Kite.henley/sandbox.Art of building a fire
Fire making, fire lighting or fire craft is the process of starting a fire, Fire is an essential tool for survival and this is a really cool skill to master.
Fire making is really the opposite of fire fighting, here we need to complete the fire triangle, usually by heating tinder until it ignites.
The art of making a fire - is to master the skill of making building a fire seem easy... every single time. Like a scout!
Building a fire is a key component of Scouting. We need fires for"
- Cooking food
- Warmth and Survival
- Signalling our position at night and in the day.
- Magical Campfires
Choose the best location
- Protect against wind
- Wind can cause uncontrolled (and unwanted) spread of your fire, it can also gust and blow out your tinder.
- In the survival situation it can also rob you of the heat the fire makes.
- Prevent against uncontrolled spread
- Clear around the fire area
- Look up - overhanging branches, tent guy-ropes,
Material
The three main groups of materials used to make fire are:
- Tinder
- Kindling
- Firewood
Tinder
Fires start from increasing tinder's temperature until it combusts. Tinder is a material that combusts first (as an ember or flame) and in doing so heats other material (heavier tinder, twigs, kindling, etc.) until it burns (as a flame). Fine tinder is characterized by its ability to combust from a spark, friction, or other action from the below methods.
Many forms of tinder are available – charcloth is preferred by many; tinder fungus and other species such as Phellinus igniarius have been used as firestarter most friction methods using wood generate their own fine tinder; today a pile of magnesium or ferrocerium shavings is common; and a moisture-resistant cotton balls with petroleum jelly.
Autoignition temperatures of common tinder:
| Substance | Autoignition Temperature | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | 300 -480 °C | |
| Charcoal | 350°C | |
| Cotton fibers | 455°C | |
| Paper | 218 - 246°C | |
| Petrol | 400°C | |
| Magnesium | 473°C |
Tinder is best preserved within a tinderbox, which today is often a zip-lock plastic bag.
Methods
See also
External links
- "Home in the Wilderness: Fire"—Mother Earth (January/February 1982)
- "Methods of making fire"—Pitt Rivers Museum
Category:Scout Fires