Processing Amadou Tinder ~ Horse Hoof Fungus

Demonstrating the traditional way to process Amadou tinder from Fomes fomentarius.
More commonly known as, Horses hoof fungus, Tinder conk, Tinder fungus, Ice man fungus.
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Just key words Guys...
Bushcraft, Primitive, Fire making / lighting, Tinder, Survival.

[@flattail]

I never realized the amadou layer was so thin or that it took so much work to get a usable amount. Thanks for the video--very informative!

[@Leofricson]

Good vid. Clear concise and none of the usual 'look at me' bull. Well done.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Haha, cheers Leo, and happy new year buddy. Thanks Andy

[@tomthomas334]

Good comment, I hate the look at me bull, sometimes I wont watch a video because of it lol seriously, I get annoyed.

[@ksuhuh]

Life is like a box of horsehooffungus, you never know what u gonna get

[@JD-sd8tf]

Cheers - brilliant and clear amadou prep guide. I'm going to have a go for sure. Thanks!

[@TheWildYam]

Great video! Thanks for taking the time to do such a detailed video. Love how the amadou tinder has such a slow burn. Cheers!

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Your welcome and thanks for watching. Great channel you've got... subbed

[@jinxjones5497]

a minute and a half in and I've learned more than I knew and it's ongoing. *smashes the sub button*

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Jinx, glad you enjoyed it bro.

[@josephmckee2660]

thanks for taking the time to make and post this video. I can't wait to get out and collect the materials to try this.

[@dennisjj6529]

That was great. Your reasoning was extra helpful....pictures, commentary, and description was the best I've seen. Thanks again.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

+Dennis JJ Thanks Dennis. I'm glad you enjoyed it bro. Cheers Andy

[@kiethbelcher3144]

I found some today and wasn't sure of how to process it. top video buddy answered all my questions. cheers

[@stuartwrightn.d.9483]

Great informative piece of video! Thank you and be well. Doc

[@SmallTownBigBass]

I have also found them growing on aspen and even poplar trees! they're abundant little suckers

[@storbunlimitedbushcraft6996]

Excellent video showing the process in great detail. 👍🏽

[@WayPointSurvival]

Thanks for sharing this. Really appreciate the info.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks buddy, glad you enjoyed it.

[@anthonyjacobs6790]

Thanks for another wonderfully professional video.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

+Anthony Jacobs Thanks Anthony, muchly appreciated buddy. Cheers, Andy

[@anthonyjacobs6790]

Really clear and informative video, thank you.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Anthony, glad you enjoyed it

[@TheLastLancer]

Well explained, and very helpful. Thank you.

[@BASurvival]

nice video on how to make amadou ,thanx for sharing, going to be on the look out for horse hoof fungus so i can make some

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks pal. Defantly, let me know how it turns out. Great tinder to harvest, takes a spark from a flint n steel as easy as char cloth. Cheers Andy

[@BeeOutdoors]

Awesome video, educational and well presented 💪

[@samanthacarter27]

Very helpful video. The best one I have seen on the subject. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience :)

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Samantha, muchly appreciated 😊

[@autoscanremaps]

Great video, very helpful. It's good to have several tinder options, I will look out for these on my next outing !!

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed my video. Happy new year

[@stoke101]

What a brilliant demo mate, cheers for sharing and I've subscribed. Got some horses hoof yesterday so will give it a go next weekend.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Andrew. That's awesome buddy, let me know how it turns out. Cheers Andy

[@Standswithabeer]

most excellent--thank you!

[@karenstephenson427]

Great vid - thanks!

[@zigy663]

awesome thanks, a buddy at work was telling me about chaga so i went lookin and found some of this stuff

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

Apparently you can char your spores part, for like a charred punk wood type ember catching sinario, that type of principle.casting flint and steel onto it, or using your ferro rod. So its a useful by product. Not to be wasted.

[@zacharyrobinson6656]

I see this stuff every time I go to the Black Hills in South Dakota. Lots of birch out there, literally everyplace. When there is birch on the ground I see this fungus as well as on standing trees nearby. I actually take the birch bark off dead trees for fire starting. I had no idea the fungus that killed it can be used as tinder! Thanks for sharing some info!

