Starting a Fire with a Hand Drill Set

Being able to start a fire is a critical ability to have in a survival situation. Any survival kit lacking one or more methods of easily starting a fire is one which you should be leery of. Most kits will contain fire starting equipment such as waterproof matches, a magnesium stick, or another form of creating at least a spark.

Having the ability to make a fire without any modern methods is something which most people nowadays simply do not have. The tried and true method of rubbing two sticks together does actually work and many non industrialized cultures still rely on these ancient skills.

My intrigue with starting a fire without matches or anything else sparked a personal challenge that I just had to try. Sure, I had heard of different ways to start a fire such as the hand drill and the bow drill methods and have even seen them done on TV :) But actually trying these techniques I hadn't done before.

So I started reading up on the subject. (There's tons of information all over the internet.) Reading about fire starting methods is good for the background knowledge but reading and doing are two different things. Properly preparing your materials I learned is the most important aspect. If you didn't have the right materials and knew how to put them to use, you be left trying to figure out why you can't get a puff of smoke even though you've been working at it forever.

I decided I would try the hand drill method. This is where you take a slim straight piece of wood (like a stick) and spin it between your hands to create enough friction on the base piece of wood so that it creates an ember. When you get an ember, you carefully put it in your pre made tinder bundle to actually start a fire.

Since I had never done this before, I didn't know exactly how to set everything up. I didn't want to do trial and error, never getting an ember, and never knowing what I was doing wrong. So I went online and found this country store that sold pre-fabricated hand drill kits you can use to practice with. I figured with a pre-made kit, I would have the materials that would work but most importantly, I would have a real life example of how to make one on my own.

When the kit arrived, I was very excited to try it out. I read the instructions that came with it and proceeded to test it out at my next camping trip. On my first attempt, I gained a couple of blisters but I kept on going. I kept on going to the point where my blisters popped. Then it started to rain. Not a happy camper.

The next day, or evening rather, I tried again. First I reread the instructions that also came with trouble shooting steps. I wasn't doing it right. I was pushing down too hard and this is what caused the blisters too. With another tinder bundle at the ready, I started spinning again. Within just a few minutes I had a good wisp of smoke coming from the base piece of wood. Carefully, I removed the stick from the base and saw the prize of a glowing ember waiting to be placed in the tinder bundle. Carefully again, I placed the ember into the bundle and began to gently blow on it. Within less than a minute, the tinder bundle burst into flames and I had a fire.

That first time making a fire without matches was a really good feeling. I had accomplished something most people have never tried before. Granted, it was with a premade hand drill set, but it was still something. And with the premade kit as an example, I learned how to do it on my own from what could be found just in the woods. I still practice, but it's easier now knowing that it can be done and that I've done it.