How To Start A Fire In The 18th Century

[@catnipflowers5803]

Townsends really helps me understand how people would live back in the day without going through it. Makes me thankful for the comfort and convenience of modern day technology, and for this channel for making our history live!

[@lektowoodfuels]

Exactly! These days, you just have to throw in a wood wool firefighter and some kindling to start virtually any fire in less than a minute. I can't imagine how hard it was to do it using these traditional methods.

[@SCAW1972]

Go through what?

[@MrArthoz]

I'm from Southeast Asia. There's a logic to the use of fire piston here. One, geologically flint stones are scarce here and two, high humidity often make rubbing sticks together to start fire extremely difficult if not impossible. I know, I tried while at the orchard in humid jungle. Made the wood bit black and smoke a little but did not hold ember. I attempted it with the wood attached to an electric drill. How humid it could get? Once I was going on a trip to a remote waterfall. Hung my towel to dry. It went from damp to nearly wet. Several days of using wet towel is not an experience I'd like to repeat.

[@bogtrottername7001]

You are welcome to that kind of humidity !!!

[@kosfireandbushcraft]

Southeast Asia is the home of friction fire! apparently many people don't know how to distinguish between firelighting techniques based on their origin, which includes the given geographical area plus clima plus fauna. There's a place and time for every method.

[@GroidedLimeHead]

i hope yall stay dry. hate being wet

[@joshjames582]

@@bogtrottername7001 Sounds a lot like Tennessee in August haha

[@privacyvalued4134]

I'm sensing a Slo-mo Guys collab in the near future to watch what happens when flint and steel collide at 1 million frames per second.

[@lektowoodfuels]

That would be amazing to see!

[@kokea4349]

You have one of the most atmospheric channels out there. The camera work is outstanding and the shot with the rifle (no pun intended) alone is a thing of beauty

[@michaelblainejones]

As a child, my glasses had prisms in them, and I could use them as a fire starting glass. It made recess exciting.

[@klawockkidd3426]

Like in the movie, "Lord of the Flies".

[@michaelblainejones]

@klawockkidd3426 I never saw that movie, but I do remember hearing about that

[@llchapman1234]

SCIENCE! 😂😂😂

[@internetcatfish]

@@klawockkidd3426 You mean the book that the movie was based on.

[@waynebrady1591]

The bark from birch trees is also fantastic as kindling, because it contains oils that make it highly flammable. Also widely and readily available, at least in European forests

[@lektowoodfuels]

That's true! It can be used as both makeshift tinder and kindling. And birch is also very aesthetically pleasing. We have a family-run wood fuel business and a lot of people just buy it as decoration (the kiln-dried variety, which is safe to store indoors, not the seasoned variety).

[@Kennephone]

Fire strikers go back way further than ancient times, they've found pyrite fire strikers with neanderthal remains from 50,000 years ago.

[@jeromethiel4323]

A ferro rod (ferocerium) is basically a modern flint and steel. It's a metal alloy that will shed intensely hot sparks when rubbed by something hard (usually the spine of a bush knife). These sparks are hot enough to start tinder alight directly, without needing char cloth or other intermediate spark catching materials. A ferro rod and a bush knife and some very basic outdoor skills in finding tinder are all you need to start a fire. Better yet, carry a lighter, as they use a tiny ferro rod to light the butane and produce an actual flame. I'd personally carry both, as you need a knife anyway, and a ferro rod isn't a burden to carry. And a lighter? Just stick on in your pocket, they weigh very little, and usually work the first time. The ferro rod/knife combo is just a backup.

[@kylegonewild]

Yes there are much more modern methods of making fire. This is a living history channel though the point isn't what's easy the point is what people used to do.

[@jeromethiel4323]

@@kylegonewild No kidding. I was just adding to the conversation. By pointing out that the more modern versions are just better versions of the old stuff. They work the same way! Thus connecting the modern to the old. Why do you hate knowledge?!?

[@kylegonewild]

@@jeromethiel4323 Hate knowledge? Just misread the intention jeez what a reach. I didn't make any personally disparaging remarks about you or your character. Why immediately jump to that with me? The video suggests trying these out (safely) and on passing glance the "no need for char cloth" felt like it defeated the point of the video which was showing off and recommending trying the old way to do it. That's all.

