Fire-Craft

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Fire-craft begins with the knowledge needed to construct and maintain one.

Types of material for building a fire

• Tinder – small, dry, fibrous material that can take a spark or hold an ember
• Kindling – tiny sticks and brush that will ignite easily
• Small bulk wood – small sticks about the diameter of the thumb or a little larger
• Large bulk wood – large branches the size of the wrist or larger

Types of Tinder

• Dry moss
• Shelf fungus
• Dead dried leaves
• Inner dead bark
• Dry grass

To find dry kindling, bend the branches of standing dead trees and shrubs. If there is any flexibility in the branch, that indicates there is still moisture inside. If a branch breaks with a cracking sound without flexing, it indicates that the branch is dry and ready to burn.

Small-bulk wood must be completely dead and dry to sustain a fire. To determine whether the wood is dry or properly seasoned, bend the stick. If the stick breaks with a crack, then it is appropriately seasoned and ready to burn.

Large bulk wood must also be seasoned to hold a flame. Depending on the size of the large bulk, there are two ways to determine whether it is seasoned. If it is small enough to break, the same method used for small bulk wood can be applied. If it is too large to break, saw through the wood and examine the inner part. If it is cracked on the inside, it is thoroughly seasoned.

If you must break bulk wood without a saw, several safe methods are available.

- Find two trees that are really close together. Place the bulk wood between the trees where you would like the break to be on the tree nearest to you. Slowly place pressure on the long end of the bulk wood until it breaks. Be careful not to lose balance and fall.

- Find a fallen log and clear an area around the log. Ensure no one is standing nearby. Take the bulk wood and slam it against the log where you would like the wood to break. Ensure the bulk wood is well seasoned, or the wood may bounce off the log and hit you.

- Place the bulk wood over a fire where you desire to break it. Let the fire burn to a point where the bulk wood can be broken easily.

When selecting a place to build a fire, consider the location you chose

• Do not build a fire under low-hanging trees or near dead trees or brush.
• Watch out for roots. Roots can catch fire and hold an ember for several days, meaning after a fire is put out, the roots can continue to burn and start a forest fire several days later, or even worse, at night while you sleep.
• Ensure that the ground around the fire is thoroughly cleared to prevent unintentional spread. Do not use bare hands to clear the ground because of the risk of encountering poisonous snakes or plants. Rather, your boots or a stick. 

Steps to making a fire

1. Collect all the necessary materials for the fire before starting it.
2. Select a safe place to build the fire and clear away all debris and grass.
3. Construct a frame for a fire tepee.
4. Fill the tepee frame with sufficient dry tinder and kindling.
5. Shape a small hole about the size of two fists at the base of the fire structure for placing a burning.  

  How to make a bird’s nest

• Take dry fibrous material, such as grass, and form it into a disc shape about the size of two fists in diameter
• Push with the thumbs into the center and press the outside of the disc shapes into the center to break up the fibers
• Continue to press the outside of the disc into the center and compress the material leaving a small indent in the center for an ember
• When complete, the birds' nest should be a little bigger than the size of a fist and well compressed. If the bird’s nest is not compressed enough, it will not hold the necessary heat to start a proper fire.

Making fire with a bird’s nest

1. Surround the tepee frame with dry, small-bulk wood, leaving the opening for the bird’s nest open.
2. Create a fist-sized bird’s nest for starting the fire.
3. Ignite the birds' nest and blow until a sufficient flame is sustained.
4. Place the burning bird’s nest into the tepee’s opening
5. Once the tepee is burning sufficiently and half of the tinder and kindling is burnt out compress the bulk wood and start forming the type of structure you would like the fire to be.

Fire Starters

• Cotton balls saturated in petroleum jelly
• Steel wool – due to the low burning temperature and continuity, steel wool will easily take a spark and turn it into a hot ember.
• Paper egg cartons, wax, and dryer lint
  • By filling a paper egg carton with dryer lint and pouring in melted wax, a long-burning fire starter will be created. One egg slot will burn up to 15 minutes.
• Bacon grease and paper – After cooking bacon place it on paper to cool off. Once the bacon is consumed, you will be left with a great fire starter. Warning: Do not use this technique in bear country.
• Tinder box – a tinder box is a small metal box with a small hole for ventilation. By placing moist tinder inside and igniting the box, the tinder will become charred rather than burnt. The tinder will become so dry that it readily catches a spark and ignites, turning it into an ember.