Primitive Technology: Firesticks

With my hut completed, next I needed fire For fire sticks I used a fast growing softwood (Abroma mollis) The spindle and baseboard came from the same branch Scrapping bark off with a stone flake The sticks were left to dry on a sunny rock to dry out Candle nut leaves were used for tinder Drilling holes in the baseboard with a stone blade Carving a notch from the hole to let the hot wood powder (punk) to fall out The base board is placed on the tinder with a stick separating them so more air can get to the punk The spindle is put in place and spun between the hands Use speed, not force to avoid blisters Smoke is a good sign Stop when the punk smokes by itself Gently blow the smoking to make it glow and ignite the tinder Cover the tinder with small dry twigs (kindling) While I had a fire going I made a small pot to test the clay from the doorstep of the hut This was dried next to the fire It was placed amongst the coals and a fire was built over top A simple campfire can reach temperatures hot enough to fire clay If the pot glows at least red hot it will not turn back to clay when wet The crudely made pot shows that clay from the hut site can indeed be used to make pottery Fire sticks are the simplest method for making fire from scratch. The parts are minimal, easy to make and portable. Keep them in your hut out of the weather. This method can be difficult to learn but with it you can make fire just about anywhere.