[@bogtrottername7001]

@@kylegonewild There are many of us who totally see your viewpoint. I was a Rev. war reenactor for many years and we tried to do as much as was reasonable the old way. Of course, we all went to events in our cars but the idea was to educate the public ( while we enjoyed ourselves, like by drinking canned beer !!! )

[@citybuilder45]

I got excited when i heard the Aristophanes reference. There are so many striking parallels between the themes in his comedies from 2500 years ago to today's world. There are 11 extant comedies and they are all great.

[@TravistheLandscaper]

I’ve heard the term flint and steel for most of my life. But, I finally found out that other rocks can be used like chert and quarts. I can find quartz all around where I live. The rock needs to have a sharp edge to strike on and some rocks perform better than others, you just have to try them out and see how they perform.

[@AugustMcKenna]

"Match" also refers to a slow burning coil of rope used to fire guns. Both cannons and muskets.

[@chrissewell1608]

After years of wanting one. I finally started building a Tinder Box, last year. And even gave one to each of my adult sons, as a Christmas gift. Mostly filled with modern fire starters and tinder. But the skill / art of starting a fire from minimal tools has became obsolete over time. Learning this craft is not only historic, but something primal too. Either for backyard fires, camping or survival I think its a skill worth learning, fun, and worth passing on to the next generation! ♨️🥩🍺

[@FrikInCasualMode]

Another method was to carry hot embers from previous fire in a fireproof container, usually filled with a layer of ash to keep the heat better. Container could be made of cow's or ram's horn or clay etc.

[@OhmSteader]

One of the best fire starters I have discovered is the thin liner in dry gourds. The gourd itself will help keep strong winds away from your work. Give it a try. Thanks for all you do sir.

[@brigitgoddess]

I have one of Townsend's fire starting kits--looking forward to trying it out once the weather gets a little drier. My dad did both fur trader and Civil War re-enactments and he could start a fire with flint and steel extremely quickly.

[@will76888]

Always enjoy your videos! Great information, well presented!

[@leedoss6905]

Cedar tree and pine tree knots is what we used. Goes up like gasoline. The knots are found in rotting tree logs.

[@orbitalair2103]

those are resin rich varieties, so yep, good choice. also leyland cypress.

[@dbmail545]

I come from north Florida and my father had a saying, "Borrowing money is as easy as picking up fat lighter knots. Paying it back is as easy as eating them."

[@SCAW1972]

"After all, why shouldn't I start a fire" -people in the 18th century

[@adamjohnson4306]

I got the flint and steel kit from Townsend's for my birthday a couple years ago. Let's just say I enjoy starting a fire that way. I'm at the point I need to order more flint lol.

[@NMR-3586]

I have been with Townsend and Son for 12 years or more... I just love all you guys... Jon has such a way to bring history to life... Thank you for the lovely history of fire. Vety interesting. Much love to you guys... Big thanks!

[@rickkaylor8554]

Really enjoyed the video. We are so spoiled today. I learned how to start a fire with flint and steel as well as with a bow drill when I was in Boy Scouts. We used to do some survival training and tried to live off the land. It was a lot of fun but harder than most people think it is. Flint and steel was by far the easiest method and required a lot less energy than using a bow drill. My friends and I actually got very good at both methods. We used to time ourselves and we could usually do a flint and steel fire under 2 minutes and bow drill under 4 minutes.

[@mosleyman3136]

In the UK we have a tinder fungus called King Alfred's Cakes. Brilliant charcoal like fungus, holds the fire well and burns incredibly hot.

[@natviolen4021]

After Iearning about lenses at school I practised my newly acquired skill and used a magnifying glass to burn a decorative pattern of circles, serpents and dots in the lawn in front of the house. My father wasn't amused 😁

[@markderrick4502]

One of the greatest things lacking from our modern lives, is the deepest sense of gratitude that we could possibly muster. Our ancestors died for lack of the things that we ignore or simply throw away.

[@edwardcnnell2853]

Jason : Modern fire pistons are dependent on rubber O rings. These O rings deteriorate or have imperfections that render the piston useless. If you can make an 18th century fire piston you have a new product for sale.

[@mrwdpkr5851]

Whenever someone mentions primitive fire making I'm always reminded of Jeremiah Johnson under an evergreen making a fire only to have a big plop of snow snuffing it out !

[@dbmail545]

There is a Jack London story "To Start a Fire" that is worth reading.

[@StyTheMage]

Wow, thank you! I'm well familiar with most of these methods, but I've been looking into touchwood for nordic bronze age reconstruction. This is the first proper explanation I've been able to find online on how to process and use it!