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Zachary. Beautiful part of the world your in brotha. Yes, the Birch trees got so many uses. You can tap them like Maple trees, extract the sap. kinda like sugar water, very refreshing. plus you can heat it up & make birch syrup. The barks awesome.. you can soak it & make casts for say a broken arm, Canoes, Containers & like you said.. great as a tinder & fire wood too. Cheers buddy Andy

[@4directionsbushcraft]

Thanks for sharing that. I learned a lot from that one

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Your welcome mate. I'm on my last few pieces, so I'll be making another batch next time I'm out. Thanks Andy

[@gardensofthegods]

@@ClanGunnBushcraft I just saw your vid and subscribed . This was really informative and I liked your style because you act like a normal human being ; none of this flirting with the camera and some of them when they are looking at the camera are really admiring themselves and it's rather disgusting to watch the narcissism nowadays . Thank you for being you , being so helpful without the swagger and without making a big production out of it . All of these positives will make it so much easier for me to share these vids with others . I actually did not know that you're supposed to boil the Amadou and I had never seen that before . The first time I ever heard of amadou was when they found an ancient man in the ice of the Alps I think they said he was over 5,000 years old and in his little bag was some amadou .

[@craftywildcamps]

Great video. Cheers, Steve.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

C Veg Thanks Steve Appreciate it Brotha. Andy

[@fuzzlenuff]

Very informative and I like your idea of using what appears to be swing set chain and hooks for your pot hanger.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Cheers Billy. Yeah, the pot hangers just an old bicycle lock chain with four Ikea utensil hooks clamped on to it. Works well. Thanks for watching

[@fuzzlenuff]

You're welcome. I think I'll run with your idea and go to a hardware store and get a length of swing set chain and a couple of black bungee straps to get the hooks from. Hope you don't mind. Thanks for the video.

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

I have seen people tease out and shape the amadou with their fingers and it really stretches the amadou out a ends up like a suede type leather, for flint and steel. Like natures char cloth. Wish i could get that technique mastered.

[@natedwards7019]

Great video and great info mate, cheers

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Nat, appreciate it buddy. Cheers Andy

[@BobbyMulqueen]

Nice video. 👍🏻

[@JoeZUGOOLA]

Picked up some of these ages ago.. need to get my ass in gear and process them.

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

Best processed straight away

[@justaman-km1hl]

Nice work mate! Greetings from clan Gunn Florida US! Aut pax aut bellum! As an aside I find belly button and clothes dryer lint the best tinder ever. We don't have this in Florida but we do have pine tar/sap/pitch which is like petrol!

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Welcome brotha, great to meet another clan member. Our heritage is getting lost over the generations. Glad you know where you come from. Alba gu brath, Slan's beannachd. You must have alot of belly button fluff! haha. Pine resin is a great resource! I use pine pitch glue in my latest video to bind arrow heads to shafts. Makes a great natural glue. Take care brotha. Cheers, Andy

[@medievalwop6623]

Very nice indeed.

[@themiwoodsman7222]

Nice demo on Amadou my friend !

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

the mi woodsman Cheers pal, thanks for watchin Take care.

[@karlo8093]

very helpful. Thanks much!

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Karl. atb Andy

[@WoodsmanocD86]

Nice one mate - Gonna give this a go - I made char cloth for the first time last week while I was out - didn't realise it was so simple,, and it catches a spark - Bonus!!!ATB bud - Marcus

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Nice one buddy. Char cloths a great tinder. Have you lit it with a flint and steel yet? Amadou's an excellent tinder too, humans have been harvesting it for donkeys mate. It burns a very hot ember. In modern times its only really practical as a tinder you would light with a flint and steel. There's many other easier thing's you can light with a ferro rod without much or any processing. But back in the day before ferro rods, and when cloth either didn't exist or was too valuable to char, amadou was widely used. Cheers Marcus, let me know how it goes bud. atb Andy

[@m005kennedy]

Interesting.

[@jameswill9527]

They make a great tea. It helps me sleep a lot,

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

I've never tried it, but I hear its got alot of medicinal qualities! Thanks for watching brother

[@debbiecurtis4021]

I need to try this

[@gvidomiezis1593]

thanks 💪

[@mickerdoodle51]

Thanks, from this, I could do it...

