How to Make Fatwood for Bushcraft | Iron Wolf Industrial

[@garycoinmaster289]

Popcicle sticks soaked in turpintine and then dipped in wax is easy and burns readily,there already cut to length easy to stack and carry

[@IndianYouThoober90]

I would like to use mustard oil instead

[@RAHayes-qi4xi]

That actually sounds like a good idea. Thanks..

[@benajminjones9652]

I just boil some good old pine sap and stick my wood in that

[@dataphool]

been using fatwood for 50 years; never thought about making my own. in this area, lots of softwood forests, and my teacher taught me to find fatwood, "Go to the living (trees) and take the dead (branches)." They are excellent fatwood, although we didn't call it fatwood, but kindling. a misnomer, since it wasn't small stuff, but fine stuff. Good illustration of valuable survival technique.

[@damionlowther78]

That's not fat wood it's wood covered in wax. That being said I'd like to see how well it takes a spark. Fatwood has turpenes in it which are highly flammable and will easily take a spark.

[@bill45a1]

Couldn't you add some turpentine to the wax?

[@amandaworley2064]

Bill45a1 fumes would be dangerous af.....I'm not sure but it might catch fire lol

[@thebardisashieldmaiden1754]

damionscreations if he did it as wood disc torches lime I make with wood shavings it would light well. This is nothing in relation to fatwood but is a good idea. My torches light up ok but you need a steady flame to light it and sparks won't work. It's great to keep a fire going. Not starting one.

[@SenhorTudo]

The wax already contains paraffin, so the turpentine won't be much help, I imagine.

[@CARPETMAN6666]

Agreed I've tried several recipes and we'll keep trying to see if I can make some at home if I ever find a mix that will ignite up of a spark from wood shavings I will post a video and it will say how to make real fatwood at home not how to make wooden candle. My first experiment was with turpentine and pine gum and it worked okay but was not able to start just from one Spark but this is after it is set in dried over a few weeks and I will keep trying and researching until I find something that works. Right now I just use charcoal off and a spark

[@markcash2]

I made fatwood by transplanting an unwanted pine tree into my yard and let it grow for a few years and then cut off the top about four feet above the ground. It is always ready to go when I need some fatwood.

[@matthewmontgomery3693]

Lol... "let me light this match with this blowtorch"

[@gunlover1955]

lol

[@jamescookston4253]

That’s what I thought. Lol

[@texasaggiegigsem]

I've used store-bought natural fatwood before (semi-arid climate here...no pines), and found the natural resin stuff works well but is incredibly smokey. It looks like your wax-based fatwood burns at least as well and without the thick black smoke. I'll be making some soon! Thanks for posting.

[@awesomeOrlie]

Appreciate the time and effort you put into making this video...thumbs up 👍

[@alexanderthegreatest1781]

Have you experimented with different techniques such as drilling tiny holes into the wood prior to soaking in wax to maximize surface area and allow a more thorough and consistent absorption of wax throughout? Then you can take a portion of the shavings and grind them into finer dust-like particulates and finally soak all of the different batches in wax for varying times. In theory, it would seem that the varying degrees of the surface area should result in yields where each formulation has a different concentration of wax to serve different purposes.

[@slamm1t]

I'm in the freaking jungle. Their are no pine trees. This technique will do just fine. Thanks for the video.

[@IronWolfIndustrial]

Glad you like it. If possible, really let that stuff soak in for a while. A good (safe) boil will really impregnate the wood with wax. Thanks for the comment.

[@jacob226265]

I used this method and it worked just great , I used a old candle and some wood I found in a skip and it caught so quickly Thank you for the video

[@genemcvay4800]

WARNING!!! Never heat/melt wax on a direct flame!!! IT CAN IGNITE!!! Always use a water bath (pot with wax in pot with water) this way u ensure the wax never reaches temperature above 100 degrees Celsius!

