Bow and Drill Fire
Introductory blurb
The 'bow and drill' fire to the wilderness skills enthusiast is like the 'Eskimo roll' to the kayaker, or like 'riding a bike' to a child; it is an important skill, very usefull, but often frustrating to learn. In accomplishing this challenge, you realize that your world has just been broadened. Like a child who can now ride a bike across town, the outdoor enthusiast can now make fire if matches fail or get lost. Lastly, there is a connection to nature you attain by learning these sorts of skills, part of which require an advanced knowledge of the surroundings.
Beware, this skill should be practiced in various contexts before you rely on it.
In support of this, I once heard a primitive skills enthusiast on t.v. state that:
people who do NOT know how to make a bow and drill fire, occaisionally forget their matches. People who know how to make a bow and drill fire NEVER forget their matches.
That stated, as your skills progress, going back to starting fires with matches will seem exceedingly easy.
CAUTION: I am not going to cover safe knife use. You must first know how to safely handle a knife before you try this.
The Four Steps
In four steps, I will write down my thought process and point out the common mistakes I see my beginner students make. However, only a few have the gift of turning the written word into a working skill--many need to see it work in person too.
Step one: gathering materials in the woods
Overview of the bow and drill parts and tinder collection
Bow
Spindle
Hand piece
baseboard
Step two: Bowing form & burn-in
Step three: From dust to coal to flame
Step four: Trouble shooting: a step you will need to take ( I can hear the experienced bowers' chuckle)
I could include a fifth step. If I did, it would be called "Tricks and Shortcuts." I would include naturally occuring objects that would make your bow and drill fire relatively easier. I am a little hesitant though, simply because what really needs to happen is for you to work on your form and material finding abilities without the shortcuts not always availble to you.
However, here is a riddle to one shortcut:
A tinder never lying is true
A conk not fertile to use
A knotch with a sliver should do.
Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.
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