Low heat and melt in. Interesting video: Starting a fire by rolling cotton wool. Hearths and fires

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    We'll go camping... virtually. Moreover, as usual, our campaign will turn out to be extremely unsuccessful. And the weather wasn’t so lucky, and they forgot their matches at home, not to mention the fact that after the rain that didn’t stop for two weeks, everything that could be set on fire became irreversibly damp. Having piled up a small pile of similar problems, we, with our characteristic zeal, begin to overcome them. So, let's try to make a fire in wet weather. And the first thing to consider in these chilly circumstances is the obvious fact that a small fire is much easier to light and ignite than a large one. And therefore, we boldly make a great many small fires, which will burn better, and will provide more heat, and maybe, if we are very lucky, they will attract some plane lost in the clouds. For what? Maybe they’ll give you a ride home... As for fuel, it’s best to look for it under the trunks of fallen trees. Small, dry islands usually remain there. Of which the most flammable and comfortable material is the rot of dried trees, or dry stumps and resin of pine cones. Now everything that we have fumbled needs to be put into a heap, in the form of a wigwam. And at this solemn moment you discover that you forgot your matches at home. It's OK. You shouldn’t tear out your hair, buttons or rub your cheeks, which are abundantly watered with salty tears, over this. It’s not worth it - because there are at least three methods of starting a fire without matches, proven by folk wisdom. The first and most good option- this is flint and steel. The corresponding side of the waterproof can serve as flint here. matchbox, or a solid piece of stone. In order for a flame to ignite from a spark, this spark must first be struck. Why are we furiously beating the flint against the steel blade of a knife, or against some small steel block. When a spark hits the tinder and the latter begins to smoke, we urgently, urgently bend over and begin to blow desperately. If everything was done correctly, the fire is ready; if not, go to the beginning of the paragraph. The second method, sung by the unforgettable Cyrus Smith, lies in the sun and the lens. Moreover, he made the last one from two glasses wristwatch, filling them with water and covering them with clay, once again confirming that hopeless situations doesn't happen. If Prometheus has not come out of you and it was not possible to get fire, it remains to advise you to resort to the last and most classic method of cutting out a flame, namely friction. They resort to this method out of great desperation. However, a faint hope of success should still linger. This method has many varieties, we will focus on one, called “bow and drill”. First, we make a bow using a lace, rope, or belt. Then we use it to spin a dry soft shaft in a small hole made in a dry and hard block of wood. As a result, we get dry powdery dust, in which a spark should appear with further friction.

    7 ways to light a fire without matches

    There is a primary connection between a man and fire. Every man should know how to light it up. A real man knows how to do it without matches. This is an important survival skill. You never know when you will find yourself in a situation where you need a fire and you don't have matches or a lighter with you. Below are 7 ways you can start a fire without matches.

    Making fire by friction

    Making fire by friction is not a method for the faint of heart. This is perhaps the most difficult of all methods of making fire without matches. There are various methods which can be used to make fire by friction, but most important aspect what makes it all the same is the type of wood that is used for the plank and spindle.

    Spindle- a stick that you will twist to create friction between it and the plank. If you create enough friction between the spindle and the board, you will have a coal that can be used for further ignition. Juniper, aspen, willow, cedar, cypress, walnut best materials for board and spindle.

    In order to use wood to create fire by friction, the wood must be dry. If the wood is not dry, you will have to dry it first.

    Hand drill

    Method hand drill the most primitive, the most basic and the heaviest. All you need is wood, tireless hands and strong determination. Here's how it's done:

    Build a tinder nest. Tinder is any material that ignites with a single spark. Birch bark, dry grass, wood shavings, wax paper, fluffy cotton wool, fir cones, pine needles, crushed dry mushrooms (tinder fungi), burnt cotton fabric are excellent tinder, as is the fine dust produced by wood-boring insects, as well as the contents of bird nests.

    Make a cut. Cut a small indentation on the board.

    Place the bark under the cutout. The bark will be used to catch the ember that will arise from the friction between the spindle and the board.

