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Date: Wed, 08 Jan 1997 12:29:48 +0000
From: Dr AF Bourbeau
Subject: Bird down as tinder

Tim Rast wrote:

"The Beothuk lit fires by striking two pieces of iron pyrite together to produce sparks that would ignite bird down or other inflammable matter. Five Beothuk burials contained iron pyrites among the grave goods; fragments of pyrites were also recovered from several house pits on archaeological sites. The use of metallic crystals for percussion striking was the main method of producing fire among Algonkquian speakers north of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Le Jeune, who described this procedure from the Montagnais in Labrador in 1634, said that they used the down-covered skin of an eagle's thigh to catch the sparks."

Wow Tim, what a terrific post! First time I've ever heard of bird down being used as tinder. Quick, someone in the south run out and try this! No birds here right now, but maybe I'll sacrifice my old down jacket!

I'd appreciate anyone who knows more about this to please speak up...

Thanks, this is exciting!

Dr AndrÈ-FranÁois Bourbeau

Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 15:10:51 -0330 (NST)

I think that the reference to eagle down in the original quote may have been somewhat misleading. The source that was cited from was from the 1600s and the down may have been romanticized a little -- or perhaps they were using the good stuff for a guest. The Montagnais and Beothuk were coastal groups. They spent much of the year on the coast fishing, sealing, collecting shellfish, and raiding bird islands for birds, eggs, and down. Fluffy down from water fowl, such as the eider duck could be found in abundance, at the right time of year, at migratory bird colonies. I suppose that if eagle down burns they would have used it when available, but I think for the most part they would have relied on down from these nesting colonies.

Tim

Date: Thu, 09 Jan 1997 19:01:54 -0600
From: Benjamin Pressley
Subject: Re: Bird down as tinder

I haven't experimented extensively with bird down, but the times I have tried I used Turkey and (don't tell anyone) snowy white egret (I didn't kill it, some animal did). They just melted. They didn't catch up flame. I'd be interested if anyone has had success with this, too.

Benjamin Pressley

Date: Sat, 28 Dec 1996 14:07:45 -0500
Subject: Re: Cattail Fluff & Magnesium Match

I have found that the dried top of the cattail that has been broken up and fluffed up will catch a spark from flint and steel very easily. In fact, if you do not watch out, the explosion of the initial flame will burn your hands before you can get out of the way.

I was using a simple flint striker that fit into the side of a knife handle that I had ordered from the Sportsmans Guide Magazine. I just raked the knife blade along the length of the flint piece (about 2.5in. long X 1/8in wide), and got a large swoosh of sparks that when done close to the little pile of cattail fluff, resulted in an explosion of flame. The fluff burns out rather quickly, but with some dry leaves or other tinder next to it, results in a nice warm camp fire.

J.W.

Ok Jim, you had me fooled there for a while! What you are referring to is a commercial flint striker which is made of magnesium with a striking insert made of (what's the name I'm searching for?) ium. This magnesium match puts off a very very hot spark that will make just about any kind of good tinder flame up.

However, when we talk about flint and steel here, we are talking of natural flint pieces struck with a piece of steel. I don't know of anyone who has found any natural tinder fine enough to catch that kind of spark other than the fungus Inonotus obliquus. That's why I was so surprised by the cattail story.

Dr AndrÈ-FranÁois Bourbeau

 

Date: Wed, 08 Jan 1997 22:11:03 +0000
From: Dr AF Bourbeau
Subject: Improving cattail tinder

Hi folks,

Pascal Chauvaux of Belgium just sent me a message in French which might interest you. In essence it translates as follows:

For flint & steel fire, cattail fluff does not work. However, you can "improve it" by washing it in a solution of 5 parts warm water to 1 part of potassium nitrate. After drying, it will now work.

Question for all you chemists: what's potassium nitrate, and is it possible to manufacture it or find it in the wilderness somehow? Thanks to Pascal for sharing this.

Dr AndrÈ-FranÁois Bourbeau

Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 12:13:53 +0000
From: Dr AF Bourbeau
Subject: The Fungus Among Us (aka: Innonotus obliquus)

I have been communicating with Wyatt Earl who wrote the article on fire piston and was asking him about tinder other than charred cloth. Our communications might interest some of you... here goes.