[@kellergibson5643]

Mate you have very good videos keep it up by the way nice knife you go their the big one! Thanks for sharing ;)

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Keller. Glad your enjoying my videos brotha. Cheers, Andy

[@abcxyz9643]

I came to see it processed into an amadou hat but still a good video haha. I need that hat though.

[@HARDYSFISHINGADVENTURES]

i charred a load of this works well il try these ideas too ty

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks pal, never even though about charing it, I'll give it a go next time I'm out. Cheers Andy

[@adamblackman6660]

Great video... it would be nice to mention that it’s also a medicine. Do you use the spore tubes for anything? You could probably make tea from it.

[@johnnieandpam]

I take it apart in sections process it seperatly, the part in the middle is grains up and down you can peel it off in small peaces and fuz them up after they dry, you should try it,and make another video.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks, I'll try that. I'm off to record another camp video tomorrow, only got one little piece of amadou left, going to process some more. I'll give it a go. Lovin the country singing, good voice! Very cowboy :) Cheers buddy Andy

[@Tunkkis]

I always read that the reason for the birch ash is because it does a sort of a lye, and not that the ash soaks into the amadou.

[@charronfamilyconnect]

I read that an amadou mushroom can hold a spark for up to 3 days. Wonder how true this is? Would you happen to know? Thanks for the video!

[@Superabound2]

9:12 that burning pile of Amadou looked like Scooby Doo

[@johnnymac1165]

really good that pal love the vids , just starting to get into bush craft so every bit helps

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

+john mcivor Thanks John Nice one, great knowledge to learn brotha. A little daunting at first, but a huge sense of satisfaction when things start to click. Where about's in the world are you?? Cheers Andy

[@johnnymac1165]

+Clan Gunn Bushcraft burnley lancs bud

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

+john mcivor Lovely part of the UK & not to far from the lake district. Amazing place to camp & practace them skills.

[@johnnymac1165]

its not bad where abouts are you

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

+john mcivor Origanally Stranraer, but moved to Derbyshire (Buxton) in the late 80's. Do most of my camping & videos around Galloway forest area. I feel at home in them woodlands :)

[@davidledoux1736]

Nice video! Very informational. Sub'd

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks David, appreciate it buddy. Cheers Andy

[@onelove6189]

Eventually found one today. didn’t know about the ash being added in the process.

[@jonathaneves5847]

Excellent! Concise! Instructive! 10/10. Can I ask where in the Uk you are for vid? Shropshire? Wales? Thanks ✌🏽️🐝

[@JoeZUGOOLA]

Derbyshire?

[@BushcraftCooking]

Mushrooms are a good option to start the fire, its texture is much softer than wood.

[@rabiyeozdemir]

👍👍👍

[@charronfamilyconnect]

Have you tried making a cap/hat from this?

[@powaowa1]

does any ash make an improvement with the mixture or just birch ash?

[@4070Raymond]

Hello mate, thanks for the vid, just a question do you have to boil the Amadou in the ash water or can you leave it in the water to soak, cheers mate.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Ray. Yeah, back in the day before steel pots n cooking vessels, they'd just leave it to soak for 2-3 days, rather than boiling it. Iv only ever made one batch this way, but it produced good quality amadou. Cheers buddy atb Andy

[@paulclifford8751]

Hey dude how you doing? another great vid man. Just out of interest what camera's do you use for video and photographs because they are excellent quality. love the photos you take man, really cool.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Paul, I'm good, hope your well brotha. My kits not too good though, really could do with an upgrade. I'm a tech idiot. Been watching endless amounts of boring camera reviews for a few months now lol. For most of my recording I use a Sony Cybershot HX50 & my phone.. Samsung Galaxy S6. Earlier vids was the S4. Most of the photos are with the Galaxy's, photos turn out really well. Then end part of this vid is recorded with my crappy cam that I attach to my rifle.. Panasonic SRD-S45, but I'm looking forward to the day I replace it as I'm guna launch it into the woods!! lolhaha I hate it!! :) I think I'm guna get the Go-pro 4 silver!? Maybe Santa will bring it for me? Cheers bro Andy

[@paulclifford8751]

+Clan Gunn Bushcraft that surprises man. it does the job though dude, nice bright colourful videos. I can imagine you launching that the old pannasonic. don't shoot a squirrel all day then knock one out with your camcorder hahaha

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

+Paul Clifford Haha Cheers buddy.

