Some methods were used by our ancestors. And it helped them solve everyday problems.
Humanity learned about fire about one and a half million years BC. The generous gift of the gods allowed ancient people to cook food, heat their homes, protect themselves from predatory animals and lead an active lifestyle even at night. As you might guess, people did not always use matches to light a fire - they appeared in the arsenal of mankind only at the beginning of the 19th century. At first, fire was made by rubbing pieces of wood against each other, then people came up with the idea of flint, creating a spark from the impact of a flint on a chair.
For our primitive ancestors, fire was very important in the process of survival. It played a key role in the development of homo sapiens, providing warmth, allowing them to move to a new culinary stage, with fried and boiled foods, or to be used as an alarm and to scare away wild animals. No less important was the knowledge of how to light a fire using the means available in those days.
In the modern world, this skill is also far from useless. You never know when you might be without these handy little things with a brown head in their handy little boxes. What if your single-engine plane crashes while flying over an uninhabited island, Siberian taiga or snow-covered tundra?!
Or perhaps you, going on a hike through the nearest forest, will lose all the things in your backpack when you meet a bear. The event may not be so dramatic - after all, in ordinary life, in case of strong wind or high humidity, it will not be possible to use matches, and they will be practically useless.
Fortunately, if you need to start a fire and don't have any matches, it doesn't mean it's a complete disaster - there are plenty of other options to get the fire going.
We at 1Gai.Ru have collected for you unconventional and unusual ways of starting a fire without matches: from those that use things that you can get in the city, to those that only require natural objects found in the natural environment.
Friction to start a fire
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This ancient way of making fire - rubbing two sticks of wood until the flame starts and your hands are worn out - is a long and tedious task. Friction is one of the most time-consuming options of all ways to get fire without using a box of matches.
There are several methods of igniting a fire by friction, using the same principle, but different devices to obtain the desired heat source. The main aspect here will be the type of wood that will be used for the kindling board and spindle. Firstly, it must be dry so that it can flare up from friction, and secondly, it must be light.
We will call a spindle a stick that rotates from the movement of our hands, which creates friction between this part and the kindling board. With enough work and persistence, sufficient friction will be created between the wooden elements of our primitive device.
As a result, the board will be occupied and you will have a smoldering coal, which is actually suitable for starting a fire. For a quick fire, it is best to find branches from poplar, juniper, aspen, willow, cedar, cypress and walnut. They are considered the best types of wood from which to make a kindling board and spindle.
Before you start using the wood to make primeval fire, make sure it is truly dry. If the wood found is damp, it must first be dried well. A paradox arises here - where to dry it if there is no fire? There is only one way out - stock up on wood at home or look for dead wood in the forest.
Hand drill type device
paulkirtley.co.uk
The heat extraction method, which imitates the operation of a hand drill, is the most ancient, and at the same time the most difficult to implement. Here you will need dry wood, a knife, restless hands and a good dose of strong determination. Here are instructions on how to obtain the heat of a fire in the most primitive way, in which people thousands of years ago warmed themselves without the saving grace of a box of matches.
Build a tinder nest, the purpose of which is to be ignited by a smoldering ember, which you create with your own efforts by diligently rubbing two wooden elements. The nest is made from a variety of materials that you will find in the wild. The main condition is that something should be easily flammable, for example, it could be dry blades of grass, leaves or pieces of bark. Roll them up like a bird's nest. Make the tinder nest not dense, but loose for air access.
Take a small kindling board and mark it. To do this, just cut a V-shaped hole from the edge with a knife and dig a small depression next to it. Place a little dry bark under the hole, which should catch the smoldering embers formed as the spindle rubs against the kindling board.
Let's start the rotation process. Place the spindle stick in the recess on the board. For everything to go right, the stick should not be short; a height of about 60 cm will be enough. While maintaining pressure on the board, rotate the spindle between your hands, as if "rubbing your hands together" and quickly moving down the length of the spindle. Make these movements until the board is occupied and you get a smoldering ember.