[@spudzee4736]

Excellent camerawork!

[@sailorknightwing]

Congratulations on not burning down the tavern. Again. 😂

[@randymartin5521]

I found, living in the humid southeast US, that char cloth works best when fresh. I had some stored away in an altoids tin and after a few months it became harder to catch a spark using flint and steel. I've also heard the rotten wood called punk wood. I live in the desert in the southwest US now and rotten wood is hard to find. The wood here is very dense and dries out so fast that there's not time for it to rot.😂

[@aaronberg221]

In the SW USA, the key is to go to higher elevations on the West side of the elevation. There you'll find natural materials that have been broken down by fungi to form a kind of cellulose foam that makes better fire starting materials.

[@mikecollins8241]

Years ago, while learning all about outdoor survival skills, I tried pretty much every type of primitive fire starting method and I can say that the most effective is the flint and steel, and the "magnifying glass" the least effective, at least during my testing. Also, toleit paper is the best "tinder" vs almost any natural material, unless you count pocket lint ;)

[@mikecollins8241]

I did NOT test a fire piston, but feel like I need to acquire/ build one now ;)

[@dbmail545]

​@@mikecollins8241 That was my question. I have never used a fire piston either but want to try one.

[@samellowery]

Fire pistons work really well

[@StrandedLifeform]

When we were kids we would use a magnifying glass to set dried leaves on fire. Of course we only used 1 leaf at a time and did it on the sidewalk or driveway, but it was kinda fun doing it and sometimes we would race to see who could get their leaf to start burning first.

[@mememan2344]

I'm jelly I wasn't allowed to have one at all 😂 but it's ok, because I understand that having the power of the sun in the palm of ones hand is intimidating to many parents 😂😂😂

[@lektowoodfuels]

Thank you for covering the exciting topic of traditional wood fires! Our family-owned company has been creating wood-heating fuels for over a decade, and it's interesting to see how much the seemingly simple fire-starting process has changed over the centuries! These days, you just need to take a wood wool firefighter, add some kindling, and you can light virtually any log. It takes less than a minute. Our ancestors certainly had it a lot harder than we do now.

[@GoldReshiram]

Now this is gonna save a life

[@PleaseNThankYou]

My grandson still hasnt used up all the material in hid firestarter kit i got for him (Jas. Townsend's)but weve worn out the flint. Ill have to get more. Practice-Practice-Practice!

[@theodoreslavo5385]

flint and steel is how I was taught how to ignite a gas torch for metal working, was tension/spring reset but always nice to see older kinds of the same tech.

[@JEAN-c9c2t]

Even Homer nods …. Defoe wrote great stories but he didn’t write “Gulliver’s Travels”. That was Jonathan Swift as its author. Good podcast anyway! Thanks!

[@gtbkts]

Thanks for the awesome video and for all of the amazing content!!

[@MrSyce86]

Nothing like starting Sunday with a new Townsend video. 😊

[@HarshmanHills]

Letting it stay traditional. Always good to practice non modern ways

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Thanks for sharing with us Jon, bought a few of those flint and steel kits back in the early to mid 80's .Still have one left in my "POSSIBLE POUCH" . Thanks for sharing this remembrance of the original fire starting kit. Fred and family.

[@KarlDubhe]

I'm Canadian, I learned several ways to make fire when I was in cub scouts. IIRC the Scoutmaster was arrested for arson.

[@dwilmot]

I love you guy's teaching style . Thanks for another great video 📹

[@mrbuttons1243]

I remember the live stream where you demonstrated how to light a fire while you were at your desk and you lit your noteson fire, lol. That was a great moment.

[@robertshuffelen9172]

Interesting burning lenses history that I didn't know. Thank you Jon!

[@richardthompson6079]

I've heard that pyrite was used in prehistoric times as a replacement for the steel. Didn't Outzi have a fire kit?

[@cabincrafts2239]

So nice to see real history, not corny people who don’t know whether they’re in the 1770’s or 1820’s and get their history from Google!

[@KittyMama61]

Just don't do what I did and accidentally burn holes in the living room carpet 😂

[@Martial-Mat]

Jeez, really makes me realise how precarious the production of heat was in the deep winter. So many stages that needed to go right.

[@campsiteministries]

This is still true today for many people, such as all the folks that lost everything during Hurricane Helene who are still trying to rebuild.

[@patrickdurham8393]

Expected Coalcracker to show up at any moment!

