Parts of the Bow and DrillSafety
The Bow and drill could burn you as bad as a blister. Common mistakes are: 1. Grabbing the drill too soon. 2. Touching the fire board. 3. Hand slipping off the hand hold. 4. The coal falling off the knife during the transfer to the tinder. (I have seen students try to catch the falling coal in their hands). Be aware of flammables such as clothing, sleeping bags, plastics, logs, leaves, grasses, etc. Above all do not play with fire!
Here are a few safety rules for around the fire.
1. There will be no horse play near the fire.
2. Keep obstructions away from the fire.
3. Kep hands and feet away from the fire.
4. Place logs and sticks in the fire "Do Not Throw".
5. Do not place rocks from water sources in and around the fire.
Rocks near water source may explode.
6. Do not pick up half burned logs with the hands. Use the poker.
7. Place rocks around the fire to contain it.
Be sure to build fires with fire pits. The pits are to be a foot deep and have three foot circumference. Be aware of any logs or coals roling out of the fire. Make sure that big fires are not under any trees or vegetation. Watch the wind, make sure coals are not blowing into the rest of the wood. Above all use good common sense while deciding on a place to build the fire.
Fire A Critical Survival Tool
Objective: To appreciate the im portance of fire, and the importance of the physical uses and the physiological use of the fire. Be aware of the need to practice and challenge yourself in this art. This is an outline of the uses of fire.
I. Physical uses
1. Fire can be used with reflectors.
a. Reflector- Logs, rocks, etc. - used to bounce heat back onto a person.
B. Cooking
1. Methods
a. Rock frying- slabs of rock over hot coals
b. Spit- two sticks with one over the fire holding game.
c. Baking- Dig a hole, two feet by two feet, then line the bottom with red hot rocks. Place a layer of green grasses, the put in the food. Cover the food with dry grasses and then dirt. In a few hours the meal will be complete.
C. Boiling water
1. Rock boiling- put water in a container of wood (hollow log "see survival tools") rock depression, any thing that will hold ater. Lift out red hot rock with fire tongs from the fire (See survival tools ) and place it in the water. Replace the old rock with a new rock until the water begins to boil.
2. Metal pot hung over a fire in a spit fashion
3. Metal pot put on hot coals.
D. Drying clothing and fire wood
E. WArming shelters
a. Hot rocks in a pit in shelter, dig a hold one foot wide and one foot deep with hot rocks place inside. Caution: keep all bedding out until the moister in the ground has evaporated.
F. Signal for rescue
II. Psychological uses
A. Morale builder
1. Makes feel more like home
2. Mentally colms individual
3. A place to rest and focus
4. Gives light in the darkness
a. Helps feel more secure with surroundings
Fire Making Methods
Their are many methods of fire making. Test different ways of fire making, then in case of a real emergency you will be familiar enough with the technique to accomplish it under pressure. This is a real brief outline on different methods.
I. Matches
A. It is important to get dry, flamable tinder.
II. Candle
A. Made from grasses and animal fat
1. Grasses make the wick, and the animal fat boiled down (tallow) put into a container hardens to make the candle. (See survival tools)
B. Still must make a flame, but easier to get a full fire going
III. Chemicals
IV. Battery and steel wool
A. Spread out steel wool put on opposite ends of battery. Then put tinder on top, blow into flame.
V. Utilizing the rays from the sun
A. Use the suns rays and focus them on to the tinder.
B. Eye glasses
C. Binoculars
D. Magnifying glass
E. Rounded ice
F. Water in pop bottles
The Friction Fire
Friction fires are two surfaces pushed together to create heat enough to make a red hot coal. Their are many methods of friction fires,
1. Pump drill- A system of wood against wood using a counter weight.
2. Hand drill- Twisting a drill in the palm of the hands fast enought to create the coal.
3. Bod and drill
Getting Ready
1. Preparation Stages
a. gathering tender
b. gathering kindling
c. gathering fuel
2. Fire Place
a. wet ground (raised fire'temple fire')
b. windy conditions
-- trench fire
-- rock circle
3. Tinder
a. light,dry,fibrous,airy material
(birch bard,dried grass, fine wood shavings
birds nest cattail down,punded cloth)
b. where to find when wet
--under fallen trees
--strip off bark under dead trees
4. Kindling
. Raises the flames to ignite the fuel
a. small dried twigs
b. softer woods
c. fire sticks
5. Fuel
a. dry branches from standing dead trees
b. mix green wood with dry wood=longer fire
6. Drying wood
a. drying rack over fire
b. lean-to or heat reflector
c. lay beside fire and rotate
7. Other fuels
a. dung (animal droppings)
b. peat (moss from rocks after dried)
c. animal fat (candle)
8. Prepare fire pile
a. kindling tee-pee
b. tender inside
c. main fuel close by (driest)
| BOW Sapling or green tree branch 18 to 24 inches long 1 to 2 inches thick Forked at end to adjust cordage |
DRILL About 7 inches long Hard wood (oak,hickory,ceader) Very straight and smooth Rounded at top and blunt point at bottom |
| HAND HOLD Hard wood or rock with depression Palm size Lubricate (ear wax,face or hair grease) |
FIRE BOARD About 1/2 inch thick and flat on both sides Soft, dry wood (popler,cotton wood) 'V' notch on outside edge Carve out under side for coal to form |