    Start rotating. Place the spindle into the recess on the board. Your spindle needs to be about 50 centimeters long for this to work properly. Maintain pressure between the spindle and the board and begin to rotate the stick between your palms. Continue turning until an ember appears.

    Kindle! As soon as you see a glowing ember, move it to the tinder nest. Blow on it carefully to light a fire.

    Fire Bow

    Most effective way Fire production based on friction is the use of a bow and auger.

    Onion. Make a tight bow by stretching a rope, belt or cord around a stick.

    Make a small hole in dry and hard wood.

    The result will be black powder like dust.

    When a spark appears in this powder, it must be transferred to flammable materials (tinder) prepared in advance.

    Fire Bow: Getting Fire from a Branch (photo report)

    This photo report is dedicated to making fire using the firebow method, briefly discussed in the previous post. For the experience we need a knife, rope ( ideal option- paracord) and something like Silky Pocketboy .

    Let's go...

    Several movements Silky Pocketboy and...

    A few more with a knife...

    Adding paracord...

    Now let's put this puzzle together...

    Making a deepening...

    Cut a piece from the side of the hole...

    Let there be fire...

    This is a good old backup option. Good idea, always take flint and steel with you on a hike. Matches can get wet and become virtually useless, but you can still get a spark from steel and a piece of flint. The “FireSteeL” mini flint is a pretty good option, although I prefer the “Expedition” flint knife option.

    If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have a set of flint and steel with you, you can always improvise using quartzite and a steel blade of a pocket knife. You will also need a charred piece of cloth to catch the spark. If you don’t have it, you can replace it with a piece of mushroom or birch.

    Take the stone and charred cloth. Take a piece of stone between the big one and index fingers. Make sure that the edge protrudes 5-7 centimeters. Pinch the fabric between your thumb and the flint.

    Create sparks! Take the steel or the back of a knife blade. Strike the steel against the flint several times. Sparks from the steel will fly directly onto the fabric, causing a glow.

    Light the fire. Place the smoldering cloth in the tinder and gently blow on it to start the fire.

    Lens based methods

    Most easy method making fire without matches is based on the use of lenses.

    Traditional lenses

    To create fire, all you need is some sort of lens to focus the sun's rays on a specific location. A magnifying glass, glasses, eye lenses or binoculars - anything will do. If you add a little water to the lens, the beam will become more intense. Tilt the lens so as to focus the rays into a small point (with as small a diameter as possible). Place tinder in this area and you will soon have a fire.

    The only drawback of the lenses is that it only works when there is sun. Therefore, at night or in cloudy weather you will have to look for other methods.

    In addition to methods using traditional lenses, there are three unusual but effective methods, based on the refraction of rays.

    Balloons and condoms

    By filling a balloon or condom with water, you can turn these ordinary objects into a lens.

    Please note that condoms and balloons shorter short focal length than conventional lenses. Therefore, keep them 1 to 2 cm from the tinder.

    Fire from ice

    In order to make fire from a block of ice you need to make the ice into the shape of a lens and then use it in the same way as when making fire with any other lens. This method can be especially useful for winter camping.

    Clean water. The ice must be clear for this to work. If it is cloudy or has other impurities, the option will not work. Most best way to get a clear block of ice fill a cup, goblet or container made of foil, clean water from a lake, pond or melted snow. Let's turn water into ice. Your piece of ice should be about 5 centimeters thick.

    Lens shape. Use a knife to form a piece of ice into the lens. Remember that the lens shape is thicker in the middle and narrower at the edges.

    Polish the lens. Once you have the rough shape of the lens, finish it off by polishing it by hand until the surfaces are smooth.

    Kindle. Angle your ice lens the same way you would with traditional lenses. Focus a beam of light onto the tinder.

    Coca-Cola and Chocolate Bar

    Another interesting way making fire.

    All you need is an aluminum can and chocolate.

    Polish the bottom of the jar with chocolate. The chocolate acts as a polish, and by rubbing the bottom of the jar a little, you can get something like a mirror. If you don't have chocolate with you, toothpaste will do too.