Howdy AndrÈ!

First, thank you so much for your generous and kind appraisal of my fire piston article. It was a lot of work but very fun.

I am glad that you brought up the question of the shredded bark tinder that was mentioned in the article. I was reporting what John Rowlands said he used - but in all my years of experimentation on the subject of catching sparks, I have never had any succes with the dry, finely shredded bark. In addition, no one who is into primitive technology (that I have talked to) has indicated success either. Ditto for mouse or bird nests. I have only had success with charred material. The only thing I have seen that is uncharred that will catch and nurture a spark is a type of fungus that is sometimes found in birches or cherry trees and it is amazing to see.

Because of your question I am going to edit my article to indicate the above observations. I appreciate you input and look forward to further conversations as well. It sure would be fun to make a living writing things like that fire piston article.

Happy Holidays, Andre

Hi Wyatt,

You might like to know that I have finally identified that birch fungus you are talking about. It is sometimes called Chatoquin or Bearshit but the scientific name is Innonotus obliquus. It is indeed a fungus (at first I thought it was a disease) but it is a white rot fungus rather than a brown rot like most rots we usually see. This white rot attacks the wood lignum and cellulose differently than brown rot and is responsible for forming a material which is similar in many ways to charred cloth. I am still looking into this and trying to find other fungi or material botanically related to Innonotus to try them out. Maybe this will help you with the tinder issue and maybe you and others can help pursue this research further.

Innonotus was also used medicinally in Russia, one source mentioned that (can't remember off hand, but I did write it down somewhere).

For tinder, this stuff is indeed amazing. One very fine spark into it and you can't put it out! However, I've noticed that if it dries out too dry, it no longer works. Much testing still to be done...

Best regards,
AndrÈ

Date: Fri, 27 Dec 1996 21:11:30 -0800
From: "Kevin Bennett"
Subject: Tinder fungus

I have only had success with charred material and an uncharred fungus from up in Canada that a friend of mine brought me at TRIBE Gathering. Amazing stuff. A small sliver catches a spark and it glows and glows.

I think you may be referring to Tinder Fungus. It's now a permanent fixture in my camping sack (along with Birch Bark) because it work so well.

Regards

KB

Date: Tue, 24 Dec 1996 08:19:53 -0400
From: "Ted E. Bailey"
Subject: Re: Fire piston and flint & steel tinder

Upon further reflection we are talking about finely shredded bark as FIREPISTON tinder aren't we? My experiments were with flint and steel methods of firemaking & I've had no success with uncharred material.

I can't remember where I read it, but the best tinder for fire starting is shredded wasp nest. - Ted Bailey

Date: Fri, 27 Dec 1996 21:36:34 -0600
From: Benjamin Pressley
Subject: Re: Fire piston and flint & steel tinder

For fire piston, "mountain' Mel Deweese is the only expert I know and he says he has only had success with tinder derived from a certain palm. I know that's a vague reference, I'll try to find out the exact name of the palm. In the meantime anyone who wishes to contact Mel, can contact him at: Nature Knowledge, 1825 Linden St., Grand Junction, CO 81503, Phone: 970-242-8507.

As far as flint & steel, I have only had success with charred material and an uncharred fungus from up in Canada that a friend of mine brought me at TRIBE Gathering. Amazing stuff. A small sliver catches a spark and it glows and glows. Maybe Andre remembers the name of the fungus I'm talking about. George Hedgepeth brought it with him that year you came to TRIBE Gathering.

Benjamin Pressley

Date: Thu, 26 Dec 1996 09:22:47 -0800
From: James J. Worrall
Subject: Re: Innotus obliquus

Inonotus obliquus is a common fungus and there is a great deal of information published about it. You can find some in forest pathology books and some in books on systematics of polypores.

I am surprised that it catches a spark so well. It is not the fungus known as "tinder fungus," which is Fomes fomentarius.

Jim Worrall

Date: 30 Dec 96 08:49:28 EST
From: Paul F Hamlyn
Subject: Inonotus obliquus

Inonotus obliquus:

The imperfect form of the fungus occurs parasitically on trunks usually of Betula (birch) more rarely on Alnus (alder) and other hardwoods. The fruiting bodies of the imperfect form are conspicuous in that they are black lumps which are always found on the trunk 1-4 m above the ground. Only after the tree dies does the perfect stage develop under the bark and is often overlooked. Fruiting is annual throughout the year, found in Europe, North America and Asia.

