Cool fire starting tip - Backcountry College

[Clay Hayes]

Not that you'd need it in the Rocky Mountain states right now, but here's a cool bit of woodsmanship that might come in handy when trying to get a fire started in less than perfect conditions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IGb6SVJVXZ8

[Pat B]

Another great video, Clay. We used to use what we called fat lighter from long leaf pines, here in the southeast, for fire starter. A friend on mine would joke that he had to use a brass ax to prevent ignition when splitting fat lighter for kindling.

[TxAg]

Cool. Thanks

[Wandering Archer]

It wasn't mentioned in the video, but if you use the back of your knife to scrape fine shavings off, you can light a pile of it with a spark. Great if you carry a firesteel, or if your lighter runs out of fluid, or if you know how to find or carry a piece of flint/chert.

[stevem]

Thanks for sharing.  I knew this years ago and forgot about fat wood.

[Sixby]

I carry several cheap lighters. Always have a fire when I want it. Those along with some wax and wood shaving starter guarantee a fire.
Thanks for sharing, The B C has some really great tips and good stuff.
God bless, Steve

[Stickbow]

I always carry 5 or 6 4" pieces in my emergency kit...good stuff

[BenBow]

The trick is how do you know what tree a stump is from???

[Clay Hayes]

Originally posted by BenBow:
The trick is how do you know what tree a stump is from???

It's pretty easy really if you're familiar with what species grow where. Habitat type is a big indication as well as bark pattern if there's any left on the stump.

[Whitetail Addict]

Thanks Clay, I always enjoy your videos.

Bob

[centaur]

Without knowing what it was called, I have used fatwood for years to start fires, along with dried pine needles. Squirt a bit of WD40 on it and make some sparks with a fire steel. You've got fire!

[Wandering Archer]

Originally posted by BenBow:
The trick is how do you know what tree a stump is from???

Resoness woods like pine and fir.

[IndaTimber]

I really enjoy the backcountry college videos. Learn a few things and get some reminders but always enjoy the way Clay puts it together. Thanks for your time and efforts.

[tracker12]

If you smell the Fat wood is will smell like kerosene.  We gather it up every time we head down to Ft Stewart on our pig hunt.

[D. Key]

I've got a thousand stumps on my property from pine that we call "lighter pine". Nothing better for starting fires. I found a piece several years ago in a creek and it was full of the resin. The best piece I ever found.

[Clay Hayes]

For those interested, longleaf pine has a long history of being taped for turpentine along the southeastern coastal plain. There are still some old "catface" trees on the landscape that carry the scars from long ago.

Later, after many of those old trees were hi graded, the stumps were dynamited out of the ground and turpentine rendered from them. So, if you're ever in the pine flatwoods of south Alabama, Georgia, or north Florida and come across a big hole in the ground, that's probably what happened.

So, fatwood (or lighter knot) is basically wood soaked in turpentine.

[Pat B]

Clay, this is the ferro rod I keep in my fanny pack. The handle is a piece of fat lighter. All of my knives are carbon steel so a simple scraping on the fat lighter handle will give the necessary fuel to start a fire and the carbon blade knife and the ferro rod creates the spark.
I have a few of the fat lighter handles already drilled to accept a ferro rod. If anyone is interested pm your mailing address and I'll send you one. The first 3 will get a handle.
   

 

[Amberjack]

Originally posted by Pat B:
...A friend of mine would joke that he had to use a brass ax to prevent ignition when splitting fat lighter for kindling.

That's hilarious.  I'm stealing that one!

[J-dog]

We call it lighter knot, fat wood whatever, it is everywhere around here. I have enough behind the shed my grandkids will be using it!

Does smell like turpentine.

I always carry a little fire kit, it has a hunk of lighterknot it I drilled a hole in hanging on it by para chord. Also flint and steel with char cloth and a tin of punk wood. Lighter too. And jute chord soaked in wax for waterproof fire staring.

Got to have fire, even hunting out the yak in winter got me to make a decent fire kit. Take an unexpected swim in cold water and a fire might be what saves ya.

[J-dog]

Originally posted by Clay Hayes:
For those interested, longleaf pine has a long history of being taped for turpentine along the southeastern coastal plain. There are still some old "catface" trees on the landscape that carry the scars from long ago.

Later, after many of those old trees were hi graded, the stumps were dynamited out of the ground and turpentine rendered from them. So, if you're ever in the pine flatwoods of south Alabama, Georgia, or north Florida and come across a big hole in the ground, that's probably what happened.

So, fatwood (or lighter knot) is basically wood soaked in turpentine.

No those holes in the ground could have just been rotted out! Then they cover up with pine straw and you find em walking through the woods! Sprained my knee good in a stump hole more than once! I mean all sudden one leg is a foot shorter than the other!