Let's light a fire. When you notice smoldering wood, press down on the board so that the embers fall onto the tinder in the form of a piece of dry bark underneath. Now carefully move the bark into the tinder nest you made earlier. Blow lightly to fan the flame more.
Classic friction method
The temperature on the surface of the wood increases due to friction. For this, it is recommended to use soft species: willow, pine, cedar. A wooden rod is made from any branch. Its thickness is arbitrary, the main requirement is strength.
Tinder (dry grass, moss, small sawdust) is located near the ignition zone, but not on it. This is necessary for air flow. The base is a wooden plank, a piece of bark, but with full wood. It is installed on a small hole so that traction is created under the friction zone.
Recommended methods for making fire by friction:
- Plow. A groove is made on the surface of the board, and the rod slides along it. It is recommended to make a small hole at the bottom of the latter.
- Saw. A notch is made at the end of the board, which is fixed on the surface of the earth. The other performs forward movements until smoke appears.
- Drill. The traditional way is to transmit rotational movement with the palms. The best way is to make a small “bow” from a flexible rod and rope. He rolls around the rod, moving it, the friction process becomes more intense.
The disadvantages of these methods are that it takes a long time for smoldering to appear on the surface of the wood. It is recommended to use only as a last resort if other methods are not available.
An alternative is to use steel wire. Improvised handles are attached to its ends, creating an analogue of a handsaw. A log of small diameter is selected and with progressive movements the wire seems to saw it. The metal surface heats up, which causes the tinder to ignite.
Video survival lessons for beginners
Read about the types of fires and how to make them here.
Fire plow method
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Find a small fire board. Make a groove on it by scratching a path along which the spindle will move.
Now create friction. Take the tip of the spindle and place it in the groove on the firebox. Begin to forcefully move the tip of the spindle up and down the groove.
Let's make a fire. Place tinder in the form of dry blades of grass or shavings at the end of the kindling board. By “plowing” a groove with your fire plow, you will get coals during friction that will fall on the tinder and ignite. When this happens, carefully place the stranded shavings into the nest and light the fire.
Spindle with bow (“Indian fiddle”)
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More complex to construct, but a better device for producing fire through friction. Using a bow is the most effective method to obtain heat without matches. The device allows you to work at a good speed and the right pressure to create enough friction to ignite the flame. In addition to the spindle and board, you will also need to select a support block and make a homemade primitive bow.
Prepare the support block. The jig is used to press down on the top end of the spindle as you rotate it with the bow. The support can be a simple stone or a wooden block with a notch for convenience. It is better to find a tree for support that is harder than what you take for the spindle. Raw wood with sap or soaked in oil is good because it creates a lubricant between the end of the spindle and the recess in the support.
Make a bow. The bow is small in size, about the same length as your arm from shoulder to wrist. Use a flexible tree branch with a slight bend. You can use anything as a bow string: laces, ropes, strips of leather, etc. Find something that is not so easy to break. All that remains is to pull the string onto the bow not too tightly, and that’s it – your device can start working.
Prepare a kindling board. Cut a V-shaped notch from the edge and poke a small indentation nearby. Place your dry organic tinder under the notch.
Prepare the spindle for use. Hook the spindle with the bowstring, creating a loop. Place the end of it in the hole on the board and press the top with a support stone.
Start sawing with your bow in a back and forth motion. Essentially, you have created a simple mechanical drill. These movements will cause the spindle to rotate quickly. Saw until a smoldering coal forms on the board.
Light your fire. Place the ember into the tinder chamber and blow gently to ignite the dry tinder twigs. You received fire using a bow spindle - a primitive but effective tool for extracting life energy.
