Frontier Fire Seminar from the Camping and Woodcraft Class

[@survivalcomms]

A month after attending the basic class I was on a section hike with my friend who attended the class with me. It was a miserably wet day and we made camp after dark close to some other hikers who had obviously been trying to build a fire. I sent my friend off to gather smalls and I prepared a tinder bundle from materials gathered earlier and dried on my person. With a single strike of a ferro rod on char cloth and a properly prepared tinder bundle we had a sustainable fire we cooked from in short order. One of the persons camped there said " That was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen " They related they had been trying to start a fire with lighters and commercial accelerant based fire starters to no avail for some time. The point I am making with this is that the principles shown in this video are solid and that properly employed and practiced knowledge of such principles can and will outweigh contemporary technology employed without such principles whilst retaining sustainability. Thank you for sharing !

[@duxdawg]

+SurvivalComms So true! Knowledge is our best tool.

[@wyattoneable]

The best instruction on KZbin for bush craft and self reliance and we got it for free. Awesome.

[@gimponatrip425]

Third time I've watched this video and seems like I learn something new every time

[@Tonnsfabrication]

I thought this was going to be a waste of time, WOW I was wrong. This might be one of the best most informative teachings Ive ever watched.

[@pm8446]

This format is one of the best yet

[@iphonemusings]

You are a great teacher Dave.

[@simpleman8644]

I have learnt so much from this guy since lockdown. Going out today to collect punk wood and fat wood with my daughter.

[@Mr_Green892]

I can tell from your explanations how many fires you have made using these techniques, you do until you can't mess it up. A true professional.

[@pitchdarkrunner5611]

I was watching and thinking, "solar isn't limitless if you need to use a resource like char cloth," but then OF COURSE you follow through with natural tinders. I've learned so much rom your channel and hope to one day be able to attend at least one course. All the best!

[@duxdawg]

+Hickory Bear Punkwoods, most fungi, plant fluffs, grasses, etc can all work with solar, ferro, etc in their charred states. Some work when uncharred.

[@chazmyrtormtor]

That rub cloth was awesome. First time I have seen that.

[@williamdroom5789]

Great class and instructor. Thoroughly enjoy Dave's teaching style.

[@gregstritch9736]

My grandpa and my scoutmaster taught us to find some punk wood or cat tail to bury under our first fire lay. It would char in the fire and be a resource for every fire to follow. With fatwood to shave and a ferro rod or magnifying glass, we never needed the match. Great video. Thanks for sharing. Greg

[@MachinatoVitae]

+Greg Stritch That's a great tip! I'll have to try that. I always wondered how I'd make char-material without a tin or clay to make a container.

[@gregstritch9736]

+MachinatoVitae Thanks for the kind note. My Scoutmaster, retired USAF Col Evans used to tell us boys that the most important thing about fire is your next fire. Once you have your first fire, then you have charred material and your magnifying lens, flint and steel get you the ember for your next fire. Haven't used a match in years. All the best. Greg

[@MachinatoVitae]

+duxdawg Holy shit, I did not ask, nor do I care.

[@MrMkirk23]

Man I absolutely love Dave. I really need to take some time off from the corporate grind and get out in the woods and learn from him.

[@benterwellen]

Very good Video, Ty Dave

[@hip2bsquareguitar]

In my opinion, smartest bloke on this planet. South Shields, England. 2022.

[@archaeologicalrecoveryteam3160]

I never get tired of your videos Dave, another great job.

[@KE8NKO_Radio]

Great learning vid for anyone right here. I'm of the mindset always be prepared for the most unlikely of scenarios, then you're prepared for any scenario. I've got multiple ways of starting fires if need be in case one method isn't feasible. 2 types of lighters, flame and electronic that heats a coil. Ferro rod. Flint and steel. Magnifying glass and matches.

[@39Thorns]

God Bless you Dave, for a uique vision, and the effort you put into bringing us knowledge.