Ref. Fungi of Switzerland, Volume 2 (non gilled fungi), eds J Breitenbach & F Kranzlin, Verlag Mykologia, CH-6000 Lucerne 9, Switzerland.

Hope this helps

Paul F Hamlyn

Date: Thu, 02 Jan 1997 16:39:55 -0600
From: "Robert A. Blanchette"
Subject: More Fungi Among-I

Your letter to Mary Palm was forward to me. Inonotus obliquus was used frequently as a tinder and there are a number of "mushroom" identification books with information. Do you want references? There are also several other fungi that were used for tinder and appear to be superior to I. obliquus. Fomes fomentarius has been used in Europe as well as the US and Canada - and used by Native Americans. In the pacific northwest, Native Americans used other fungi such as Phaeolus schweinitzii. Let me know what kind of information you need.

Sincerely,
Robert A. Blanchette

Date: Thu, 9 Jan 97 09:37:18
From: John Wall
Subject: Re: true tinder fungus

He uses the spongy, brown part of the "true Tinder Fungus

Mark, I'd like the scientific name. Andre has posted a name or two, and I'm waiting to hear from a friend whether I can find them around here. The polypores I'm familiar with are pretty tough customers and won't just crumble in your hands; so do you just cut 'em up and mash 'em with rocks until you get a powder, or what?

--John

Date: Thu, 09 Jan 1997 11:01:15 -0600
From: Mark Zanoni
Subject: Re: true tinder fungus

This is a new one for me also. It sort of boggles the mind to imagine running around in the woods looking for said bird down, but I have no doubt it was used in special instances for ceremonies etc.

My experience with flint and steel is limited personally, however I have a Native friend in this area who lights all his ceremonial fires using flint and steel (although he is very secretive about his materials. I get the sense in talking to him that he uses some kind of flint/iron pyrite combo. I will hopefully have an opportunity to talk to him more about the details in the future and you can be sure I will post what I can here at that time). What I am sure about is what he uses for tinder and I have since found references to the same material in books by Mors Kochanski and others. He uses the spongy, brown part of the "true Tinder Fungus which is the strange looking growths on the sides of live birch trees. He has been very firm in his insistence that it needs to come from a live birch tree. The fungus looks kind of like a "burned growth" and differs significantly from false tinder fungus which has a more uniform and shelf like appearance. If anyone is interested I can get scientific names etc. and more information on these fungi.

Bird down, huh? :-)

Mark

Date: Thu, 09 Jan 1997 12:26:46 -0600
From: Mark Zanoni
Subject: Re: true tinder fungus

Actually John I've been looking books trying to find the scientific name for these things and haven't had any luck yet. Maybe someone else out there can help. Have you tried the fungus I call "true tinder fungus" yet to see if it will crumble? (it is a very strange looking glob on the side of live birch). I know the "false tinder" fungus is not easy at all to crumble. It sort of has the consistency of dry hardwood. Maybe that's why it needs to be soaked in lye first. Any other folks tried this?

Mark

From: Kelly Harlton
Subject: FW: true tinder fungus & fire carrying
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 1997 12:42:14 -0700

Lurker from Alberta

Hey great list gang! I've made numerous fires from both the tinder fungus and the false tinder fungus mentioned in Mors Kochanski's book

You may have fun finding scientific name for the "true tinder fungus" as I not yet convinced that its a fungus at all. I believe it is more like a "burl" or "Conk" (sp.?) not unlike you would find on an aspen. The consistency from the inner portion looks, feel, and crumbles exactly the way that cork does. Its great stuff and has many uses. for fire starting it makes a great long lasting ember. The false tinder fungus if pressed I could dig up the scientific name no prob. I definitely will not crumble, in fact you have to slice thin pieces off the layer found just under the outer shell, and then process by boiling in a hard wood ash slurry, and drying. Both these work well with sparks from my axe head or knife.