[@stevekirkman7687]

I love flint and steel. I make and use charcloth from 100% cotton cloth.

[@KnightsofGaming2016]

I was today years old when I learnt why the Tinder app is named that and why it has a fire logo from a Townsend video.

[@keithlabumbard]

Wanted to point out a misstatement. Dafoe didn't write "Gulliver's Travels", Jonathan Swift did. Dafoe wrote "Robinson Crusoe"

[@eddyguizonde401]

i am terrible with burning lenses and firesticks. but i got pretty good with flint and steel. i've got many modern firesteels (one on my knife sheath, one in my car, one in my camping bag) and it's always such a laugh seeing city-slickers that have never left to go into nature amazed by watching me light a fire with a knife. being a heavy smoker, i usually have a couple of lighters on me, but it's happened that they crapped out when starting the bbq. i'm always glad to keep the extra ounce for my steel. it's surprisingly handy and once you've got the knack, it's almost as fast as a zippo

[@rockclimbingable]

Would you please make a follow up video showing how to also use the other methods. I am going to purchase the burning lens and flint and steel from your store for my son and i to play with 😎

[@erikaamerica4546]

Very enlightening

[@phoenix0000]

Thanks for keeping us live in perspective by reminding us how far we've come and how much we changed as a society.

[@jeromethiel4323]

Making char cloth or charcoal, is all about driving off the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) out of the cloth or wood. Those VOCs tend to be flammable, and was called "wood gas" back in the day. What you end up with is basically almost pure carbon. Which is fairly easy to get burning with a spark. If you live out where you can harvest firewood, you can make your own charcoal very easily. There are a lot of videos on youtube of people doing exactly this. I did it as a teenager, just to see if i could. It's not hard, and they used to do this on a massive scale to get the charcoal early blacksmiths needed to work iron and steel.

[@KC-gy5xw]

Oooh, the fire pistol is really interesting!! Love it!!

[@gadsdenconsulting7126]

I thought of Rudolph Diesel before you ever mentioned him, then to find out he got the idea from the piston fire starter!!!😊

[@johnfisk811]

Thank you for the Aristophanes quote. Well found.

[@MauroTamm]

I packed the cosmetic cotton pads with flint and steel. Compact, can fluff up and ignite instantly after a single spark.

[@junkjouster]

I am sure someone down hear will explain this better but i believe the heat and energy being created is from all the energy you create being forced into a small point on the flint. So alot like when you slam two ball bearings with a piece of paper in between it will burn a hole in the paper.

[@bogtrottername7001]

He explains it perfectly in the video.

[@jameshuett2559]

Great video! I love the instructional ones.

[@danieldorsey8767]

I hope they start selling a fire piston

[@Aphotic_One]

several versions available from multiple sellers or do you mean Townsend ?

[@martykitson3442]

I have used a magnifying glass to light my cigarettes many times, i used to wow certain people i associated with with my "solar cigarette lighter" but in reality the cherry on a cigarette or from a pipe is n awsome coal extender for making a fire, you still have to have your material ready but you would anyway. I've also made char cloth from worn out jeans by putting them in a sucrets tin with a few holes drilled in the top then tossing that in my wood stove.🤠👍👍👍

[@subressor1]

11:59 flashbacks to the candle livestream..

[@Blondie42]

Casually dropping the info about the diesel engine

[@stevedenis8292]

Think about this ritual when lighting a pipe.

[@justineckart549]

Awesome video. Really fun info.

[@arthurblanchat2055]

Excellent! But when you got to the point where you mentioned matches for transferring flame you didn't mention spills (which are obviously a form of match).

[@BansheeMilo]

What about the blacksmith's forge starter? pounding a piece of metal quickly and repeatedly on an anvil until the friction heats the metal.

[@classicambo9781]

How many had an anvil handy? Profession specificI'd have thought

[@BansheeMilo]

@@classicambo9781 The anvil is not the important part, I imagine you could do the same against a sturdy rock. the important parts would be the rod of metal and the hammer...

[@bogtrottername7001]

@@BansheeMilo Try that & get back to us !

[@TheGameGetterKuzuri]

Yes. My weekend enrichment video has arrived!

[@robzinawarriorprincess1318]

What a great video!

[@waveman0]

the actual name of the process in flint and steel is pyrophoric, it is rapid oxyization in the iron as it hits the air. I've treated punkwood with ash lye and it will take a spark with flint and steel without charring.