[@dalemyers9265]

i really like this format of instruction.

[@yveskc1]

Great informative video. You brought a good point about using the sun first as a fire starter. Thanks for sharing!

[@watermain48]

Another great instructional video Dave, thank you for what you do. As a way of saying thanks I just went and put all the items in my wish list into my cart and ordered it. It was enough to get the free shipping option. The least I can do to thank you for what you have taught me and a lot of others.

[@toneyjohnson8910]

Another great video Dave. I will be adding rub cloth to my fire kit. Thanks again for all you do. As for the the guy who thinks his BIC will always flick I hope he never needs this info. Hey we all hope we never have to use this in a survival situation but it great to have just in case.

[@campfiretrickery]

Good demonstration with the magnifying glass that's a skill I haven't tried yet

[@robertbrunston5406]

All very good and very practical information! Thank you Dave.

[@dougdobkowski]

This video is gold! Thanks, Dave!

[@pacificbushcraftandfirecra6358]

Fire guru, your such a bad ass...show us how to make fire under water next? Great video, thanks Dave!

[@johnrossi4607]

Great stuff Dave.... can't wait for part 2. Making the black powder char cloth......PAPA DUKES

[@timothymcswain6235]

you cannot explain it any simple than that , thanks very informative

[@MrSIXGUNZ]

you are amazing sir !! can't wait till pay day I'm getting flint and steel!! blessings!!

[@FolkwayLodge]

I definitely need more flint and steel practice, thanks for the video.

[@betodebem]

Awesome Dave!!!

[@stealthysteve1]

Magnifying glass is my personal favorite method plenty of sunshine here in South Carolina

[@chrisgiddens231]

GREAT VIDEO good job Dave and thank you for all you do!

[@rheidtech]

thanks for the awesome video Dave. priceless.

[@jryan0891]

Great Video!! Can you show us how to make the material you spoke of using black powder??

[@Woodenarrows]

Excllent work Dave. I really like how you point out the little things that really add to the learning.

[@Ellisfilipino]

I really enjoyed the video. You hear and research a lot of info but great to see it put into action. Also great info of the fungus for fire starting that was the first I have seen it processed that way. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us. Your a little far from Georgia, have you ever thought of doing a school down here.

[@jamessix60]

That was a great video! Really good instructions, nice and simple . would like to see more like this. thanks again .

[@binnsbrian]

That was great. Thanks

[@davidharvey5672]

Thanks for the video, very informative as always. Got to go back to that awesome fire starting series you did enjoyed thise immensely

[@scuzzbecuzz]

Very good video for an old man....:)

[@TheHogtalare]

Great stuff man!

[@ChrisFoley0803]

Nice !Thanks again for giving us so much Information for free here on your channel.

[@cindymaag4212]

A+++ That was video was so informative and helpful. Thank you Dave! Please do more vid's like this one.

[@jamesnevels5815]

dave did you know that you can make fire by using what was called fast fire which is started by putting water on it no match needed. To do this all the materials that are needed are found readily available in nature all around the world ?

[@duxdawg]

+James Nevels Links to sites and vids?

[@PantsuMann]

This was great! I know a store here in town selling really small magnifying glasses. Gotta get one of those in my pack.

[@duxdawg]

With solar ignition the name of the game is size. A large low powered lens will out perform a small high powered lens every time. Credit card sized fresnel lenses in 3x or 5x have worked well for me for many years.

[@PantsuMann]

Do you think one of those pocket x6 lenses will work?

[@PantsuMann]

I think the one I saw was about 1,5" so It might do :)

[@dannypalmer8990]

Thank you for this vid. it cleared up using char cloth for me.

[@duxdawg]

Charred materials are excellent coal extenders which help with every form of ignition. We can make char with or without a tin or container of any kind. While only certain charred materials work well with F&S, char made from any plants or fungi can be used with most other forms of ignition. Even green leaves, green wood, etc can be charred and used.