Regarding thread on carrying an ember, The only thing I've tried is "Punky wood from a stump" . I had read(can't remember where) that some Indians use to spit a piece of punky wood, sandwich the ember in the middle (making sure it starts to smolder) and then wrap in a piece of leather and tie so you can carry it on your person. What I found is this worked OK but was subject to moisture content in wood. (that is, if the wood's too wet, the ember will extinguish, and if the wood's too dry, the ember grows too quickly, and it becomes too hot to handle)

Hope this information is of some value

Kelly

Date: Fri, 03 Jan 1997 02:47:39 +0000
From: Dr AF Bourbeau
Subject: Fomes fomentarius, Inonotus and other fungus as tinder

Hi everyone, I am forwarding this letter I received about tinders from Professor Robert Paquette of Minnesota.

Dear Dr. Bourbeau,

An interesting book that discusses tinder from fungi is "Northern Bushcraft" by Mors Kochanski, published by Lone Pine Publishing. If you take the basidiocarps of Fomes fomentarius and pick apart the very top fibrous material, dry it and pull apart the fibers it will light with one spark very easily. This fibrous fungal mycelium seems to catch the spark easily and will then smolder for some time. Its only this very top portion of the fruiting body that works. The Inonotus also burns well. There are references about its use for tinder but I do not think I have seen information on its chemical properties.

There is another fungus used by the plains Indians, used as a smudge. Once this is lighted it will continue to burn completely for a long time – the same is true for large puff balls. It may be the fine fibrous characteristics of the mycelium allow it to burn so well. In the pacific northwest, Inonotus and Fomes fomentarius are not common and this other fungus, Phaeolus, was used. It probably has the same texture as cotton when dried and after the mycelium is pulled apart.

I will check some of my references and send you those that may apply to answer your questions.

Best regards,
Robert A. Blanchette

Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 14:51:41 EST
From: KFARR 947-9007
Subject: Re: Inonotus obliquus (Chaga)

Dear Dr. Bourbeau

Here's a list of references I pulled off the net ... you probably have them already. I have the new "Checklist of Canadian Mosses" list somewhere (might have some new Canadian info) but I lent it to one of our editors and can't lay my hands on it just now.

We have an expert mycologist in the office here (who worked on the above list). I'll check with him on Monday to see if he has any obscure or recent references that might interest you. I'll poke around myself as well.

Best,
Ken Farr

Reid, D.A. 1976 Inonotus Obliquus in Britain, trans. BR. Mycol. Soc.

Hutchens Alma R. 1973 Indians Herbology of North America.

HOBBS, Christopher 1995 Medicinal Mushrooms an exploration of Tradition, Healing and Culture.121-124

Hartwell, J.L. 1971 Plants used against cancer Lloydia LUCAS EH 1960 Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science Arts and Letters.

Kahlos, K. 1989 Antitumor Activity of Some Extracts and Compounds from Inonotus Radiatus; Fitoterapia Vol.60 No.2.

Date: Thu, 09 Jan 1997 07:45:02 +0000
From: Dr AF Bourbeau
Subject: Re: Tinder fungus (was bird down as tinder)

Mark Zanoni wrote:

My experience with flint and steel is limited personally, however I have a Native friend in this area who lights all his ceremonial fires using flint and steel (although he is very secretive about his materials. I get the sense in talking to him that he uses some kind of flint/iron pyrite combo. I will hopefully have an opportunity to talk to him more about the details in the future and you can be sure I will post what I can here at that time). What I am sure about is what he uses for tinder and I have since found references to the same material in books by Mors Kochanski and others. He uses the spongy, brown part of the "true Tinder Fungus which is the strange looking growths on the sides of live birch trees. He has been very firm in his insistence that it needs to come from a live birch tree. The fungus looks kind of like a "burned growth" and differs significantly from false tinder fungus which has a more uniform and shelf like appearance. If anyone is interested I can get scientific names etc. and more information on these fungi.

The names of the birch tinder fungus you are referring to is Inonotus obliquus. It can grow on live trees, but also on trees which have been dead up to 7 years. I am currently researching this subject intensively and will post something soon. The other fungus is called Fomes fomentarius, but needs preparation before using to get it to work.

As soon as the archives are ready, you will be able to read the Inonotus thread which has been thus far discussed.

