How To Make Char in Your Hands for Flint and Steel (No Container)
Vložit
- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- While a char tin can be a very useful tool, there is always more than one way to accomplish a task, and you don’t necessarily need a metal container to make charred material. With conventional charring, the material is heated to combustion temperature in an oxygen-deprived environment, but that’s the not the only way.
If you make sure that your material is dry, you can also ignite it in the open air and deprive it of oxygen afterwards. There are lots of ways approach this without a tin. I have had good luck sandwiching smoldering material between pieces of bark and burying it in the sand, wrapping it in leaves, and have even made viable material in pieces of kelp.
Some of you may recognize this concept from a previous video. I rushed that one to help some friends who were participating in a challenge and was never very happy with how it came out. This idea is useful enough that it was easy to justify redoing it in case this version is more helpful.
This is about as simple as it gets. Making a somewhat airtight seal with your hands should extinguish the smoldering punk wood before it consumes itself. If you position it right, you won’t get burned, but any portion in contact with your skin will likely go out soon anyway, so you probably won’t get burned. My hands are pretty tough, but I’ve never come away with even a sore spot, much less a blister.
I’ve tried this at least a half dozen times now, and it’s reliable as long as you take care to dry out the punk before you char it. In this case I held it for almost exactly a minute in my hands to put it out.
Burying it works too, but you do risk adding moisture into it, which would almost certainly be an issue this time of year. You might be tempted to snuff it out with pressure, compressed sections of punk don’t take a spark as well; so depriving it of oxygen produce a better finished product.
If you’re not familiar with the utility of charring material, it will take a weak spark from a locally found stone and a piece of carbon steel. Being able to make charred material makes fire a lot easier than it would be if you had to rely on a bow drill. Of course we all have lighters and ferro rods, but we’re playing bushcraft here.
Thanks to Iz Turley and the participants in his Hardwoodman Challenges for introducing me to the concept of charring without a tin, and inspiring these experiments.
This was a piece of fresh gathered black cottonwood punk that I dried next to the fire. I used a piece of quartz from the riverbed and a carbon steel striker to light it up after charring.
Music: Luca Stricagnoli - The Last of the Mohicans (Guitar)
• Luca Stricagnoli - The...
Awesome tips. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Lonnie!
LOL! The video I'm posting tomorrow morning has been ready to post for 6 days now. It's a making char without a tin video also. I'm glad it's a completely different way. We keep bumping heads. LOL!
The timing is funny, but I don't think anyone minds. I think that the types of guys that watch our channels might even appreciate seeing multiple char videos in a short period. I know I tend to get focused on one particular method over others for a week, so hopefully we have lots of people out there playing with char right now.
Those are some “well-seasoned” hands my friend. Nice one as always.
😆👍 Well put.
Man... Your dog is having the time of his life. So cool. He's loving it. That's a partner there!
Now that was impressive, I like the way you held the charcoal with the steel and struck with the flint, Just the opposite of what is traditional with charcloth but the proof with in the quick easy lite up. Well done.
Thanks buddy. It works well with the right piece of punk.
Excellent. Would never have thought possible.
Thanks Roger
I would have lost that bet....the bet that you can't make char in your hands. Incredible NWP!! You have the best fire making videos on YT. Ok, I gotta go practice getting 3rd degree burns on my hands now!! So excited!!!
Thanks buddy! If you're careful to keep the glowing portion off of your skin, you won't get burned at all. Let me know either way though.
Love this demo and info... very smart and fun to think about other methods of char production.
Thanks PBC! 👍
Hand warmer as well! It really took the sparks well. Cheers
😆👍
Nice! These little gems are so useful. Nice job as always!
Thanks buddy!
Awesome.....I said it before....Your hands are tougher than my feet.
Such a great line! 😆👍 I'm sure my leathery hands helped, but I don't even come close to getting burned doing this, so it's probably not as bad as you think.
Amazing. Thinking outside the box for sure.
Thanks buddy!
I've often wondered. Thanks for the demo!
Thanks for checking it out buddy!
What’s up Primate. Nice intel bud. As always a great teacher. Thanks man. Be safe out there.
Thanks buddy! Always great to hear from you!
Very awesome NW! Every time I visit your channel I learn something valuable, great video!
Thanks buddy! I've been enjoying your posts over on BCUSA. Keep up the great work. 👍
Thank you! I'm about to finish up a two day camping trip to finish up Bushclass 2, I'm very excited to start the last portion of it.
This method for charring you showed looks like it would be great for the Hardwoodsman! Great videos NW!
Very informative and educational. Thank you very much
Thanks Thomas!
Nice tip!!! Always something new to learn. I like how you hold the charred punk wood in the hand with the striker and cast sparks onto it, going to have to try that.