    Make fire. After sanding the bottom of the can you will have a parabolic mirror. Now they need to catch sunlight and place tinder in the place where the rays are focused.

    How to light a fire without matches?

    How to make a fire

    The usual way. Small dry wood chips are piled up into a small “pioneer” fire, and larger logs are placed on top of this structure (in the end it looks like it looks like a cone - a standard “pioneer” fire).

    Modernized method. A well is made from logs: two logs in pairs parallel to each other, two more on top perpendicular to the previous ones, and so on. At the bottom of the “well,” chips are ignited, and the entire structure flares up very well and quickly. For ignition, it is convenient to use pieces of birch bark, previously separated from the log.

    In the rain. Even in rainy weather You can make a fire as follows: place two small logs of equal size in the wind. Place the thinnest dried twigs or twigs perpendicularly on top of these logs and set them on fire. Usually lights up from the first match.

    How to light a fire without matches

    Without experience, it is difficult to light a fire even with a large supply of matches. What if there are no matches? There are several ways using available tools. Before you try to light a fire without matches, have some dry, flammable materials ready. Then shelter them from wind and moisture. Good substances can be rot, rope or twine, dry palm leaves, wood shavings and sawdust, bird feathers, woolly plant fibers, finely ground tree bark, gauze, cotton wool, fluff, dry moss, scraps of clothing, which, if possible, are moistened gasoline, etc. To stock up on them for the future, put some in a waterproof bag.

    Potassium permanganate and glycerin

    Pour about 1 gram of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) ground into fine powder. Then carefully drop 2-3 drops of glycerin onto it from a pipette or glass tube and quickly remove your hand. Only 2-3 seconds will pass and you will see the fire break out.

    Publication rating:


    It is an integral part of any hike. It helps prepare food and keep tourists warm. Mostly, to light a fire, people take matches with them, or less often a lighter, but it may happen that neither one nor the other is at hand. In this case they will help traditional methods How to light a fire in the forest without matches. It is better to familiarize yourself with them in advance and even practice before the trip.

    How to light a fire without matches and a lighter?

    There are several ways this can be done, but they all rely on first getting a spark and then using natural combustible or flammable materials to make a real flame out of it.

    No matter how you intend to make fire, you must first collect dry grass, moss, sawdust, birch bark, leaves, pine needles, or take rags or cotton wool. All this is called tinder - a material that catches fire very easily.

    How to light a fire with sticks?

    This method is the most labor-intensive of all. It consists of taking a stick (drill) and a board in which a small depression is made. We insert a stick into it, hold it between our palms and begin to twist it until the board begins to smolder. Under this place you need to put tinder, which will light up when a coal hits it.

    How to light a fire with a flint?

    Everyone knows that when flint hits iron it produces a spark. Therefore, to get a fire, you need to put tinder (a rag or moss is best for these purposes) and start striking a spark from a stone near it. Having a flint and a metal object (a chair or a knife) with you on a hike, you can light a fire even in damp weather.

    How to light a fire with a lens?

    The method is to use glass to focus the light into one beam and direct the sunbeam so that it hits the pile of tinder. After a few minutes it will light up. You can also use a piece of ice or a water-filled balloon as a lens.

    Non-standard ways to start a fire

    These include:


    IN extreme situations It is essential to know how to start a fire. Thanks to fire, you can boil water, cook food, sound a signal, dry clothes and keep warm. Situations may arise when you do not have auxiliary means at hand, so you need to know how to make a fire without matches and a lighter.

    Starting a fire using the standard method.

    Before moving on to the question of how to light a fire without matches and a lighter, let's talk about standard methods breeding. Any survival kit must have matches or a lighter.