Regards,

AndrÈ

From: jsflynn@srnet.com
Subject: Re: Innotus obliquus
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 05:13:26 GMT

Hi again Andre:

It is logical that other species of Inonotus would have the same characteristics also. Do you happen to have descriptions of other Inonotus species with their range? There are other Inonotus that I am familiar with, I. radiatus, I.glomerata (I think) but no other Inonotus with similar features, they are very different appearing - much like the more ordinary looking polypores.

Fomes has been mentioned as tinder, but no success by me with flint & steel. It does hold a coal though. All mushrooms which hold coals are interesting for survival because they permit one to move about while maintaining their fire. Inonotus is very special because it permits you to START the fire!

Ah, I see now. I have borrowed a flint and steel from my wife's father who thought little of the mushroom theory. He believes that, perhaps in this area, the inner bark of the cedar makes the best tinder to start a fire. I have not tried to start one yet though. Btw, how did ancient Indians get steel? The flint I understand.

Good luck, and btw, the guy that they found in the alps had some mushrooms, maybe they were not medicinal at all but were for tinder? I'm am convinced that this would be the case! Maybe we should write an article together to them, telling why we think so.

First I'll have to try starting some fires! I. Obliquus, boy - it doesn't look to me that it'd start. Do you treat it any special way? During WWII they salvaged nitrates from urine, I wonder if tinder could be treated that way? The nitrates would act as an oxidizer.

Professor of outdoor pursuits...eh? Sounds like what I used to think about doing at the Girl Scout Camp near where I lived ;-). You might want to try contacting these people:

Cercle Des Mycologues0Du Quebec;
2000 Boul Montmorency
Quebec, Canada G1J 5E7

Yves Lamoureux, Staff Mycologist, Cercle des Mycologues de Montreal; (he's curator of the myco herbarium) "He recently published a report on their nearly 2800 collections, representing some 1600 species, more than 100 of which are reported from the Province of Quebec for the first time."

See ya,
Stephen

Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 01:42:20 +0000
From: Dr AF Bourbeau
Subject: Tinders and Ember Enhancers

Benjamin Pressley wrote:

I would like to hear some discussion from the group from anyone with experience on what, if any, ember enhancers you use. By ember enhancer I mean, is there anything you have found successful that helps to increase the size of your ember that you transfer an ember to (usually produced by friction methods) prior to transferring it to a tinder bundle?

Some people, for example, will actually place cattail fluff beneath the notch and between the fireboard and ember transfer plate for the purpose of 'holding' an ember and allowing it to grow a little bigger. I, for one, do not like cattail fluff. I have had too many embers smother out doing this. One ember enhancer I like is rotten, corky, punky wood. It will not catch up into flame, but given time that piece of rotten wood will become one big, glowing ember.

Hi Ben and other ember enhancer enthusiasts,

Here's my 4 cents worth on this very important subject. Ben, as promised, this is another article for your newsletter on fire which you can copy and use.

AndrÈ

TINDERS AND COAL ENHANCERS

In a survival situation, fire can mean the difference between life and death. Warmth, smoke against insects, removal of psychological fear, purified water or melted snow, cooked food, building tools, etc., all of these fundamental concerns can be addressed by the survivalist through the use of fire.

There are many ways of obtaining primitive fire: by friction (bow and drill, hand drill, pump drill, fire saw, fire thong, fire hole) by compression (fire piston), by flint & steel, and by the use of the sun (magnifying lenses of ice and maybe even animal bladders).

All of these methods produce only a very small coal to start a fire with, and often obtaining that initial minuscule coal is only half of getting the job done. Without appropriate tinders to transform that small coal to a flame, there will be no fire. That is why knowledge of tinders is so very essential!

Tinder can be classified into 4 categories:
1. Coal enhancer tinders (make a coal grow into a bigger coal)
2. Coal-to-flame tinders (make a coal become a flame)
3. Combination coal enhancer and coal-to-flame tinders (both of above)
4. Flame-to-flame tinders (quickly make small flame grow to big flame)

1. Coal enhancer tinders: Coal enhancer tinders are materials into which you put a very small ember to make that ember grow in size. For example, if you take a 2 inch square piece of the fungus Inonotus obliquus, and place a small ember on it, the ember will transfer to the fungus, and after blowing a little, you will have a 2 inch square ember. A better known coal enhancer tinder is charred cotton cloth.

