Libro de respuestas de especialidades JA/Campamento/Fogata/Fricción

El método de «arco y taladro» es bien conocido y es un montón de trabajo. El arco es similar al que se usa para la arquería. Para hacer tal arco, encuentre una cuerda delgada o pedacito flexible pero robusto del cordaje, y un palillo robusto 60-120 cm de largo. Ate la cuerda a un extremo del palo y haga otro nudo en el otro extremo del palo, con la cuerda entre los extremos no tan tensa.

El taladro (o huso) es otro palo recto, delgado y fuerte, preferiblemente pelado de corteza, afilado en el extremo inferior y redondeado en la parte superior. El centro de la cuerda de arco se envuelve alrededor del taladro, con el arco y el huso en ángulo recto el uno al otro. El extremo del huso se coloca sobre un tablero de fuego.

El tablero de fuego es un pedazo de madera dura y seca (el cedro es excelente), con una impresión cónica en la superficie superior (tal como pudo ser hecha con un taladro avellanado). Esta impresión se perfora cerca de la orilla del tablero de fuego y una muesca se corta en él. El vértice de la muesca debe estar en el centro de la impresión. Coloque un pedazo de corteza por debajo de la muesca para atrapar la madera caliente que el huso molerá del tablero de fuego.

La parte superior del husillo es redondeada y suavizada, y colocada en un hueco de madera dura, hueso, piedra o algo similar. El hueco debe ser alisado y engrasado para reducir la fricción - usted no quiere generar calor en el hueco.

You should also have a piece of charcloth, which is useful when lighting any kind of primitive. A charcloth is a charred piece of cotton. You can make several by cutting up an old pair of jeans into 2"x1.5" rectangles. Place them in a tin (such as an Altoid tin) with a hole drilled in the top (or bottom). Put the tin (with the cloth inside) into a campfire and carefully remove after about 30 minutes. The tin will prevent the cloth from fully combusting because it limits the oxygen supply. Remove the pieces of cloth, and bring them with you when you are ready to light a fire.

Once the equipment is ready, gather some tinder. This tinder should be easily lit. Dry grass, pine needles, and dryer lint all work well for this. Form the tinder pile into the shape of a bird's nest. Then make sure you have enough kindling on hand and an easily lit fire laid with fuel ready to go. When tinder bursts into flames, it is not the right time to start looking for kindling and fuel. Do this ahead of time.

Once the spindle is in place with its bottom tip in the impression in the fireboard, the top held firmly by the socket, and the cord wrapped around its center, the fire builder will move the bow back and forth quickly to rotate the spindle. Long strokes are better than short strokes.

If the socket is pressed too hard, the spindle will not spin. If it is not pressed hard enough, the spindle will come loose.

After only a few seconds of spinning the spindle, the fireboard should begin to smoke. Keep working the bow. After about a minute of smoke, look for a pile of hot wood powder to accumulate in the notch, caught on the card or bark placed beneath it. Stop working the bow and see if the wood powder continues to smoke. If it does not, work the bow again.

When the wood powder continues to smoke after the spindle stops, carefully pick up the card or bark, slide the wood powder into the center of the charcloth, and gently blow on the wood powder. Slowly increase the strength of the air stream blown into the tinder. It should glow red, and as more air is forced into it. In short order, the ember should ignite the charcloth. When it does, slide the charcloth into the tinder and continue blowing. Eventually when you take your next breath, the tinder pile will burst into flames. Place the burning tinder beneath the kindling and tend the fire as you would any newly lit fire.