How to light a fire without matches in the forest - effective methods and videos
Undoubtedly, every survivalist should be able to light a fire without matches. Of course, it’s stupid to go into the forest without the means to start a fire, but there are different cases, for example, the matches that you took with you got wet, and you lost your lighter. Sometimes it happens. You've probably seen many times in films how people made fire without using matches, but it's one thing to see it and another to try it yourself.
In ancient times, people started fires using friction, or created sparks using stones. There are many ways to start a fire without matches, in this article we will look at some of them.
Content
The first method, the most ancient, is with a bow
To do this, you will need a stick, which can be made from a branch, say, birch. The length of the stick should be no more than 1 meter. You will also need a piece of rope or something from which this rope can be made, it will play the role of a bowstring. Then you need to make a drill, find a pine stick 30 cm long and sharpen it on one side.
You can use some kind of plank or log as a support for the drill. It is best to use a dry tree; even in the wettest weather, the inside of the tree is always dry, but this only applies to standing trees. The log must be split or split so that the surface is even. Make a hole in the board into which you will place the tinder.
It is important to make a slot next to the hole for the tinder to exit; this is where the first shavings will come out. The drill can also be made from the tree itself, you can make something like a peg, it is important that the shaft itself has edges, that is, irregularities, this will provide better grip on the rope. Next, attach the string to the bow and, in principle, everything is ready.
Methods for making fire without matches and lighters - choose the option for yourself
You must also take care of the kindling, because when the coal appears, there will be no time for this, you must remove everything unnecessary and prepare the place so that absolutely nothing disturbs you. Wrap the drill with a bowstring, place the sharp end in the hole, then press the top through some piece of wood so as not to damage your palm and move the bow back and forth.
The tinder will slowly smolder and over time a coal will appear, which we need to further build a fire. As soon as the coal appears, the main thing is not to lose the fire, take the smallest slivers and shavings, cover the coal, and gently fan it to create a fire.
Second way. Wire friction method. Sawing method
The fire can also be started using ordinary wire. It is advisable that the wire be at least 2 mm thick; if it is thinner, it will simply burn through the wood and you will not have time to ignite the tinder. Two sticks are attached to the ends of the wire, which will serve as handles. The principle is this: you simply wrap a log with wire and, as it were, try to saw off a piece. Tinder should be placed nearby; as soon as a coal appears, start building a fire.
The third way is with ice
A very interesting way to start a fire using ice. Everything is simple here - you make something like a lens out of ice and then light a fire, as with a regular lens. Below you can watch the video, everything is shown in detail. The disadvantage of this method, of course, is the connection to the sun. If the weather is not sunny, you will not be able to light a fire this way.
Fourth method. Method of making fire by rolling cotton wool with chalk
Few people know that without resorting to matches, fire can be produced using ordinary cotton wool and chalk. This method may come in handy when you find yourself in an area where there are abandoned houses, garages and other structures. Here you can always find an old mattress, door insulation, old quilted jackets, etc. That is, you can find cotton wool in any area where people lived. How to make fire using cotton wool?
What dangers await in the forest?
You need to separate a neat, even layer from the cotton wool and spread it, say, on the floor. In order to roll it into a roll, you need a binder; you can use chalk, or whitewash from the wall. Chalk will allow the cotton wool to roll into a very dense pellet, which is what you need. After you have rolled the cotton wool, you should take a flat board and continue rolling the cotton wool using this board. That's it, the cotton wool is tightly rolled up.
Now you make tinder, you can make it from the same board (sawdust, small shavings). This will be your kindling. Having put the prepared tinder aside, you again begin rolling the cotton wool on the flat side of the board. Your task is to heat the cotton wool until it begins to smolder. This moment can be noticed by the smell; it begins to smell a little burnt. The coal is formed inside the cotton wool, which is what you need. With the help of it and kindling, you can easily light a fire.
We also invite you to watch a video on the topic “How to light a fire without matches.”