[@scotthill6807]

In which class is fire starting with your beard taught? ;0) I love that commercial, funniest thing I've seen in years.

[@todddinezza3921]

Dave, Thanks for another Great Educational video! Best Wishes for a Happy Easter to you and your family. Looking forward to the next videos too. Any news about a Season 2 for D.R. Survival on the Nat Geo Channel? Thanks again, Todd D.

[@epicarj9895]

thanks for the great video

[@cja6847]

You should do more class time uploads..maybe make it a series or its own channel. although I'm sure you've considered this already, in my humble opinion I think this would lead to more subscribers and an opportunity for perspective students to glance thru the looking glass into your classes and see what they could gain hands on thru experience. Maybe have the classes sign off on a release form so they too can be included on camera for the upload..it gives them the chance to be more involved and to be seen. ? Not sure how you'd feel about that Dave.... Nevertheless, I enjoyed the upload. Enjoy Springtime bro.

[@musicandcoffee2853]

Thanks Dave! Would you recommend using flint and steel over the rods in very cold weather environments? Thanks again for your videos, they are a great help!

[@duxdawg]

+Music And Coffee People have used F&S in all weather all across the globe for 3,000 years. So yes, F&S works just fine in winter. The most important variables are your skill and comfort levels.

[@magnusb.w9088]

Would it be possible to ignite a thin piece of charred wood with a flint and steel like you did with the char cloth?

[@duxdawg]

+Magnus Willstrand Yes. Since charred wood tends to crumble, most strike sparks down into a pile of it rather than holding it on top of the rock. Hundreds of natural materials from plants and fungi work with F&S when charred. Two dozen also catch sparks from F&S in their raw, uncharred state.

[@angelosabatino7695]

Is there any good sources of flint in the Athens ohio area? I noticed a while back the meeting olace for your classes was not too far from here and i figured if anybody would know it would be you. If not,where do you usually get your flint from?

[@duxdawg]

+angelo sabatino The best flint I have ever used came from Texas. I have used dozens of types of rocks gathered from half the States, so that's saying something! There are many places to find suitable rocks online. Shop around for trades as sometimes you can find someone willing to send a box of rocks for natural materials they cannot gather in their area, for a small fee like $15 or even just the cost of postage.

[@duxdawg]

+angelo sabatino There are hundreds of types of rocks found all over the world, plus carbide steel, that work as the "flint". The common denominator is quartz, though any rock that is 58 HRC or higher and has a sharp edge works. Dozens of types of granite, sandstone, onyx, agate, chert, jasper, obsidian, quartz, flint, etc all work. Check out landscaping, sides of hills, river beds, farm fields, etc. There ought to be plenty of types of rocks that work in your area. Best thing to do is always carry a chunk of hacksaw blade, file or other striker and whack rocks until you learn what the rocks that work look like. If they crumble or leave a powdery white dust when smacked with another rock or a striker, they are too soft. If they are glassy, sparkly, shatter, have conchoidal fractures (look it up), break the other rocks when two types are smacked together, etc then they will probably work as "flint". Remember you need a sharp edge to get sparks. Have fun!

[@awlach8]

awesome video... it's a shame the quality of this video is superior than the pathfindertv version

[@tomritter493]

great video on staring a fire with multiple tools and birds nests

[@maisetas]

good stuff, but steel aint gonna last forever. you strike it so many times and it gets round and it gets hard to bite that steel with flint as it gets dull, you can also break that steel if it's to brittle. actually it doesnt matter what you carry but what you have and can make it work when necessary

[@duxdawg]

+maisetas Effectively the steel does last forever. Getting round has more to do with your technique than the steel, does not present a problem and if it did would be super easy to fix. Never had any purpose made nor improvised steel become "hard to bite". Suspect that has more to do with your rocks becoming dull than anything else. I have successfully used more than fifty improvised strikers and a dozen purposely made ones. I have worn 1/8" of steel off my two favorite strikers. But then I am pushing the envelope searching for which materials will work as improvised strikers and which will work as primary tinders (spark catchers that yield embers) in their charred and uncharred states and have started most of my hundreds of fires each year with F&S for years. All of those strikers are still going strong today. As Dave pointed out in the vid, he has a striker that is more than 100 years old and still going strong. So yeah, losing your steel is vastly more of a factor than wear will ever be.