Thanks!
Always suprise positively,thank you.
Thanks Damir!
This is an excellent example of oxygen deprivation gasifying the surface and creating char.
I actually have rough enough hands, I think I could pull this off as well! Cheers Brother!
I think you could do this with banker's hands. I've never felt any discomfort. 👍
This is such badassery! Thanks for the tip and the channel!
Thanks Lou!
You deserve much more follower! I now you from your profile on Instagram! I already learned a lot from you, in a short period of time! Thanks and greatings from Switzerland!! 😊😊
Thanks David!
I always learn something from watching your videos, thanks for posting useful content mate.
I would have never guessed it that was incredible
I like the dog in the end ;)
Me too. 🙂
Friggin Gandalf
😆
Great technique and info . THX
Thanks Alex!
Superb as always, the best ways are always so simple if executed and prepared properly 🔥👍
Thanks buddy!
Outstanding. I imagine a small flat stone, piece of leather, leaf, etc could act as an insulator if anyone was worried about hot side tipping into contact with skin. Thanks for your creative genius in these arts. By the way, check out the text by Arthur Haines (author of "A New Path"). As someone who apprenticed with him for a month, I can vouch for his incredible talents. He is a proponent of "neoaboriginal" pursuits. Folks like you will be hugely valuable as our cyclic space weather changes make their presence more obvious...thus I pass that tip along as his book holds much information about the toll many of our modern practices are having on us and our ecology (and how to minimize them through, well, stuff like your videos deal with).
Thanks buddy! I'm aware of his through some interviews with Daniel Vitalis, but haven't read any of his work yet.
What can I say. Always amazing. You do so many different ways of making fire.
Thanks buddy! I love this stuff.
Good tips as always
Thanks buddy!
Very awesome video my friend!
Thanks Kyle!
Very nice my friend. Love from Greece.
Thanks Navaxo :)
I have done this. Good video!
Did anyone tell you that you were doing it wrong? 😉
Probably. LOL!
Just an idea.
If you don't have a lid on your trash tin can and still want to make charcoal, you can put the wood under a large layer of sand in that box.
It works.
I wonder if burrying wood under yoru fire works too. (will try it ^ ^)
Thanx for the video !
I like it! Keep me posted!
I love it. And thank you for revisiting this concept in this video. It’s good to know I won’t have to rifle through my pack for that sooty Altoids tin if I want to char some cottonwood. 👌🏽
The tin definitely makes it easier, but it is fun to experiment. 👍
So awesome thanks for sharing this. I challenge you to make a fire from a freshly harvested sea sponge , if anyone can do it, it's you buddy! Great content🔥👍
That would be so awesome! 👍
Dude you think outside the box like me. We are a rare breed. Many of your ideas we share/we come up with the same ideas. Very strange. You do realize that all these so called bushcraft/survival schools/instructors watch our vids and then teach our ideas without any shout outs. They make money and profit from other people's ideas/creativity. It's a sad world bro. All the best, brann
They are shameless in doing so. The pathfinder school fella ripped my idea of drilling holes in my bib crusader canteen in the exact location. He charges 30 pounds for his mugs and has sold thousands. They are shameless in robbing, ripping off ideas and claiming as their own.
1 second ago
That sucks! I know exactly what you mean.. look at this one ...
Mine czcams.com/video/dUVwnHE2eVs/video.html
Coalcracker Bushcraft: czcams.com/video/tctlL6hJjck/video.html
Nice, thank you.
Thanks TMN!
Learning something every time i watch one of your videos mate. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. And in such a relaxing way.
Thanks Ace!
Good stuff.
Thanks Mark!
Gracias por tu vídeos Saludos desde Puerto Rico
Estoy muy contento de escuchar que los estás disfrutando.
Pura supervivencia primitiva
Awesome, and kind of badass
Thanks buddy!
Fantastic. I love how your always experiencing with new techniques. Well done!! -Stephen, Ohio
Thanks buddy!
I have made chared punkwood with an open flame but... I've always extinguished it by tossing in a sealed container :-) Chared punkwood is my top tender, mainly because it so readily available and easy to prep, as you have shown.
That works even better! 👍
Nice!
👍
Still wishing my hands could do this, ill try it but I bet ill burn myself. you got them crazy heatproof hands
It's not as bad as you might think.
Grandioso ! Ciao
Grazie!
WOW! So much awesomeness. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try that but I will. haha! That striking method was very cool too! It looks much easier than trying to strike into a tin. Thanks again, Brian. I learn something with each of your videos and I really appreciate it!
Thanks Jacqui. 🙂 I think you'll be fine, and you can always drop it if it gets hot. Just keep the glowing portion facing up so it doesn't contact your skin, and you'll probably only feel warmth and not real heat. I can't wait to hear how it goes for you.