[@ElijahIan]

Philip Pec I burned my aunts eyebrows doing that.... that and throwing cold water on it... lol

[@0623kaboom]

if you dont use a double boiler you just need a lid that can be set on the wax melt dish that fit tight and extinguish the flames ... and as most wax we get in north america has a flash over temp of 130f it wont generally ignite on med to low heat ... beeswax will ignite about 90f ... which is the most common cause of wax fires on a direct heat source

[@jinxjones5497]

same with pine pitch, that stuff just wants to ignite given direct heat

[@brianmccann666]

Electric hot plate would work too

[@robgorney]

this is apparently a “non pansy” method per the opening of the video.

[@davidsomerset8411]

I used to do something like this. I would take cardboard boxes with thick walls And cut strips and wrap them around popsicle sticks, put a cotton ball on 1 side then tie it with a string. Then dip it into the melted wax and saturate it then let cool. They would light quite easy and burn a good length of time. The cotton ball would usually light with 1 stroke of a ferro rod and it would blaze away. 🔥 good video good tip

[@JEFLeb35712]

I used a 2x4 clear ceader bord I had on hand. I used some paraffine wax and some red colored wax and used a thin can in a water pot on the Stove. Did 4 pieces at a time pieces 3/4 by 3/4 by 5 inches about 20 pieces were cut with a band saw. It Took a while to prep until the bubbling was done. Used the outdoor range hood vent. Tried it afterwards and lights up right away with a lighter. Shaved some and ignited with a ferro rod. Thanks I have never tried fat wood before. Worked great. Very thankful.

[@mduvigneaud]

This is very interesting and I'll have to try it out! Something I find useful when melting wax/paraffin (I've used this for candles and waxing cheese): I use an inexpensive tapered steel pie pan with the painted "nonstick" coating over a pot of boiling water. Once cooled the wax easily slips out of the pie pan. I don't know if the wax will get hot enough that way to permeate the wood, though, but it won't get hot enough to smoke or ignite. I'll give it a try and see how it permeates the wood.

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

I use cotton balls with vasoline as well. I store them in empty pill bottles that prescriptions come in. I also buy those flat cotton pads that are circular for ladies to remove makeup. Basically they’re flat cotton balls lol. I put 2-3 in the bottom of the pill bottle then add some 91% isopropyl alcohol till they’re soaked. After that I put 2-3 of the cotton balls with vasoline on top of them. Then a few more of the alcohol soaked pads and keep alternating those until the bottle is full, put the cap on and done. When I want to start a fire I pull out a flat pad and/or a cotton ball and use my ferro rod. I usually get ignition on the first strike. I’ve been using these for the last 10 years or so and have consistent results. Cheers mate and happy trails

[@IronWolfIndustrial]

Great stuff, I'll have to keep this one in mind. Thanks for the comment

[@IronWolfIndustrial]

Made some more today, and did just that! I need to get a big vat sometime though. I'll definitely be on the lookout at the scrapyard for a stainless or cast iron pot on the cheap.

[@michaelabratzel6371]

"hey, let's make some waxwood, call it fatwood, forget all there is about fatwood, and pretend that waxwood is the real fatwood!" :-D :-D :-D

[@shanek6582]

I thing putting a wax sealant over real pine fat wood would be a good thing so that the turpentine wouldn't evaporate over time

[@cliffordmattern2454]

I'm glad someone agrees with me. Soft wood better penetration.

[@crazyhorseranchaz]

well its been a few years since you did this video but i gotta say im glad it is still here for guys like meto watch. i was thinking about trying this as a fire starter. it sure looks like it does, thanks, i will look for more from you.

[@cattafin]

I was skeptical as you were making this with plain wax and natural fatwood contains highly flammable turpene. As you showed this easy to make fatwood burns exceedingly well. Thanks a lot for the great recipe!!

[@Oldsparkey]

I make my Fatwood starters with the aid of Mother Nature. Locate a down , dead , rotten pine tree or stump. Knock off the rotten wood and get to the solidified heart of the tree. Cut it in lengths about the same as wooden matches. Take that block of REAL FATWOOD and split it into pieces about the same size as wood match pieces. A little of it goes a long way when you use it. Real Fatwood is the solidified heart of the Pine tree and you can tell real easy since it smells like solid turpentine. Your title is wrong and misleading , yours is not fatwood but just wood soaked in wax. Mother Nature makes Fatwood , people don't. What you are doing you could do it quicker and easier with sawdust.

