The Dakota Fire Hole A little known survival aid related to wilderness fire making skills is the Dakota Fire Hole, also known as the Dakota Fire Pit. This handy device is easy to construct and has marked advantages over other types of camp fire constructs. Once you make a Dakota fire hole and try it out, you may choose to use this method for outdoor fires on a regular basis. Making a Dakota Fire Hole is initially more labor intensive than simply building a fire on the surface of the ground. The Dakota fire hole is a valuable wilderness survival aid because it burns fuel more efficiently, producing hotter fires with less wood. In many areas firewood is scarce or requires a large amount of time and expenditure of energy in foraging to obtain it. Other advantages of the Dakota fire hole are that it creates a kind of woodstove with a stable platform that is very convenient to cook over. Where to Build a Dakota Fire Hole The usual requirements related to general fire craft and care always apply. Campfire Cleanup
DIY Mason Jar Oil Lamp Lantern Craft Tutorial for Indoors or Outdoors DIY and create a beautiful oil lamp / lantern from a mason jar. Indoors, or outdoors, your new beautiful oil burning lamp craft will look gorgeous anywhere. A concept idea for using your lantern to burn scented oil has been appended onto the end of this tutorial. Oil lanterns are nice to have when camping, and they’re also great to have around for power outages. These mason jar oil lamps are functional, very inexpensive, fun to make, and sometimes just nice to kick back and stare at for a while. Keep out of reach of children and away from pets. There are endless variations that can be implemented when making your oil lamp— just use your imagination! Have you seen the article with 12 different oil lamps made using all sorts of jars, jugs and bottles? Do you remember the experiment in grade school with food coloring, applying it to different liquids that would ultimately float on the others? That was all, of course, due to different densities in the different liquids.
How to Build a Clean Fire: The Top-Down Fire Living Published on November 24th, 2011 | by ziggy There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and there’s more than one way to build a fire. But that doesn’t mean they are all equal: the top-down fire (or upside down fire) is perhaps the most efficient and cleanest way to build a fire. You can use this method when you build a fire in your small wood stove, your big wood furace, at a campsite, or basically any place you would have reason to burn wood. How to Build a Clean, Top-Down Fire Remember all of those smoky attempts at getting a fire going during those camping trips? The top-down fire is basically the exact opposite of that mess: a bed of bigger logs, with smaller wood placed atop that, and kindling and paper at the top, where the fire is lit, and then burns down the pile. A top-down fire is superior in that it is much more clean-burning than any other type of fire building. The more technical reasons why top-down fires are cleaner burning can be read here. About the Author
DIY Cheap 100 Hour Candles I am always on the look-out for homemade counterparts to store bought preparations. These DIY ’100 hour candles’ definitely fit the bill. In less than 5 minutes you have an inexpensive, refillable ’100 hour candle’ that will light up your home in the darkest of times. And for you ladies – these homemade alternatives are far more aesthetically pleasing than the store bought versions. Supplies The supplies you need are pretty straight forward. Just as a side note, it took me forever to find the liquid paraffin. Step One: Create Opening For Wick I used some grass-trimming shears but you can use a knife or any other sharp tool to create your opening. Step Two: Insert Wick Instead of just putting the wick in like a candle, we’re going to place it so that it is doubled over. After having both ends through, pull down so that only a tiny amount of the folded piece of wick remains. Step Three: Pour Paraffin Into Jar Fill up your 1/2 pint mason jar with the liquid paraffin. Step Four: Secure the Top
Make fire without matches Video 12 More DIY Oil Lantern Ideas - Put It In A Jar We’ve previously covered how to create a mason jar oil lantern, and we’ve covered how to create a rock candle. Now, for inspiration, let’s check out 12 different photos of various bottles, jars, and jugs that were converted into oil lamps or lanterns using the same steps as mentioned in our two tutorials. One of the nice things about making your own oil lamps is that they serve a purpose and will be there when you actually need to have one around. They can be used indoors or outdoors, depending on the oil you’ll be using, and are perfect for a desk party, BBQ, or small get-together. Would you like to view one of our tutorials on how to make your own oil lamp? You guys / gals should email in your photos once you’ve made your own oil lanterns, or any of the other craft projects on our site! This design is pretty impressive. This Christmas oil lamp is absolutely brilliant. These oil lamps are very stylish! I love the Pale Ale lantern! You can definitely use olive oil for your lamp fuel.