Obviously, tinder enhancers are very important, because they give you the possibility, from a very small fire-by-friction or fire-by-flint-and-steel coal, to produce a much bigger coal, which can generate sufficient heat to light up less-than-perfect tinder, such as wet birch bark or fine damp twigs. (In ideal situations, a bigger coal might not be necessary, a standard size coal from a bow drill fire being sufficient to light finely shredded dry birch bark, grass or other easily inflammable tinders.) But when it's soaking wet out, or -30 degrees, or when your bow drill equipment is poor and the initial pile of dust is small, you need coal enhancers. Coal enhancers are also absolutely necessary when starting a fire with a magnifying glass, especially when it is made of poor materials, such as ice.

The best coal enhancer is charred wood dust! You already know this, because when a fire-by-friction coal forms, you can watch it grow to the same size as your charred wood dust pile. Therefore, if you drill a couple of extra holes without a notch with long smooth strokes (without tiring yourself) and keep that dust, you can then add it to the dust in the notch after the coal forms to make the coal bigger. Obviously, you are not going to bother making a bow and drill set to get the wood dust needed for starting a fire with other means. In that case, you can use a simpler approach to get the dust, for instance by rubbing a stick in a V shaped trench cut into another stick (as in the fire plow fire-starting method).

There are, of course, easier ways to obtain ember enhancers, and that is to use natural ones found throughout nature.

Here in the northeast, here are some examples of the better ones:

Of all of these, only a few will actually work in rainy weather. Forget about all the plants, they will be soaking wet. The mushrooms won't be dry enough, and the charcoal and rotten woods will be drenched. If you're lucky, you can find some dry tree barks, even in rain, under some very dense conifers and under overturned trees. If you're not lucky, that limits you to a single lonely source, but one which always, always works, no matter what, and that is wood scraped with a sharp blade. In the worst forest conditions which nature has to offer, there is always dry wood inside an arm sized piece. By splitting and/or breaking and/or wedging it open, there is the coal enhancer tinder for you to take. But not without the effort of scraping, plus all preliminary shelter building etc.

2. Coal-to-flame tinders: Coal-to-flame tinders are materials you can use to make the coal blow up into a flame. A common coal-to-flame tinder is shredded birch bark. When you put a coal into a pile of coal-to-flame tinder and blow, the heat from the coal is sufficient to raise the flammable gas in this type of tinder to ignition levels. Many coal enhancer tinders, such as fungus, do not flame up, and you need to use a coal-to-flame tinder for this purpose. Here are the most common coal-to-flame tinders in the north-east:

Of these, thistle down is by far the best! It is so incredible a material that it is the only source found thus far which will permit lighting a fire from the sparks of an empty Bic lighter.

Birch bark is also an incredible material in this category. When everything else is soaking, the inner layers of the birch bark will be perfectly dry and useable. In very wet weather, other than birch bark, only scraped wood will work.

3. Combination coal enhancer and coal-to-flame tinders: Combination coal enhancer and coal-to-flame tinders are very special in that they can act either as a coal enhancer tinder and as a coal-to-flame tinder. A good example of this is scraped and shredded outside bark from cedar trees (Thuja spp.). When you drop a coal in a nest of this type of tinder, you can make your small coal grow, and with enough blowing, transform that large coal into a flame without having to resort to anything else. Materials in this category are more limited. In the northeast, here are the main ones found thus far:

Of these, cedar bark is the favorite, if available. Scraped wood is just about the only choice in very wet weather. Favorite choices for scraped wood here in the northeast, in order of importance, are: cedar (Thuja occidentalis), juniper (Juniperus spp.), tamarack (Larix laricina), fir (Abies balsamea), pine (Pinus spp.), and in the non-conifers, basswood (Tilia americanus), willow (Salix spp.), poplar (Populus spp.), and soft maples (Acer spp.).