[@riversandroots]

Hello. Nice video! I was wondering about the soaking in ash part. Is there an ash water ratio that is needed? Is there a PH you're trying to get? Also, will this method work for the cooler spark of flint and steel?

[@danneeson4341]

Old question but still. Ash from leafed trees contains potassium nitrate (pot ash ium). The idea is to in a primitive way nitrating the amadou.

[@skylovecraft2491]

I heard it was a 1:1 ratio of birch ash to water. It was in another KZbin video but i never tried it. I imagine it helps to soften and further dry out the fibers bit that is just a guess

[@alliesofnature]

Brilliant, thanks very much. I was first shown amadou techniques on my 3 year shamanic training but you have added quite a degree of clarity I may well be back for further insights. A very well put together video. I best go and look for some more horse hoof fungus. I think I missed the boiling part before so perhaps that is where I went wrong. x

[@skylovecraft2491]

Where did you do a 3 yr shamanic training? So cool!!

[@timfoulstone6418]

Thanks for the video but I just tried my first attempt and my knife safety is obviously not up to scratch and the whole process takes so long I think I'm going to stick with charring cloth or punk wood. Anyway thanks again.

[@Snarky79]

Nice Vid! How would one compare and/or differentiate Chaga from amadou?? The same??(??)

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

Amadou is a inner layer you process, chaga you dont need to process and looks different. Your amadou if processed properly you can flint and steel. You cannot flint and steel chaga like char cloth, as you can amadou. Both are great coal extenders.

[@hoagyfire]

great vid ! your stump wood looked like fat wood ??

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks buddy. No, it's an old Yew tree stump. There's a lot of downed pines in the area with great fatwood tho. I tend to pick pine resin straight from damaged trees. I find it more useful than carrying fat wood. Cheers Andy

[@johnnieandpam]

it also makes good tea, i made some and im still alive and well.

[@michaelcandido2824]

Johnnie Blevins , its medicinal.

[@gardensofthegods]

It's a form of chaga from what I understand.... I was getting chaga fairly cheaply about 10 years ago from a Russian shop in Tampa Florida . I was in an Asian supermarket the other day and I could not believe they were selling chaga ( a small amount of it maybe an ounce ?... for $27 .

[@col8179]

It’s been proven non medicinal

[@skylovecraft2491]

@@gardensofthegods and usually when chaga is bought it is not grown naturally in nature because they grow it in bags or containers and not on real birch where they get their medicinal value from. Needs to grow in nature on a real tree for the medicine to be potent. Best we all just forage for medicines rather than buy them i think. It's fun too. And i know what you mean about high cost of supplements. I use to spend a few hundred dollars a month on supplements for yrs then realized i can forage it all. Now i'm hooked! Btw SOME suppliers will sell naturally found mushrooms but you must check the company to see if they do.✌

[@wtwoods6687]

How do you store the amadou for future use?

[@carpy1970]

In a little tin or bag is fine.

[@hangswithraccoons]

Really cool man! Have you learned how to turn it into a hat yet? I have seen a guy with an Amadu hat on. I think the kind of make a felt out of it or something. I was reading about it a few years ago. See KZbin video "Paul Stamets at TEDMED 2011" he is wearing a hat in it. Just found your channel. Subscribed! :)

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Cheers brotha. Iv seen a few pictures of the amadou hats, but I haven't a clue how they process it into a workable fabric. I'll defantly check out that link tho. Thanks and iv subbed back :) Cheers Andy

[@hangswithraccoons]

Clan Gunn Bushcraft Cool man! :) Thanks! Lol!

[@skylovecraft2491]

I wish someone would make a horse fungus/amadou mushroom tea video to show how they process it. Can i just cut up the entire amadou and throw it in boiling water to make tea? Or do i peel the outer layer off? Can i put the pore stems in the tea too? I forget what that part is called oops

[@mhenhawke5093]

great video, but what is it used for ? Mark

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks Mark. I'm demonstrating it as a tinder which when processed lights with just a spark. Handy in the world of bushcraft, but it's also been used over the years and processed to make material / fabric and when boiled, makes a herbal tea to treat a bunch of illnesses. Cheers, Andy

[@mhenhawke5093]

Ok thanks bro. I feel silly, being a native indian and all. Mark..