Alexander
Hello, I'm Alexander, the mastermind behind the blog. In terms of career and free time, I connected my life with the forest. How could it be otherwise when you live in Karelia! In this blog, I am responsible for sections dedicated to hunting, hiking and equipment. Welcome to my world!
Combination of flint and steel
artofmanliness.com
This is a good old practice among tourists. It is always useful to put this sweet couple in your backpack before a difficult hike - flint and some kind of steel object. Even if you take matches, they may become damp and useless to you. But in a critical situation, you can still strike a spark by forcefully striking a steel object against a flint. The resulting spark is enough to light a fire and keep you warm.
If you don't bother throwing flint into your backpack, you can always improvise on the spot using a very hard stone, quartzite, which is abundant everywhere. The second component will be the steel blade of a penknife, because a knife is a necessary attribute of any tourist’s equipment. Also, it is best to use charred fabric for fires.
This item is specially crafted by making charcoal from simple fabric. Pieces of cotton are heated so that the fabric does not burn, but turns into black flakes, which are stored in a closed jar. Charred fabric has the ability to catch a spark and keep it smoldering without catching fire. If you don't have charred tissue, anything from a dried mushroom to dry twigs will work as tinder.
Grasp the quartzite and charred fabric. Hold the stone so that its edge protrudes 5-10 cm beyond your fingers. Pinch the charcoal cloth between the stone and your thumb.
Strike hard! Holding the top of the steel striker, strike the flint with the steel several times. To do this, you can use a knife, hitting the stone with its back. The impact will create sparks from the steel, they will scatter and fall on the charred fabric, which will begin to smolder.
All that remains is to light the fire. To do this, place the charred cloth into the tinder nest and gently blow to fan the flame.
Regular lenses
artofmanliness.com
This is all that is needed to get a fire if you find that you didn't bring matches with you. An ordinary lens with two refractive surfaces is capable of focusing sunlight at a certain point. All optics are suitable for fire - from a simple magnifying glass or glasses to binocular lenses.
Point the lens at the sun so that the beam is focused at one point in a minimal area of space. Place your tinder nest under the light spot, and the energy of the sun will cause it to flare up, giving you the desired fire.
Using a lens to create fire is very easy, but this method has one significant drawback. It consists in the fact that a flame can only be produced when the sun is shining brightly in the sky. So if you need a fire at night or on a cloudy day, you won’t be able to light it using lenses.
There are several more non-standard methods of making fire using the lens method, which are based on the same principle, but using improvised objects. They cannot be called typical, but they give almost the same effect. If they work, then you can use them, because the ultimate goal is to get fire and heat for survival.
Balloon and condom
survivial-training.wonderhowto.com
These simple objects can be given the properties of lenses if you fill them with water. And then try to get fire in the same way as with any optics.
Fill a balloon or condom with water and tie the end. Your goal is to make the rubber product as spherical as possible. Don't make the inflated balloon too big or it will distort the focus of the sunlight. Using your hands, squeeze the ball to form a shape that gives you a sharp circle of light. Squeeze the condom in the middle to form two small lenses.
The ball and condom have a shorter focal length than conventional lenses. Therefore, they need to be brought closer to the tinder - at a distance of approximately 3-6 cm.
Flint is the optimal way to make fire
An alternative to traditional flame sources is flint. It is made from magnesium or ferrocerium. A spark is formed upon contact with a steel rod or its equivalent. Advantages - the system works even when completely wet, takes up little space, and is often included in camping equipment.
Features of a tourist flint as a tool for making fire:
- They are small in size and can get lost. The best option is to store it in a first aid kit.
- Short smoldering time for flint particles. This places increased demands on the tinder - it must be perfectly dry, not dense.
- Some models have a small container for storing dry tinder. This is convenient if it has rained in the forest and finding dry fuel is problematic.
Before using a flint, it is recommended to practice before starting your hike. It is important to correctly determine the direction of the sparks - most of them should fall on the fuel. The average cost of flint is from 120 rubles.