[@duxdawg]

+maisetas There are hundreds of types of rocks found all over the world, plus carbide steel, that work as the "flint". There are dozens of steel implements from fish hooks to saw blades to shovels, plus a few types of rocks, that work as the "steel". There are hundreds of natural materials from plants and fungi that can be charred, and two dozen that do not need to be charred, so they will catch the sparks from F&S. We can char without a tin or container of any kind. Many ways to find dry tinder bundle materials even after days of rain and several ways to dry wet materials during rain or snow. Hundreds of natural materials that can be used in tinder bundles and several ways to make flames from embers without tinder bundles. There are numerous great reasons why F&S was the most commonly used source of ignition for many people groups all across the world in all weather conditions for the last 3,000 years!!

[@maisetas]

i dont need your wisdom of making fire, thank you. flint and steel were used because there was no better ignition source, not because they last long. if they had bic lighter they would have used it as primary ignition source without a doubt and flint n steel would only be used in emergency situations if needed and found. yeah yeah flint and steel are free yeah whatever. we live in 21century where you have to pay for everything, so spending another 50cents on bic lighter monthly wouldnt hurt a bit. knowing how to make fire different ways and practicing , well that's another story.and btw round smooth steel is bad you just wasting your rock, lmao.

[@phonecards1]

is your magnifying glass made of plastic or glass? where did you get it?

[@stryfe2009]

Hey Dave, my name is Dustin I have contacted you in the past on several occasions and thank you for all your advice, I have a new question/project I could use some advice on. I was gifted some darts from Marlboro as a promotion some time ago, now I have thrown darts in my time, but I don't make it a habit to go to a bar and throw darts so I really have no use for them....for the way they were intended. I have since been wanting to do another project with them and I was hoping you could maybe throw a video together or give me some pointer on how I can turn the 3 darts I have into a removable tri-spear tip/frog gig. I would like to have them slightly angled out and have the capability to remove them from the shaft or cap they are connected to so I can fashion a spear shaft in the field and just attach the cap and then dart/spear tips to that. I hope this makes sense...please contact me and I would love to explain this more is needed...it should be pretty straight forward I hope. Thanks.

[@WayOfTheWoods]

Darts aren't barbed. You're probably better just buying a frog gigging head, they're pretty cheap.

[@stryfe2009]

Thanks for your opinion, but I prefer to hear Daves. Thanks.

[@Hudson4426]

Would love to take a class from you!

[@MiClLC]

Can solar ignition ignite pine sap? Sap is my #1 go to source for fire

[@duxdawg]

+Dead Prepper Sap would not be a good choice for that. Instead generate a coal in some other material (char, punkwood, etc) and allow the coal to melt the sap. This will quickly produce flame. Make sure to allow the coal to grow large enough that the sap does not overwhelm it. Wax, scrapings from fatwood, and other substances work if out of pine pitch.

[@MiClLC]

duxdawg Right on man, thanks for the heads up

[@WorldSurvivalist]

Brilliant.

[@biglou4452]

Awesome👍

[@wanderingthewilderness]

good stuff

[@brianspencer4220]

Thanks for making it understandable & really a series of choices I need to get a magnifying glass Brian nearing 76 (About the living to 100 speak for yourself)

[@terrysaunders8948]

nice to no how to do this

[@trytosurvive3523]

Nice

[@brandenhagen1805]

How is the char cloth impregnated with gun powder made?

