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.
(For those interested, the country store mentioned above is listed
in the resources
section in the wilderness
survival skills category.)
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