Fire with ice
Gifer
Fire made from ice is not just a catchy phrase. You can actually start a fire in severe winter using a simple piece of ice. Everything is very simple here - you just need to take a piece of ice and process it into the shape of a lens. And you can use it in the same way as if you had a regular lens in your hands to start a fire. This method may be especially relevant on a winter hike if your matches are damp.
primitiveways.com
Use ice formed with clean water. You can start a fire using ice only if the ice is clean, otherwise the method will not work. If dirty water has frozen and the ice is cloudy or contains any impurities, then it will not be possible to focus the sun’s ray and make fire. You can get a clear ice block by filling a bowl or any container, even a homemade foil container, with clean water from a river or lake, as well as melted snow. Wait until the water freezes and ice forms. The thickness of the ice layer should be about 6-7 cm, then there is a chance that the method of producing flames from ice will work for you.
Form your “lens”. This can be done with a knife, remembering that the lens has a convex shape - it is thicker in the middle and narrows at the edges.
After this, the lens needs to be polished. Using a knife, you have given the ice a rough shape, now complete the formation of the lens by simply polishing it with your hands. The ice will melt under the influence of the warmth of your hands, resulting in a perfect lens with a beautiful and smooth surface.
It's time to light the fire. If the sun is shining, expose your ice lens to the rays of the light in the same way as if it were an ordinary optical lens. Capture the focus and concentrate it in a nest of tinder. All that remains is to watch the desired fire flare up and enjoy the sunny day and the imminent warmth.
How to light a fire in winter.
There are several ways to make a fire in winter. The first is with the help of chemical reagents. You will need potassium permanganate powder and a little glycerin. As a rule, tourists always carry these substances with them. About a gram of potassium permanganate is poured onto the site of the future fire and glycerin should be dripped on top. The reaction is instantaneous, you need to be prepared to add material for ignition.
You can also use the sun to light a fire. Of course, there is not always a lens, but you can make one yourself. Using ice, for example.
Set of soda can and chocolate bar
youtube.com
This is a very unusual way to start a fire without matches, but it is also useful to know.
Take a soda or beer can and start polishing. How? A bar of chocolate. Open the chocolate, remove it from the foil and rub the bar across the bottom of the jar. It turns out that chocolate's properties include the ability to polish surfaces, similar to furniture polish. Therefore, using chocolate in this capacity will make the bottom of the jar shine like a mirror. Didn't you bring chocolate with you or did you already eat it? No problem – toothpaste can do the job!
Once polished, your jar will essentially be a parabolic mirror that will reflect sunlight to create a single point of focus. The principle is similar to how a reflecting telescope works.
Point the bottom of the jar toward the sun. You'll get a highly focused light beam that you can aim directly at the prepared tinder. The tinder nest should be placed at a close distance from the focal point of the reflective light, about 2-3 cm. If you did everything correctly and the day is sunny, the fire will break out in a couple of seconds.
We remind you that during the fire season it is unacceptable to:
use open fire; burn grass under trees, in forest clearings, clearings, as well as stubble in fields, in the forest; make fires in young coniferous forests, on peat bogs, cutting areas, in places with dry grass, under tree crowns, as well as in areas of damaged forest; use wads made of flammable or smoldering materials when hunting; leave cleaning material that is oily or soaked in flammable substances; fill engine tanks with fuel, use faulty vehicles, smoke or use open fire near vehicles being refueled; leave bottles or glass shards behind, as they can act as incendiary lenses.
Fire safety rules in the forest
So, let’s assume you came out of town for a barbecue or are on a hunt, or for some other reason you find yourself in a forest, field, or, in general, in nature by car. But here's the problem: there are no matches or lighters! What to do?
Also, before driving into the forest by car, read this material:
This is why driving a car into the forest can result in a large fine.
Wyatt Knox from the O'Neil Rally School team made a video just for this occasion, which shows several safe ways to start a fire with your car.