[@SixTreyPro4200]

+Chuck Littleton Ahh, Shut The Hell Up

[@Oldsparkey]

No Manners ( AKA Marley ) is alive and well.

[@TheDieselMH]

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw the title. "You don't make fatwood, mother nature does, you just go find it." We always called it pine knot, but it's the same thing.

[@Oldsparkey]

Good times , I have thousands in the woods around me and never have to buy any fatwood. Ha Ha Ha.

[@Qingeaton]

Then you are looking for Phat wood:)

[@DavidChouiniere]

Thanks for the video. I have made "fat wood" in a similar process using pine sap. Your method is a lot cleaner than mine. I will have to try it with wax. Keep up the good work.

[@highonimmi]

+David Chouiniere the sap is great but, messy and sticky as hell.

[@1987Drews]

Real fat wood can be found in every pine tree around the world even in dead pine trees. It is always found in the roots of the tree as well as any spots where the tree has had to heal it self.

[@jerrycanne6981]

Andrew Harris The entire SouthEast US is a fatwood goldmine.

[@1987Drews]

Same with up here in the north east.

[@highonimmi]

+Andrew Harris thanks for the heads up. most of us had no idea.

[@highonimmi]

+Precious Roy dude, when I was chilling out in South Carolina and Alabama I was so happy to see that. west Texas doesn't get that awesomeness like that. I looked around thought I had died and gone to heaven! I mean I literally looked down along the trail I was walking and saw a huge gem of a fatwood ball....all I had to do was take my knife and separate it from the limb that had fallen. I just stared at it like it was the golden skull from the lost ark movie. damn son, to get something like that in certain parts of Texas would mean a midnight raid on farmer browns ranch hoping like hell he don't hear you politely removing sweet, sweet fatwood from his precious wind breaking pines:) you and Andrew are truly blessed!

[@KillerNetDog]

Come to central and east Texas, we got plenty of it around here. The best I have seen came from a pine that was struck by lightning, I still have a bucket of it. The stuff was thick with resins is translucent and looked almost like amber, you can see light through 1" thick chunk of it. I use it to make handles for 3/8" ferro rods and tie a little chunk of hacksaw blade to it. All in one waterproof fire starting kit.

[@nirvana613]

Great method ! Until now I've made firestarters the same way only using toilet paper,soaking it in wax.They work amazingly well and one small piece burns for at least 2 minutes,more than enough to start a fire.

[@Jameskeith1972]

Perfect! I’m a knife geek- Excuse me for asking, what knife is that?

[@muddnyreye]

Thanks for the tutorial . Very informative and helpful.

[@silviaravinet883]

Really liked the way you used the hard and soft wood together!

[@LILEmusic11]

thanks for sharing hadn't thought to use candle wax because i've been looking for natural fatwood or at least damaged pine trees in the woods behind where i live unfortunately only oak and walnut grow there so i was at a loss. Just wanted to also note that a "real woodsman" would probably not be using store bought candles/WAX to create fatwood when all of the ingredients needed could be found in a natural "WOODSY" setting

[@greggminkoff6733]

Well that's one way of wasting a day. Or you can buy the cheapest jar of Vaseline that you can find. Heat up a little water in a small pan. Get the temperature to about 150. Remove the pan from the stove. Place the Vaseline jar in the water for several minutes. Open the lid and start stuffing cotton balls in the jar. After several minutes, remove and put in a ziplock bag. This is the best, the easiest, the most economical firestarter you could ever hope to use. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

Forget the wax. I collect pine sap in a container whenever I’m out in the woods. Then I melt it down like you do the wax. Then I take small sticks of wood, preferably pine, and soak them in the pitch which is what we call pine sap here in the Pacific Northwest. After the sticks have soaked for a while I remove them and lay them on wax paper to dry. Presto! Bob’s your uncle! Fat wood! I like that I can make the sticks the perfect length for the container I want to use. Old prescription bottles work great. They seal better than altoids tins.

