April 12th, 2010    No More Matches


Though Rebecca and I consider ourselves something of experts when it comes to starting fires (well, she more than me, but that's quite another story), we're still guilty of the fire-expert's most grievous sin -- using matches.

Like learning a foreign language, it's tough to get really good at matchless fires unless you use your skills, and with matches so easily available, it's always tempting to use one instead of starting a fire via any of the less convenient methods.

So we've made a little pact with ourselves. No more matches. We're welcome to use flint and steel, or the bow drill, or the hand drill, but no lighters and no matches allowed. Note that we haven't gone so far as to throw away all the matches in the house (wimps!), but we're going to do our best not to use them, starting today.

Rebecca begins to blow on a piece of char-cloth in dry grass.

Our favorite method of late has been flint and steel, and it still takes us, at times, many strikes to catch a spark.

Carbon steel, a piece of flint, and a square of char-cloth. All we need now is some tinder!

Char-cloth, if you aren't familiar with it, is made in your backyard out of old cotton fabric. By creating a situation of incomplete combustion, the fabric is transformed into a substance that will catch the tiniest spark and turn it into a glowing orange ember.

The best part of all of this is re-establishing a new relationship with fire. It's so easy to take fire for granted, and when you make it yourself without matches, you get a primal thrill that moves through you. I've never seen anyone -- child or adult -- start their first matchless fire and not feel amazed at the bright yellow flames that they've coaxed out of wood or stone or steel. It's a great way to get back to our roots. 
 

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