[@richbuilds_com]

The first time you make a successful friction fire using natural materials is the moment you realised why we invented every other method! :D

[@KevinTerry-d5n]

So wanted a demo of the piston mechanism to start fire.😞

[@alanoneuser]

I wonder what stone those Greeks made their burning lenses from... Quartz maybe?

[@stargirl7646]

Oh! Is that what a tinderbox is?? I’ve never seen tinder actually made before, thats so cool! Why does something have to be pre burnt to catch?

[@JAB671]

How common was use of a standalone slow match/match cord (not one that was part of a matchlock) used to transfer/extend the flame? I love starting fires with flint and steel when I am just wanting to leisurely start a fire. It is my favorite method of starting a fire when I have the time and patience.

[@seanrh4294]

Good Sir, I have to disagree with the statement that there was no method that created a flame directly. The "fire role" was also used and it is fairly easy to do for a man (might be exhausting for a woman). You take two wooden board or flat pieces of wood and put some natural dry fabric fibers rolled up in between. The trick is to mix rust (iron oxide) (from any source, like a rusted object) into the fibers finely before rolling it up and putting it between the boards. You then only have to press down hard on the board and role the little fire role back and forth with high pressure from the top. The friction will quickly heat it up to the point that a exothermic redox reaction starts to happen between the rust and the fibers. This then ignites the fibres and they start burning. Try it :) God Bless.

[@johnfisk811]

A 20th century invention I believe. Said to be invented by Czarist prisoners to light their tobacco.There are other tales of its origins but all are 20th century.

[@seanrh4294]

@@johnfisk811 That method is around since iron has been rusting my friend :)

[@CrimsonEsso]

I would watch Townsends channel boil peas for an hour. Thank you for being the coziest channel on youtube.

[@roberttalada5196]

Pinecones burn quite nicely

[@nilo70]

Looking at the thumbnail, I’d say hold the paper just like Jon is and stare at it like he does until it bursts into flames.

[@dannyl2598]

Do you suppose they may have used two sticks that "matched" to grab a little flaming kindling in order to light candles or pipes? Just wandering.

[@Matatabi6]

In roman cities the traditional way to start a fire was to go to some other building that already had a fire going, and roman legions would carry embers in little metal balls full of holes that they would used to start fires at the end of their daily march

[@kaycox5555]

FASCINATING SHOW!

[@typhoonthunder]

That thumbnail is straight up the poster to The Brutalist and I love it

[@SCAW1972]

Kinda looks like the Bilbo "after all, why shouldn't I..." meme template, to me

[@FreyofKtau]

I first was Malcolm Douglas make fire out in the wild of australia more than two decades ago. He usually used the stick method and kangaroo poo :D as tinder. Making fire out of nothing always amazes me. Thanks for the video.

[@stargirl7646]

6:45 wait, doesn’t this happen in the Studio Ghibli film Nausicaa? She spreads some powder from her gun in a circle around the item she wishes to cut (it’s too hard for her sword for cut), and then lays her gun beside the circle and ignites it with the striking action you just described. As soon as you described it I had that very clear remembrance of seeing this before! Even in such a far-removed reference as a Japanese anime haha!

[@Ptitmalle]

Thanks for the video 😃👍

[@harrytodhunter5078]

That thumbnail goes hard

[@UncleCharlie2.0]

I had a fresnel lens from a 72” TV, I lit my porch on fire playing with it. 😂

[@roberttalada5196]

Yeah boi! Those things are death rays

[@Breakfast_and_Bullets]

I normally use historic/traditional methods to light my fireplace. I keep a cigar box stocked with Clint and steel, tinder, and small bits of kindling. Somebody from the 18th century or before would be quite comfortable starting a fire if I handed them my tinderbox.

[@Very_Bord]

That thumbnail looked like Bilbo rubbing the One Ring lol.

[@jamescrab4110]

Love the channel, but i need tutorial fast on rebuilding my 18th century schooner, i must fish

[@KNRBClan]

Waxing a dead spider at 12:10, caught my eye

[@bogtrottername7001]

Hey Hawkeye ! I've always loved those spindly little spiders - so delicate !

[@SoyLaGuayaba]

In Mexico, ocote pine is used as kindling (easy to light, due to the resin). I like knowing methods used in other parts of the world, like from Southeast Asia's method.

[@GroidedLimeHead]

6:06 you can light strike anywhere matches off your teeth lol