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

Where can I get a little hatchet like that!?! Also, what kind of wax are you using? Can you buy it in bulk? Or do you just chop up cheap candles? Cheers mate

[@IronWolfIndustrial]

Just old melted down candles. Chop em up, melt em down!! Lots of fun, thanks for the comment

[@frankadams8241]

Just wondering what kind of wax you used? Great video by the way.

[@doodlesincolor]

I like it. I have lots of scrap wood and leftover candle wax from various projects. My one note would be to use the double boiler method to melt the wax. Melting over an open flame can overheat the wax and that could be painfully bad. Other than that, nice!

[@tazstert]

Thanks for the video. I just tried it a couple of hours ago with my left over pine kindling. I was skeptical coz it doesn't seem like the wax will fully infuse the sticks. I split one stick in half and true enough the centre was pretty dry. Nevertheless I did a before and after thing and the waxed stick lit up like charm with a nice bright flame just like your vid.. I'll experiment a bit more. Thanks for the tip.

[@bucmeister7713]

Greatly appreciate you correctly identifying the bubbles as displaced air not boiled off water as another creator of wax sticks stated.

[@dvoz9023]

I learned a lot of this video. I didn't know that I kan make fatwood with wax from a candle. thank you for this lesson. Daniel Vos, 17 year, from Holland. beginner with survival

[@faithrada]

Technically... you can't.

[@kan-zee]

This project kinda reminds me of a Cardboard Candle, saturated in wax..aka 'Buddy Burner' . I like that your recycling , reusing your wax from old candles. Nice ;-)) Cheers

[@mckwilly]

good tip , the knife resembles one I got from flea market recently mine is Shur Edge never heard of it til now, do you know the brand of your in the vid? thx

[@WarGrrl3]

Where did you get that mini hatchet? Every guy I asked abt it laughed on my face and said they don't exist. Yours is the 3rd one I've seen so i know they exist. Great vid, well explained. Thank you, Be Blessed

[@MinimalistExplorerEDC]

I suppose if natural fat wood or “fire knot” were not so plentiful and readily available for me to forage in my area, I’d resort to a manufactured technique, but what makes evergreen sap combustible is the sap; the evergreens sap is turpentine; so my question is, can you scrape this wax soaked wood with the spine of your knife and ignite the scrapings with a ferro rod? Or do you need to solely use a lighter or match?

[@jayman3122]

I always have a difficult time finding fatwood. Thank you for doing this!

[@TheGiveittomeall]

For building a fire indoors, I save my used wax melts by soaking them up from the warmer with cotton balls then store the cooled waxy cotton balls for later. They burn forever.

[@esbenboye]

Does the wax get deep into the wood, or is it only on the outside? Im a bit corious, because I made a batch today, and it wasnt colored on the inside when I split the wood, which made me doubt I had done it right!

[@IronWolfIndustrial]

If you boil the wax in long enough, it does fill up the grains in the wood. Try boiling for longer.

[@esbenboye]

Ok, I'll try that next time - Thanks for your reply :)

[@wanderingcalamity360]

It would be neat to see how well this might work with a vacuum chamber to stabilize the wood with a wax/turpentine mixture. Now that would be some legit synthetic fatwood.

[@-----REDACTED-----]

This is great for people who don’t have easy access to real fat wood (for whatever reason, e.g. law, etc) and don’t want to buy it.

[@MarkLee-so4oo]

survival is more an art than a science. whatever way u make it happen is right

[@ktoutdoors8430]

thank you for taking the time to show us how you do it. I cant wait to try to make some myself

[@dalebeasley3113]

I like the idea of waxed wood but I have an abundance of real fatwood where I live.but this will go into my bushbag as a secondary. Good video

[@IronWolfIndustrial]

I've found this stuff lights a little easier, and while it burns shorter, it produces a hotter, quicker flame. Thanks

[@hithere2391]

a 5 lb. box of fat wood is available at Kroger, Walmart, etc. for about 7 bucks. No messing with cutting wood, with melting wax, none of it. They don't stink up the fire the way burning wax does. Commercial fatwood and cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly work very reliably. Use your time learning map reading or first aid - not conjuring things you can buy cheap

[@gummitarzan8545]

where was the wax made? was it crappy wax from china? or the best wax in the world, from muricah?

