are my videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJy2zXYrvys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecHEh407UVA

[Mallorn]

Here's my two cents, I'm no expert but have made a fire with a bow in drill probably 50 times over teh years.

For materials, I highly recommend dried yucca stalks.  Try to find some larger-based pieces for fire boards, and straight spindle pieces in the six inch ballpark.  I have tried but never been able to start a fire with willow and cedar.  I recently read on here western red cedar is great, found some at a lumber yard and bought some I want to try out sometime.  It has the right "feel" like yucca, lightweight,  feels pithy but crumbles instead of compresses (like willow did for me).  At my work we have some grandpa yucca plant that had a seven foot stalk on it...I couldn't resist, I snuck in a knife and collected that one mid-winter. 

The tighter to bow string the better it grabs without slipping.  I usually have it tight enough that it is difficult to get the spindle in the bow and difficult to keep it from springing out, but once you get in your groove it stays in place relatively easy and the extra tension helps with slipping.  Hopefully more tension will help your slipping problems.  I have made my spingles non-round, think the texture of a rough-whittled stick or an octagon, the thought being the texture on the spindle may help it grab and not slip.  I wouldn't swear by it; smooth works.

The fact that you have lots of smokes means you are on to something and really close.  It is a fine art to make a notch in your base board that will let out enough dust to make an ember.  Are you not getting much dust out?  Probably need a larger hole, or need to keep going.  I can't imagine the ember going out if you add a few more seconds of hot dust, if you have the strength left.  Lots of brown/black dust but no ember?  Probably need a smaller nock, or one that doesn't go as deep towards the center of your drill hole.  Mine usually goes in halfway or slightly more from the outside of the drilled hold towards the center point/bottom of the hole, or roughly 1/3 of the way through the hole. 

Don't give up, you'll find your nack.  One morning while camping with a dear friend and experienced bow and drill user we decided to make our breakfast fire with the bow and drill.  I don't know how many times we tried and failed, it was at least 10 tries, but eventually gave up and used a match.  A similar kit used later was reliable enough I used it for demonstrations with great success. 

[Outbackbob48]

Ryan, my first friction fire was Yucca and paw-paw hearth board , try an use easy materials at first, Yucca is one of the easiest at least for me. I also used 1/4" nylon rope and here is a little trick you can try for your tension, Start out with a tight rope an usually they will slip just before youget a coal, as soon as mine slips I choke up with your rope hand thus squeezing rope tighter.  If your getting smoke and brown dust try to increase down pressure towards the end, don't quit when you get smoke just keep going till your used up . I don't pull my spindle out right away, leave it a few seconds then lift slowly, tap coal out of notch carefully. Keep trying sounds as if your almost there Bob

[RyanR]

I am gonna give it a try this weekend. I don't think we have yucca up here in Michigan but I should be able to find something that works.

[stickbender]

     As for the slipping sting, you can remedy that problem, by making an Egyptian bow and drill set.  All it is, is a longer string, that is tied tied tightly around the spindle, and then the string is wound around the spindle.  You use it the normal way, but you just keep going in one direction, till you run out of string, and then go the opposite, and so forth.  The string is permanently tied, so no slippage, and it rewinds itself, and you can lengthen or shorten the amount of travel of the bow.  You can make a large bow, or a small bow to suit your needs, and for packing.  Mullein stalks are good for spindles also.  There are a number of material combos that work well.  Watch twisted limbs video, and there are more on you tube.  It is just a matter of doing it, and observing what the problems are, and figuring out what will solve them, such as  harder hearth board, softer spindle,too much pressure on the spindle, not enough, etc.  There is a lot of info on it, here in P.A., and on the internet.  I never made a fire with one, but did get a nice coal, just to see if I could.  NOT THE FIRST TIME, though.   Haven't tried it since.   You can Google Egyptian bow drill.  Good Luck, and let us know when you make fire.  You need to have everything at the ready, for when you get a nice coal, tinder, and kindling, etc.

                                                                             Wayne