Basics of Firemaking

The liquid soap making is on phase two, but since it is still cooling, I cannot report its success or failure to you yet.  Instead, I thought I'd write about another important skill to have  - Fire making.

Several years ago, I wrote an article on the basics of firemaking, as was demonstrated at the Littleton Museum.  I have a great video with it, but somewhere along the way, the video has been lost.  So, since I cannot share that with you, I have wandered about the internet to find you relevant articles and videos on fire making - banking a fire, starting from tinder, other ways to start a fire when you have no matches.

Banking a fire - very useful in a woodstove or fireplace, helps you make sure that you can easily restart yesterday's fire rapidly.  This is how our ancestors used to do it, and it doesn't hurt us either. This article talks about banking a fire in a fireplace.

Now, most of us have a wood stove - or would like one - so banking the fire in a wood stove is similar.  The difference is closing the vents almost completely- not the chimney flue, that will lead to smoke in the house - and have that reserve of coals built up and in the ash.

Other methods include using flint and steel, or a coal with charcloth or other tinder.

This video is about how to make char cloth.

In a bind?  How to make a fire using cattails

This is making your own fire starting kit to carry in your pocket.

Living History School on You Tube has a whole bunch of great videos on a number of topics - you should check them out.

Here's a little different approach - no flint and steel? No coals? How about a 9 volt battery and steel wool?

Here's a funny story from someone on how not to build a fire in the wood stove.

So, I hope this helps you all to get an idea on how to start a fire, bank a fire, and things you can carry with you for fire starting.

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Even on this cold, cold day, the girls gave us four eggs.