    Matches can be of several types:
    - wind and moisture resistant
    - elongated with a long piece of wood
    - non-grate matches that can ignite when rubbed against any surface

    It is important proper storage and the use of matches:
    — matches needed should be stored in airtight packaging
    - if there are very few matches, then they can be split in half
    - if the matches are damp, you can dry them by rubbing them on clean, dry hair
    - always have a spare box of matches

    A lighter may be more effective for starting a fire. Lighters are divided into alcohol, gasoline and gas. When choosing a lighter, you should not take the cheapest ones. Inexpensive lighters quickly evaporate alcohol and gasoline, and they can fail at any time. Always have a spare flint.

    Procedure and rules for making a fire

    To successfully start a fire, you must follow following rules and order:

    1. To start a fire, you need to find tinder or a material that is easily flammable. Ideal for this:
    - paper
    - textile
    - thin dry birch bark
    - dry grass
    - cones
    - dry tinder

    2. Prepare firewood and brushwood. The brushwood burns well. As soon as the brushwood flares up, you need to add firewood, which will be the main fuel. The brushwood must be dry. If the heat is high, then you can use damp firewood; the moisture from it will quickly evaporate.

    3. You should be especially careful when choosing a place for a fire. The fire should be as far as possible from tents, dry trees, and buildings to avoid fire. If the place where the fire is made is damp or covered with snow, then it is necessary to make an elevation of stones and earth.

    4. Select the type of fire and arrange the firewood accordingly. In this case, it is necessary to ensure the flow of oxygen to the fire.

    5. Get a fire and build a flame. Use matches, a lighter, or strike a spark and light the tinder, then light the brush. As soon as the brushwood flares up, you can set fire to thick wood.

    How to start a fire using a lens

    If you don't have matches and a lighter, you can start a fire using the sun and a lens. The sun has always been an unlimited source of energy, and on a clear day you can easily start a fire using a lens or even a piece of glass. To start a fire, you need to concentrate the sun's rays at one point. Concentrating the rays, ignite the tinder and build a fire.

    If you don’t have lenses, then glasses, a mirror, the shiny bottom of an aluminum can are perfect, and winter time even a piece will do pure ice. A plastic bag filled with water is also suitable for starting a fire. Using your hands, shape the bag into a lens shape and concentrate the sun's rays. To start a fire, use ice to shape it into a lens using your hands. If you start a fire using an aluminum can, it can be sanded down for greater efficiency.

    Making fire by friction

    The most ancient method of making fire is friction. When friction occurs, the surfaces play out and you can get fire. Since ancient times, a bow drill was used to produce fire by friction, then flint and steel began to be used. Currently, flint and alloys of some metals are used as flint. Main feature flint is that it is not afraid of wind and water; the sparks produced can reach 3000 °C. To successfully start a fire using flint, you need dry tinder, which can be a significant problem in some conditions.

    In the absence of flint, you can build a simple bow drill. For a bow drill you will need a flat piece of wood, a rod and a flexible branch for the bow. A rod rests against a flat piece of wood and is driven into rotation by means of a bow. Friction arises as a result of which fire can be produced. In a flat piece of wood it is necessary to make a groove for the rod and a channel for removing coals. A branch 1 cm thick is suitable for the rod. As a bow string, you can use rope, laces, or a belt cut into thin strips. The rod is rested against a piece of wood and wrapped around a bowstring. Moving the bow back and forth with the help of a bowstring, we transfer the rotation to the piece of wood. As a result of friction, the temperature rises. You need to add tinder to the groove. As soon as smoke appears, the tinder is fanned until a fire appears.

    In extreme cases, you can do without a bow, then you will have to rotate the rod with your palms. But this method is not effective.
    Although this method Starting a fire without matches or a lighter is simple, but starting a fire will require skill. You may not be able to start a fire the first time.

    Starting a fire using a chemical method

    You can start a fire using chemical reactions. To do this, you can use the following components:
    — Potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) and sugar in a ratio of 9:1
    — Potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) and glycerin (strictly use 1-2 drops)
    — Potassium permanganate and antifreeze. For this method, pour 1 teaspoon of potassium permanganate onto the paper and add a few drops of antifreeze. The paper is rolled tightly and covered with tinder. As a result of slow oxidation, heat is released.