[@scotthill6807]

+Branden hagen Branden, he has that in a previous video. People call it Gray Cloth or Flash Cloth. If you search his vids you can probably find it. Hope this helps you out.

[@lostbear442]

thank you,I'm always lost, for night I'll be warn

[@charleshalsey548]

Flint and steel is as flint and steel does not trying to catch you here the same what works for you

[@DavidCanterbury]

Making Rub Cloth kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXSwn3d4psmGmNU

[@WOLFMAN2975]

+wildernessoutfitters Thanks for the video Canterbury, 5 thumbs down????? I'd like to hear their reasons. Excellent video. : ) Tyler

[@mneptune1]

The people that "thumbs down" his videos are just haters. Best to just ignore the trolls.... There Are so many people that have gained from Dave's experience and hard work, myself included.

[@michaelthompson7126]

+wildernessoutfitters Quick question, In the video link you said you can't use Pyrodex and here you say you can or did I miss something?

[@yank9636]

Es toda una pena que dejases el programa, te veo como todo un aventurero, y si te gusta enseñar, tendrías que hacerlo tras paisajes como el Amazonas o el Sahara, viviendo las lecciones que quieres enseñar, por que de seguro que lo disfrutas tu más que nosotros. Cuidate señor Dave.

[@3flashcan]

If you can't make fire after watching this video you best stay out of the woods .

[@kasperjocker]

Damn you're good...

[@trig]

Yep, the older you get the harder it is to fined things that are right under your nose.

[@JavierBonillaC]

Can you carry a credit card like magnifying glass to start a fire?

[@vwr32jeep]

I plan on living a 100 years.

[@yotagerlie]

What happens when you lose the steel? Its jusst another method for fire making imo every method has its down falls just as a lighter or ferro rod. neither is the best. losing your steel will result in not being able to use that source you so sacredly hold. I say its not the best . but def another option. ;)

[@DavidCanterbury]

+yotagerlie My Knife and my Pocket Knife will both work as Fire Steels and the only way I loose those is if someone steels my pants

[@yotagerlie]

lol well thats not possible unless the other guy wants to die haha so Id say it will stay put on you,

[@duxdawg]

+yotagerlie There are dozens of steel implements that will throw sparks with flint (the rock) such as saw blades, shovels, knives, axes, files, fish hooks, chisels, putty knives, Olfa blades, etc though not every item of each type will work or work well. Many hacksaw blades and shovels are better strikers than most purposely made strikers, knives, files, etc. Though some hacksaw blades will not work at all. Some iron pyrites, most notably marcasite, will throw good enough sparks with flint (the rock) to create an ember. There are hundreds of types of rocks plus carbide steel that can be used as the "flint". While most stainless steels will throw some sparks with flint, the sparks are so few and weak as to be worthless for creating embers. Steels from 1055-1095, O1, O2, A2, W1, W2, L6, etc will throw useable sparks with flint if they are hardened to 57-63 HRC (Rockwell Hardness C scale).

[@jamesaritchie2]

+yotagerlie Every method has disadvantages. When you have them available, quality matches or a light are best because they're easy, and anyone can do it. Ferro rods are also good. Flint and steel is also good, but not easy, and if you lose the steel, it gets tougher. The big disadvantage of flint and steel is that if you have a group of people, each one needs a steel and flint, or they can't go off by themselves. The only doesn't matter if you lose something,, and the only method that means each person in a group can go off by himself, is friction fire. It's the ONLY guaranteed forever method of being able to start a fire with nothing, not even a knife. If you can't go into the woods with nothing, including a knife, and start a fire fairly quickly, you're really not ready to risk getting lost in the wilderness.

[@ChrisFoley0803]

... so much VALUABLE Information (I forgot to mention)

[@Arizona_Skin_Walker]

Man just carry 10 6x1/2 inch ferro rods problem solve.

[@shampoovta]

more xDLOL