A Survival Tips and Techniques Blog | UrbanWoodsman.com

The machete touches on every aspect of wilderness survival and bushcraft here in Brazil. I often use this technique in rainy season to make primary tinder as well as kindling from Candeia wood. Candeia is filled with a very offensive smelling oil that reminds me of a wet dog or stinky cheese. It burns extremely well almost as well as fatwood and is used in much the same way. By scraping the wood with the right angle spine of the machete the Candeia log will yield up handfuls of very light tinder that will take a spark from a ferro rod. The same piece of wood can also be shaved and split to create a very hot base for a fire.

Want to add an inexpensive yet effective tool for firemaking to your bob? Then grab a magnifying glass sheet. They come in different sizes, and are only a buck or less. This one is the same size and a regular sheet of paper, and it’s very thin. It packs up really small and will tuck into my backpack easily. As you can see, it starts a fire easily and would be good for other tasks such as cleaning a wound, removing a tick, removing a splinter, reading small print, or melting plastic army men.

How to find dry materials in wet conditions and successfully build a fire in a wilderness survival situation. PART 2

practising building a basher and lighting a resin fire

My method for making Cotton Ball fire starters. Plus a wet-cotton FAIL test. I consider these the cheapest fire starters and a great project for scouts or youngsters.

Lighting a fire can be difficult if you do not have plenty of dry material to get it started. But there is a safe way to quickly and easily get a fire going even when all your wood is wet. Knowing how to do this could save your life in a survival situation.

As a young kid I used to spend a lot of time with my grandfather who used to take me fishing and camping in some very remote places. One of the things he taught me was how to start a fire quickly in an emergency situation. He taught me to always carry a road flare in my backpack when hiking or away from civilization so I could start a fire if I got lost or into trouble, especially in cold weather.

Road flares are cheap and easy to pack. They light by striking them with a match and you will have a hot flame for 10 or 15 minutes or more, depending on the length of the flare. Once it is lit you can start piling small pieces of dead wood around and in the flame. Even if the wood is wet, the flare will burn long enough to dry the wood and get it burning.

If the wood is dry you can just pile on as much wood as you want and you can quickly have a fire as big as you want it to be. If the wood is wet you will have to be more careful and make sure you get a good hot core of burning wood before the flare burns out. Just make sure you have plenty of wood positioned to catch and hold a fire around the flame form the flare. Be careful to position it so it can get plenty of oxygen.

Using a flare should only be for starting outdoor fires, not for an indoor fireplace or wood stove. This technique is good for survival situations, starting campfires and other outdoor fires. Wet wood should not be used unless it is all you have available. Before you get into a survival situation it is a good idea to practice starting fires this way so you will already know what to do when you really need it.

Learn more about burning firewood.

Making a fire using a soda bottle, reading glasses and other non traditional methods using sun light.

shilohtv.com Trail Boss Steve Doran shows you the proper technique for using a fire steel to start a sparked based fire. Most people do it wrong. The time to learn how to use it is not when you are in an emergency situation. For the full article and more free information, outdoor articles and videos go to www.shilohtv.com

Using a common twine, Jute String, as a readily available and reliable tinder source. Break up the fibers of a few inches of the low-cost string, add a spark, and it will go up in flames! Biodegradable. Later on in the video, I ignite a medium-frame “tipee” fire with both the twine fibers and my vaseline cotton balls, see other video: www.youtube.com

Survival Fire Kit. Are you ready?