Nice one! :3
Thanks buddy!
Nice work NWP always a pleasure to watch your content.
Thanks buddy!
" Americans are the most reality-oriented people on earth."
-Ayn Rand-
That's nice bro. 👍
Nice tip bro
Thanks buddy!
Sensacional amigo. Seu canal é TOP.
Estou tão feliz em saber que você está gostando. Obrigado pelas amáveis palavras.
@@nwprimate6416 I HAVE A CHANNEL ALSO, SUBSCRIBE. CONGRATULATIONS MY FRIEND. STRONG CAATINGA MATEIRO EMBRACE.
Wow, that’s the first time that I have seen this - very cool Brian! 👌
I never understood why everybody uses containers... 🤣🤣
😆 Thanks buddy!
wonderful piece of cultural anthropology dude
That's a cool way to look at it.👍
J'adore vos videos ! Surtout continuez ! Dans quelle partie du monde habitez vous ? La nature est magnifique 👍
Je suis si heureux d'entendre que vous les appréciez. Je suis dans le coin nord-ouest des États-Unis, dans l'État de Washington.
Интересный способ. ✊👍
🙂
Haven’t seen this done before good information NWP
Thanks LT. It's something I came up with to help some BCUSA friends with a challenge, but have no doubt that it has likely been rediscovered many times.
I was just thinking - you could also wrap that in a leaf. For those of us without adbestos hands!
That is a good idea and does work, but living leaves have a lot of moisture in them, so that can negatively affect the char. I've had the best luck with waxy leaves like skunk cabbage, and have even made char in dried kelp bulbs. The possibilities are endless.
@@nwprimate6416, That's what makes it fun, exploring the possibilities. Keep it coming Sensei!
I'll skip the skunk cabbage leaf; there is a reason it got that name, LOL!!!! Awesome skill and new way to hold the char (for me). Thanks Brian
You might be tougher than me, was that punk wood ? I see you use it a lot. I am gain a better appreciation for it and it’s use, enjoyed it
It was punk wood, and it is an amazing resource. It doesn't take much toughness to do this though. Just keep the hot part off of your skin and you won't even feel it.
Those hands could deprive a tiger from oxygen
😅
Hello my friend, how are you? Lupo?
I'm usually so amazed by your videos I have to manually close my mouth shut while watching them, hehehe . . .
I know you are vastly experienced in what you do but I'm still surprised every time. I'd have to use a tin myself but this is good to know instead of having to root around in ashes for char post fire. I've thought in the past it may be easier for me to spark a fire with flint and steel than with the bow drill; your thoughts? -Donna
Hi Donna! Lupo and I are doing great. 🙂 I agree with you on flint and steel being easier as long as you have and can keep good char. Char is really fickle with moisture and once it's when, it is ruined. With friction fire, at least you can dry a wet set by working it long enough. I really like the way the two methods compliment each other. Friction fire gets the process started and serves as a backup; while flint and steel is much faster and easier once you're established.
Just curious brother. For us tender handed folks would it work just as well to drop it into an air tight container such as a medicine bottle .?? Wow that fascinated me. Thanks for sharing.
Great question buddy! Yes..absolutely. I've even gotten away with using a ziploc bag. But, keep in mind that I've never been burned doing this, so if you keep the smoldering portion off of your skin, even soft hands should be ok.
Your an animal!!!!! Now we don't have to eat those nasty altoids anymore!!! THANKS!!!! :>)>
😆👍
👍
👍
How did you do? Doesn't it burn your hands? I've tried it with shelf fungus, but it was too hot to handle...
I get it that fresh char will take a spark, but what if you carry it for a day????
Great question. The answer depends entirely on moisture. Making sure that it is totally dry before charring prevents moisture from the center from migrating to the charred portion. If you can keep it reasonably dry after that, it last as long as any other char. When I charred this way in kelp bulbs I was able to use it for several days afterwards, storing them in the dried kelp. Keeping it away from the air is crucial. Even when I use a tin, I keep it in a zip lock bag. There are never any guarantees, but I see this as being worth a shot rather than disregarding it and automatically falling back on the bow drill in the hypothetical long term situation that is so fun to think about.
Good to know you keep it in a zip lock bag, something I will try. Using fresh char every day seems to work but leave it any longer than that and nada, no luck getting a spark to ignite during humid times. I'm of the sort who likes to take things back to primitive ways and hadn't thought of the plastic bag, top notch:) Agree, hypothetical is game on!
I still think you're a wizard, or perhaps an enchanter...
😆
Good snuff..I mean stuff
😆👍
Who needs Altoids cans anyway?
A tin sure makes things easier, but it is more fun without one.
👍
Doesn't it burn your hands?