[@joelydiabuhia]

He's just clear and plain..straight up RACIST doing Racist and crappy type copy videos..haha

[@beebob1279]

great way to make it more rot resistant. Beekeepers are now boiling their new woodenware (boxes) in a paraffin and another solution. I haven't done it yet but many beekeepers are having great results

[@patindvik3408]

Could you put the hot wax in a jar add the wood and use a vacuum sealer to pull the air out and make the wax go in the wood?

[@shelliefox2818]

Thanks for sharing! I always wondered how to make my own fatwood.

[@stephenfewson7188]

Here in Australia, we don't have any natural fatwoods that I'm aware of. With your hardwood, can you shave and feather it, in the same way as a natural!?

[@EasyPeasyBushcraft]

Fatwood is very usable for making the fire. I use it often.

[@angiefav1847]

Excellent information great idea many thanks

[@AnAmericanFather]

Terrible “information”. You don’t make fatwood. You forage some. These “wax sticks” will become a disgusting mess in your warm pack… Learn to find REAL fatwood.

[@randymcknight7764]

Looks good. Will give this a try.

[@vincentdsnt]

The wood in wax works great , also you can make strips of cardboard dipped in wax easy to carry and light weight., they are not wood but as for starting a fire more than capable.

[@0623kaboom]

with the left over wax you could put a cil of cardboard into a cat food tin or tuna tin and add the melted wax to it ... leave a small bit of cardboard in the middle taller than the rest to be used as a wick and then you have a good candle to start a fire with as well

[@joerowland607]

just a hint if you take those pieces of wood and put them in the oven at 375 for about an hour they will dry removing excess water and will more readily absorb the molten wax.

[@markc121070]

How does it work with catching a spark like real fatwood?

[@chrissettele4776]

Excellent video!! I was unaware of how to make fatwood. Now I know.

[@mrwalker82]

3:56 I too have one of these unique hatchet, i thought/was told it was a backyard mash up of a bolster chisel and plating hammer. Nice to see another.

[@chetgravatt9562]

I purchase my fatwood in a three pound package in my local grocery store for about $4.00, lasts for years and it always works easily with my fero rod and knife.

[@WarkOutdoorChannel]

Hi, may i know what kind of wax u r using? Or it works for any kind of wax

[@dvirkes1]

When you throw worm cast wax in a freezer, it shrinks very nicely so that you can get it much easier from a mold.

[@YoursUntruly]

Doing this in a vacuum chamber would be perfect

[@mdouble100]

Very cool and really useful. Thanks for sharing, this is stuff every one should know - basic common sense technology and techniques.

[@funsekr9430]

I really enjoy your demonstration video. Good people like yourself who are willing to share is most helpful. Thanks a bunch!

[@DulishusWaffle]

I want that tiny hatchet. WHERE DID YOU GET THAT TINY HATCHET??

[@sansthepungeonmaster5864]

DulishusWaffle they’re called froeing hatchets and you can buy them from several outdoors shops

[@JMAAD]

link one, i can't seem to find googling the name you used. thanks

[@darkwater482]

Try looking under "carpenter's hatchet"

[@0623kaboom]

its a carpenters tool not a camp tool ... so home hardware or any other tool supply place will carry them if they are any good

[@xXxMexicanMan5000]

I was making this and accidentaly tipped over a can of pine sap and i just kept on making it to see if it would work and it worked great an smelled like cherry pine

[@missyglorioso3855]

Excellent video. Instructions easily understood!

[@frankc6430]

would had been interesting to see a cross cut stick of the dunked pieces of soft and hard wood to see the wax penetration thru the center or did it just stayed at the edges...but great idea, might have to try this.

[@Thalanox]

Is there any particular reason you chose to use the Crysis 2 main theme as the uncredited opening to this video?

[@ashethedivine]

How well does the fatwood bench burn?

[@rgray3319753]

Did u use a blow torch to light a match to light the fire

[@JeromeBill7718]

I like the old trick with a used shotgun shell with a fuse going through the primer hole then cover the first 1/4 with wax. then you stuff cotton in there and cover it with lighter fluid capping it off 1/4 the way with wax. light and toss into fire.