4. Flame-to-flame tinders:Flame-to-flame tinders are those which need a heat source hotter than a coal can provide to flame up, but which give up an immense amount of heat very quickly once lit. All coal-to-flame tinders are also flame-to-flame tinders, but the reverse is not true. For example, set a match to a mature milkweed (Asclepias spp.) pod. There is nothing primer than this, the stuff almost explodes into flame. However, sparks or small coals will not ignite milkweed pods. Flame-to-flame tinders are usually found in abundance and will be useful once the initial flame has been produced. In this category, some of the best in the northeast are:

In wet weather, birch bark is by far the best. The only other choices are fir sap, which is very good, or fine wood shavings. You can make small fir sap torches by piercing many bubbles with a stick which has been shredded at the end (by hitting between two rocks).

A very good way to determine the quality of coal enhancer or coal-to-flame tinders, is to use a car cigarette lighter as a testing device. If it keeps going after one touch from the lighter, it's a great coal enhancer. To test flame tinders, touch them with a quick flick of a Bic lighter.

With this, you will be able to discover many more tinders in your area. The subject of man-made tinders has not been discussed here, and the reader is invited to find them. Tobacco is the best coal enhancer around! The only plus for smokers... Don't forget to carry your matches! It's easier.

AndrÈ

From: "Jon Harshbarger"
Subject: Charred Pith Ember Enhancers
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 1997 10:00:49 -0500

The article submitted by Dr. Bourbeau was top notch. I was wondering if anyone has tried using charred pith as a coal enhancer tinder. I have had good luck using the charred center pith of mullein in demonstrations with flint and steel. The actual charring process is a little more tricky than it is when dealing with cotton, but it seems to work nonetheless. Any thoughts?

Jon Harshbarger

Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 16:34:02 -0600
From: Benjamin Pressley
Subject: Re: Ember enhancers

I have also charred and used the pith of mullein as well as red sumac. They do char and work very well. The are also difficult to keep together in a pile. I usually make a bird nest of fluffy tinder and poke a finger sized hole to hold it as tightly together as possible and it works very well.

And I also add my praise for Andre's excellent article on ember enhancers. This is the kind of posts I like to see.

Benjamin Pressley

Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 13:51:19 -0600
From: Benjamin Pressley
Subject: Ember Enhancers

I would like to hear some discussion from the group from anyone with experience on what, if any, ember enhancers you use. By ember enhancer I mean, is there anything you have found successful that helps to increase the size of your ember that you transfer an ember to (usually produced by friction methods) prior to transferring it to a tinder bundle?

Some people, for example, will actually place cattail fluff beneath the notch and between the fireboard and ember transfer plate for the purpose of 'holding' an ember and allowing it to grow a little bigger. I, for one, do not like cattail fluff. I have had too many embers smother out doing this. One ember enhancer I like is rotten, corky, punky wood. It will not catch up into flame, but given time that piece of rotten wood will become one big, glowing ember.

Benjamin Pressley

From: "MCMULLEN David"
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 14:35:15 EST5EDT
Subject: Re: Ember Enhancers

Benjamin

The best way I have found to enhance an ember was to leave it in the notch for 1.5-2 minutes occasionally waving my hand over the ember. After 2 minutes the ember will have grown larger and more stable and then using a knife, I carefully separate the ember from the notch and place the ember in the tinder. In my experience this has been the best method.

Dave McMullen

Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 22:19:42 -0600
From: Benjamin Pressley
Subject: Re: Ember Enhancers

Yes, that is essential even with ember enhancers. I started this thread to see what if any additional things anyone does to help assure the growth of an ember, a little extra insurance, if you would. I hope this clarifies my query. I'm just curious what other people use.

Benjamin Pressley

Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 13:40:48 -0600
From: Benjamin Pressley
Subject: Re: Ember Enhancers
Ferrell A. Peterson wrote:

Ben: I have found that if I make a large enough notch in the board and flare the bottom of it that enough char powder from the spindle and base board will collect to make a good sized ember. Sometimes I've even gotten more than one. (How that has happened, I have no idea) I then transfer it to my tinder bundle and blow. Hope this helps, FP

Yes, I've did that, too. I think it is also important to wait and let the ember grow and fuse together more solid. My query, though, is out of curiosity if anyone uses anything extra to enhance the size of the ember, once it is produced. Some people use cattail fluff, some rotten punky wood, as I mentioned.

Benjamin Pressley

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