    You can use cartridges to start a fire. You have to be extremely careful with this method. It is necessary to remove the bullet, shot and hammer in flammable material (birch bark, cotton wool, moss). Next, we shoot into the ground next to the prepared tinder. In addition, you can ignite gunpowder using a chair.

    The next method of starting a fire is quite exotic. You will need a battery and foil. The foil is folded in the middle to create a narrow place. Next, the battery poles are short-circuited using foil. Strong heating will occur in the twisted place, which will help build a fire.

    Bonfire in hiking conditions often means the life of a traveler. It is simply impossible to overestimate its importance: the fire of a fire is warmth with which you can warm up, it is an opportunity to dry things and cook food. Sometimes fire is just an opportunity to survive. Usually we are used to lighting it with matches or a lighter, which are always at hand (many tourists take dry alcohol or some kind of liquid with them on hikes to light a fire). But this is not always at hand, and situations vary. What if suddenly the situation is extreme: the matches are wet, the lighter does not work, the forest around is after rain and everything around is damp? What then? Die from the cold? Or should I try to start a fire? How?

    I found it on the net interesting project from Grigory Sokolov dedicated to non-standard methods of starting a fire in camping conditions - I’m sharing. There are many of them and fire can almost always be obtained. I have made a selection according to the most interesting methods from his collection, maybe it will be useful to someone.

    Method No. 1. An old flint lighter that has run out of gas.

    The most common situation on a hike. There was the last lighter, but it’s a shame - all the gas came out. What to do, how to make fire? The video answers this question. Even an empty lighter can provide you with fire and warmth.

    Method number 2. Making fire in damp wood by friction.

    Situation: To make fire, only a knife and a small piece of rope are at hand. It has recently rained in the forest and everything around is damp and wet. Method - light the fire by rubbing the onion.

    Method No. 3. Getting fire from a battery and a small piece of foil.

    Batteries are such a thing these days that we very often have them on hand. Know that if you have a battery and some foil, for example from some kind of food packaging, then you also have a fire.

    Method number 4. Wire friction method

    Knife and small piece steel wire- that’s actually all that is needed to get fire in this way. And also a little physical activity. 🙂

    Method No. 5. Method of making fire by rolling cotton wool with chalk

    In places where people used to live, in old abandoned houses you can always find cotton wool. In furniture, mattresses, upholstery. Chalk - whitewashing walls. Using this method you can get fire.

    Method number 6. Getting fire with the sun and a condom

    Generally speaking, a condom on a hike useful thing. In addition to its direct purpose, it can be used as a hermetic bag, as a container for storing water and, below, as a means for starting a fire in camp conditions.

    Method No. 7. Making fire with a spoon and the sun.

    An ordinary steel spoon, which should be slightly bent, a little soot from the pot and a piece toilet paper- that's all that is needed to get fire. Yes, and of course - sunny weather.

    Method No. 8. Getting fire from the sun and an old gas bottle

    Old gas cylinder has one very useful part for this method of making fire. Namely, the bottom. An empty beer can will also work, by the way.

    Method number 9. Fire from the sun and reflector from a flashlight

    It turns out that the reflector of a flashlight, headlight or any other device for directional light is an almost ideal lens for receiving fire from the sun.

    Method No. 10. Fire from the sun and two bottle bottoms

    “Use what is at hand and don’t look for anything else.” (c) Vilias Fog. In this case, fire is made from garbage, which is often much more around than required. A structure consisting of two bottoms glass bottles, a small amount of water and, of course, the sun may well provide you with fire.

    Method No. 11. Old light bulb, water and sun.

    You may find old light bulbs in a place where people once lived. And they can serve well when making fire if there is nothing else at hand.

    Method No. 12. Ice + sun = fire!

    And finally - a completely extreme technology for making fire. Ice, sun, cleaver and a little hard work. Unlikely to be useful, but very impressive!

    Grigory Sokolov - many thanks for the material provided.