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

No, you shouldn't. We've all lost so much knowledge when we compare ourselves to our ancestors. Wow! Great heritage. I know the native Indians use to smoke this stuff haha. Medicinal properties I guess? Thanks Mark, take care brotha

[@mhenhawke5093]

Yeha/Noha

[@bjellison905]

Can this be found on locust as well

[@bjellison905]

There's a dead birch near them but no fungus on it. It's completely punky

[@kkoktan1601]

I have collected these. They are dry - too late to process?

[@michaelcandido2824]

K Koktan , if you cant use them as tinder anymore, boil and drink the tea out of them. Very medicinal.

[@johnnieandpam]

I find that the whole thing can be used for tinder i have burned it right from the tree still moist.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Yes, the shell is basically tree bark, it'll burn well. Do you mean putting the hole hoof in a fire or get it lit with a spark straight off the tree? I prefer to remove the amadou pieces and process them in the ashed boiling water. Produces much better quality material.

[@schn00bs55]

I have done this. My pile didn't take a spark from flint and steel and with a ferrocerium rod you can easily light up birchbark or any woodshavings directly... so whats the point of this?

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

What's the point!? sure using a ferro rod & processed birch is much easier, but then I could say... Why are you using o ferro rod & processed birch bark when I could just pull out ma zippo and light a fuel cube!! It's alot easier, so what's the point??? This is a bushcraft channel, we're I practace bushcraft. Learning old primitive skills, ancient ways of living, living off the land & utilising what's on it. Nothing in reality is easy or quick, it's hard & slow paced. And just to correct ya, YES you can light amadou with a flint & steel. Think about it... The earlyest evidence of people using amadou for fire lighting is 5,000+ years ago! Do you think they used their ferrocerium rod they bought off eBay to light their amadou? No they used flint & iron pyrite or marcasite, which was what peeps used before the advent of steel. People then used steel as their main tool for lighting & charred wood, plant material or amadou as their tinder. Cloth was also relatively new & too valuable to use as charing material. They used these methods from the iron age up until the invention of the match. You do know that ferrocerium rods are man made rite?? None natural! Not that you could make one. Maybe instead of leaving hard working channels dick head comments, maybe you should put that time to practacing your skills ;)

[@schn00bs55]

+Clan Gunn Bushcraft Well, my comment wasn't ment to be offensive. I just didn't and still dont understand why you would use a firerod in combination with Amadou tinder - which you did in your video. From my experience, I doubt that amadou tinder - processed like shown here - will take a spark from flint and steel. Nevertheless I can be wrong about that, since I'm speaking from my own experience with that fungus. Under that assumption, the only thing I see what amadou would be used for, is as an additive to prosecced birchbark or powdered punk wood, to receive an longer lasting ember. Bushcraft is all about getting things done with the possibilities you got, in the most efficient way. Processing tinder fungus for hours to light them up with a ferro-rod is inefficient, therefore pointless. By the way: Your offensive interpretations about what I think or don't think are wrong.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

+Schn00bs This video is on how to process Amadou. Not how to make fire with it. I'm at work and on my phone, so I can't add the link, but please type in... Flint & steel + horseshoe amadou = fire. By a channel called g0lb. It's only 40 seconds long. If you still don't believe your eyes? Watch the other dozens of videos below it. If you still don't believe it? I'll make a fire with it on my next camp video. I'm back out at the weekend.

[@schn00bs55]

+Clan Gunn Bushcraft Thanks for your response.

[@Jafmanz]

amazing video but id rather just grab 1 cat tail as I walk past a lake and be done.

[@ClanGunnBushcraft]

Thanks bro and I agree! There's many more easier tinders to use nowadays with more modern materials like ferro rods, pistons and high carbon steel with flint, but it's more so the primitive, ancient side of learning this knowledge that interests me! Back in the day before modern fire making tools, we used friction, or iron pyrites with flint to create a very dull, cold and few and far inbetween spark. Amadou was one of the best and widely used tinders to hold such a cold spark. Thanks for watching

[@emregulecyuz6908]

Where is new video Türkis men

[@branni6538]

You still out n about fella???