[@nolanwoodworksartcompany6612]

I just spit out m drink. Don't do this inside your house. Hilarious. Great instructable. Thank you

[@jamesmck1231]

Love that little hatchet.

[@mapbike]

I want to add that you must be careful not to overheat the wax to its flash point, made that mistake once and it was almost a big disaster.

[@buffyranger1]

Loved watching this and will give it a try.

[@josephcook647]

Thank you for the detailed info! It will be very helpful for me & many of my family & friends! Thanks again!!!

[@darcyleepearson4416]

Nice! , thank you for sharing!, Iv been toying with soaking pine in WD40with some good results but Iv never thought to boil the wood in wax, are you upseing bees wax or paraffin? Xx

[@ytubeerr]

how do you get fatwood from wood and wax sorry guy fat wood is not wax covered wood..

[@sansthepungeonmaster5864]

Survival 4 four just a thought is that he is making something similar by impregnating the wood with oils, similar to sap in fatwood

[@joesavage2023]

Survival 4 four uh, yes, it is

[@jonboyfutch8081]

Knock off fat wood works better than the real thing

[@erikblarg5498]

Survival 4 four Thank you this is exactly what i came down here to say. While wax will make them burn longer but the wax itself isn't flammable while fatwood sap is HIGHLY flammable. Also wax will leave a mess because it doesnt burn yet the sap will consume itself.

[@Chrmngblly]

No it doesn't. There is turpentine in real fatwood. What's so hard about collecting some in the woods?

[@shifty212]

Good job experimenting. Fat wood isn't everywhere. You used the supplies available to you and tried something. Keep it up.

[@romeomotorider]

Can be any type of candel? And can has a aroma or got noting to do with it and still works.

[@klownmittenz8715]

Great info, thanks. Why didnt you just leave the wax in the pan for next time?

[@averagejohn7435]

I always wondered what you could use if you didn't have rich lighter.

[@traudilepse4251]

Do you use ordinary candle wax or beeswax?

[@markconger8049]

You gotta wonder if this method would work on a larger scale such as with small logs for the fireplace.

[@cherylbfrey5936]

Where do you purchase your wax? Looking for bulk…

[@blitz8695]

Subscribed and liked, great video

[@markr9835]

Very useful, entertaining and I like the end tune.

[@ryker6richard]

what about using gasoline then letting that dry,,, Would that work?

[@captainpegs07]

What would you recommend for a good bushcraft belt that also has to hold your pants up? leather? nylon?

[@bill45a1]

Couldn't you add some turpentine to the wax? Not a lot but enough to light with sparks?

[@SkyKing101010]

When I learned of fatwood I thought, "How am I going to go out there and find a fatwood tree in the woods with my feet (I have what's called plantar fibroma, which is lumps in the tendons in the bottoms of my feet). Now I don't have to worry about that because I can make my own. How cool is that? Thank you.

[@Tableaux15]

Not knowing where you live, here in the south we have pine trees and when these die and fall they rot away leaving just the fatwood. Also called pine knots. Pretty easy to find for us.

[@SkyKing101010]

I live in New Brunswick in Canada. It's one of the maritime provinces on the east coast. We do have lots of evergreen trees here, even lots of cedar. Untill recently I had three huge cedars in my front yard and other various evergreens elsewhere on my property. The woods are not really far from my place so that on days when my feet feel not too badly I can get out there, but those days are sometimes hard to come by. Either way, now I can make my own. Thank you.

[@0623kaboom]

any resin will make fatwood ... anytime your in a tree'd area find old stumps and rotten logs and you will find your fatwood in there .... also this version of pseudo fatwood doesnt take a spark to light so you would still need a flame such as birch bark to light it ... you could take the piece of fat wood a put a cut in the end in 2 directions and then stick your piece of birch bark in that and it makes a candle and that will start your waxwood and light your fire

[@sgt605]

Great job! Where did you pick up the little hatchet?

[@Talashaoriginal]

Can i mix the wax with overaged oil and other cooking fats?