    Making fire is one of the most useful skills a person can have. In this article we will tell you what you can use to make fire in conditions wildlife. Survival in difficult conditions dictates its own rules that you need to accept and be able to adapt to them. Let's find out what you can use to make fire?

    Fire can be made in various ways. For example, with the help of sunlight, by carving, by drilling, by simple friction. Each of these methods of making fire also has some variations. If for some reason you find yourself in the wild, you will probably need to get a fire. After reading this article you will understand how this can be done.

    1. How to make fire with a condom

    You will need to fill the condom with water, the bottle can also be filled with water. After which we receive a means for focusing the sun's rays. You look for a windless place, install the “lens” accordingly and just go about your business. Rest assured, the fire will already be burning by the time you arrive.

    2. How to make fire using an iron can

    Look at the bottom of a beer can - it is concave, and it can perfectly “collect” the sun's rays. But it is better to pre-polish it for high-quality focusing. After which this part of the jar can be used to make fire.

    3. How to make fire using a piece of ice

    Perhaps you have seen one of the episodes of the MythBusters program? There they just told and demonstrated how you can make a lens for starting a fire from a piece of a certain shape of ice. So in the episode the presenters used a round piece of ice. Thus, even ice can become a “source” of fire. If there is no ice nearby, you can make a piece of ice of the required shape yourself. Just take the bag and fill it with water, you just need the bag to take the desired round shape. Then you bury it under the snow and after a while the ice lens will be ready.

    4. Making fire using the “blacksmith” method

    If you have a nail with you, then simply find a material into which you can drive the nail. Next, simply drive the nail in for about three minutes, turning it periodically. It will get so hot that you can use it to light a piece of tinder.

    5. How to make fire using flint carving

    A piece of steel can be used as a chair, but only hardened steel. But it will still be more difficult to make fire using flint, although it may be found right on the road. If you are looking for flint, you need to find only very hard ones; soft ones will not work.

    If the stone is hard, then it looks like glass, cloudy or even transparent. You are unlikely to get fire from a smooth stone, but if you break the stone into two parts, you will be able to get a spark from the sharp part. To determine which stone sparks the most, simply test each stone one at a time.

    The tinder you will burn should be as dry as possible. Fine tinder can be obtained from wood fibers. For example, you can also use cotton socks. In addition, plant fluff ignites well. You need to make fire only in a windless place. It is advisable to hold the tinder over the flint.

    6. Making fire by rubbing a rope against a stick

    A pine one might work as a stick. A split is made in it, where the tinder is placed. But the tinder must be placed in such a way that there is space under the stick. The rope is better if it is made of natural fibers. You can make handles at the ends of the rope for convenience. Holding the stick with your foot, we “saw” it with a rope from below. Movements should be frequent and fast. Within a few seconds you will be able to see smoke. And later you can fan the fire out of it.

    7. Making fire by rubbing a cotton ball

    Between two planks lies cotton wool, which can be taken, for example, from an old padded jacket. Then simply “iron” the cotton wool with planks using sharp and frequent movements. After a while you will see that the cotton wool will begin to smolder. The method is quite simple, but at the same time quite effective.

    8. How to make fire by rubbing two sticks together

    Take a board and make a groove in it at a certain angle where you can insert a stick. Next, you need to press this stick and just move it until clouds of smoke appear. The abraded material will be collected in the appropriate place. Later the powder will turn dark brown. Some particles of powder will fly off and fall to the side, while they smoke, but no sparks are visible.

    A fire can only break out in a place where enough powder has been collected and heated to high temperatures. It is important that air flows freely into the pile of powder. It is better to use planks and sticks from such tree species as beech and pine. For this method of making fire, you should not use aspen and linden.

    9. How to make fire by drilling

    A shallow hole is made in some part of the wood, into which a stick is subsequently inserted. The top of the hole needs to be covered with a stone.

    Next to the hole you will need to place a material that will subsequently light up. It could be lint, moss, wick or tinder. The stick must be set in motion using a bow, which is placed on the stick using the overlap method.