Fatwood

Been reading a lot about fatwood.
Sounds like it is something everyone should have.
Although I only looked on our last 2 camping trips,I cant seem
to find any dead pine tree stumps.
Anyone have easy access to some of this stuff?
Also,from reading,it seems its kinda sticky from the sap,
could you seal it in wax to prevent it from getting
all over everything,and also to keep it from drying out?
Thanks

Here in the southeast it is everywhere. I have so much of it that I will never be able to use it all. The sap is not a problem at all. I take a small piece of about 1" by 6" to start several fires.

Here is a pic of a little with my freshly sharpened S6..

No wild pines where I live, so you can do like me and buy it at Walmart. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> It's with the fireplace stuff near hardware, usually about a $1 a bag. I bought a bunch they clearanced in spring for $.25 a pack.

I've made my own before too. Get yourself a nice drippy pine tree on a hot day, and a dry softwood stick. Smear the stick with pitch all over, let it dry and voila: instant fire starter. Once I gathered the pitch off a pine that we just felled, I got maybe a tablespoon of pitch, wrapped a leaf around it to keep it somewhat contained till it dried. Pretty nice little torch. Burned for half an hour. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You know, I think that Pitman got his fatwood / resinwood from a cedar if memory
serves. I think he posted a picture thread on here or BF about it once or twice.


Cheers.

Never knew they sold it in stores!
Guess I need to open my eyes next time.
Homemade little torch balls...
Sounds like something I wanna try.
I read about making glue out of sap too.
Thanks for the tips and pictures people.

Yup! Lots of information on this around the web. "Nature's epoxy" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

(seriously, don't get it on anything you don't want permanently stuck to something else)

Fatwood is fatwood because the sap has settled in and dried. It’s not sticky at all.

If you want to start a fire with a match, you can whittle toothpicks of fatwood as a primary tinder.

If you want to start a fire with a ferro rod, hold the edge of your knife almost vertically against the fatwood and scrape. That will give you the fine shavings of wood you need. Make a pile of those shavings, and they will catch a spark and burn.

This is what I bought as a firestarter in the outdoor shop that I go to.
It's basically fatwood with a coating on the end so that you can strike
it like a match. It burns for about 7 minutes, which is lots of time for
you to get a fire going.
I tried it out in a light wind and it worked good. Didn't blow out like
a match would. Haven't personally tried it out in any other conditions
other than wet weather with light wind.

Just a little look at my firestarter kit that I take with me in my PSK.

Cabela's tin


Contents

Nice tidy looking kit there DotD

Thanks.
The cotton balls have been rubbed in vaseline, and man do those
critters light. I only needed one spray of sparks from my firesteel
to pop a petroleum cotton ball into flame when I tested them.
That was in the fall, light wind and damp (just after a rain).
Going to test it in the snow tonight for kicks to see if I can
get something going.

Hopefully, I'll be able to take some pictures.

Cheers

I find mine in ponderosa pine, but I've also located it in the stumps of Douglas-Fir trees. Its interesting how different trees in different climate make fatwood with very disparate smells and textures. I always carry a small zip-lock back with birch-bark (a superb tinder), 3-5 finger-sized pieces of fatwood, and a candle. As for cotton, I keep some in my PSK and elsewhere.


As for fatwood prep... I find its best to place your knife edge perpendicular to the wood and scrap in one direction. This generates a fine fluff that readily catches with even a small spark. This technique works if the wood is wet or dry.

Seriously, I get really sad when I see people in my area (where there are conifers everywhere) buying commercial fire starters. Such a waste of money and resources. I understand though if you live in a big city where you can't harvest your own.

It is always tough when you see waste. Best to just smile and lead by example <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Cloak, this was a great post. I have a friend who runs a logging show about
30 miles back in the bush. When the snow is gone in about March, I'm going to
go up there and harvest some fatwood for myself. He's taking Doug fir and
Ponderosa Pine out of there.

Thanks man!
Cheers

Hey- you can take the new SOD and your Tramp !! That would be a pair to draw to

Think I will be taking more than that my friend.
SOD, Tramp, Ratweiler, BK9, and Suripate and do
a little chop off to see how they stack up to each other. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

And a camera to show us results <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />?

Absolutely!
I don't have any good action type of pictures, so I'm going to
have to get my butt in gear and get too it
....when it's a little warmer <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
....and when my Camp Tramp gets here <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


Cheers

The Tramp should be there soon ? I was hoping for today or this weekend ? What say you ?

It didn't come today, so it's going to be a "long" weekend <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Mind you, it WAS shipped just a couple of days before Christmas, so
it would be delayed by Christmas shipping, AND it has to come through
Customs, so I can understand the delay.

Understanding it doesn't help the waiting though, and it's been 15 days already.
I'm getting a little jumpy. Just want it to get here already!

I was given a tracking number for the USPS, but so far, the only information
listed is that they received it and that it IS in transit.
Usually, I'll get notification that it's entered Customs, but so far I haven't
gotten that.

Hopefully, it'll be here early next week.

Did you check the additional details on USPS ?

Ordawg,

I don't see any mention of additional details when I do a track and confirm.
Just tells me when it was accepted for shipping.

Sorry- usually when I track it shows " step by step" where it has been along the way. But- when I ship international I usually use EMI. Maybe on priority you can't do this ?

I don't mind using fatwood but in my area evergreens are not very common. I like to think of tinder being of two forms. One is stuff that you gather opportunistically as you are walking around. It can be birch bark, or dried grass tufts like the tops of phragmities. The other is the emergency tinder that is easy and guaranteed to light under duress. The petroleum-jelly cotton balls and other synthetics work really well for that.

In my case, since fatwood is not readily available from nature and I have to buy it, I prefer the coglan firesticks. Basically the same kindling bit as DotD's emergency starter without the match. I actually prefer the coglan fire sticks to fatwood just because it is so easy to scrap a fine powder with the knife edge that is readily lit with the fire steel. On fatwood its not that bad to do, but it can be finicky, more so then the coglan firesticks.

kgd- A person has to adjust for the area they are in for sure.Knowing what lights easily- or what stays dry can save your life. Also- if you are in an area that just doesn't have much- best to be prepared. Good observation on your part <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

This is the kit I carry with me everywhere for firestarting. From left to right:

Petroleum coated cotton balls, Coghlan firesticks with starter, Coghlan Fatwood,
Magnesium, and Bic lighter

Dotd, this is the fire kit I carry with me. Quite a bit bigger then the pocket tin ones. At one point, I had everything (first aid and fire/shelter) crammed into an overinflated adventure medical kits bag. However, accessing stuff from an overfill nylon bag just isn't convenient. It certainly doesn't do to have to dump out your medical supplies on the ground in search of a match <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Then I settled on these lock'n'lock containers at wallmart. I have one for first aid and one for fire/shelter/water. I find it rather easy to just transfer for two tupperware containers from my EDC bag to a day bag or multi-day carry.