Survival Fire Starters – Do You Have 5 Ways to Make Fire? I would put the ability to make fire right behind water, shelter, and food in the list of most important things in a survival situation, and before food and shelter in some cases. Since being able to start a fire is so important, are you really going to rely on only one or two ways to do it? I think you should have at least 5 fire starters in your Bug Out Bag or in any survival preps for that matter. Be sure to notice that I am not talking about different types of tinder, like cedar shavings, fire log, paper etc. I am talking about 5 ways to actually make fire, to get that first spark. 1. No surprises here. 1.They need to be waterproof. 2. 2. Notice lighters is plural. If you are going to buy a nice lighter like that one, you should carry some Butane refill fluid and it will last you 5 times as long as any of the throw away lighters. 3. A firesteel and scraper is important to have for a couple of reasons. Cool ones that we have tested include: 1. 4. 9v Battery and Steel Wool 5. Be Safe
Olive Oil Lamps It's a good idea to be able to know how to create your own light sources in case you ever need them. This is a simple candle that you can put together with things that you already have laying around the kitchen (besides the wick, but I'd recommend keeping that as a regular stockpiled item anyways!) There were many times when we have lost power at our house. Olive Oil Candles What you need: Depending on how long you want your candle to burn you can pick different thicknesses of wick. I would go with at least a #2 wick if you choose the smaller, more candle like flame. Or if you are going for more light you may want to pick up a lantern width wick. Cut the wick a couple inches long. Bend the wire so it hooks onto the side of the jar. Here's a close up of the wick in the middle. Add your olive oil and that's it! The awesome thing about this candle/lantern is that olive oil burns clean and doesn't smoke. I personally used these squatty style half pint jars. What should we work on next?
3 Steps to Building a Fire There is no doubt about the greatest advance since mankind started hunting with spears, clubs and wearing animal skins… is the ability to harness the power of fire. In a survival situation, being able to get a fire going can mean the difference between life and death. With a fire you can boil water for drinking or cooking, provide heat, and even signal for help. The heat and light provided by a fire while alone at night in the middle of nowhere, can provide a sense of security and comfort. It can be extremely difficult to get a fire to ignite and burn. 1. Fires must have fuel or “tinder” which helps start the fire. 2. Keeping your fire lit can be a challenge of its own. following items on hand: plenty of small twigs, bark, or any other type of flammable material you can procure. First, it keeps the fire contained. Second, the barrier becomes heated by the fire and retains this heat for a significant duration of time depending on what materials you are using. 3.
Free Candle Making Instructions Directory Vital Instructions Candle Making Safety Instructions Do not make candles without reading and understanding these rules. Introduction To Candle Making This interactive on-line course teaches the basics of paraffin candle making. The course is 100% free, however you must register to use it. Candle Makers Troubleshooting Guide Just answer the questions for diagnosis and solutions to most candle making problems. Candle Measures A guide to measurements for candle making formulas. Wick Selection Guide Instructions on how to choose the correct wick for your Candles Candle Making Recipe Book Series This series is still under production, however most of the articles are now available. Container Candle Recipes A guide to container candle wax formulations and other information about container candles. Floating Candle Recipes A guide to floating candle wax formulations and other information about floating candles. Full Instruction List (in alphabetical order) Whipped Wax The basics of making whipped wax.
5 Ideas for Fire Tinder A while ago I asked readers Do You Have 5 Ways to Make Fire? The article concentrated on fire starters; steel and flight, lighters, and a few less common systems. However, most of those will be useless for building a fire if you don’t have some tinder to put the flame to. Here are 5 great ideas for fire tinder, both natural and homemade. 1. Everybody can collect it for free, and even get it from the bottom of your pockets in a pinch. 2. Collect the stringy shavings from the bark of a cedar tree for the best (in my opinion) natural fire tinder. 3. This might be the oldest survivalist trick in the book. 4. Obviously these won’t be available in all areas, but when you can find them the light feathery material inside cattails is like burning paper or cotton. 5. Like cedar, just shave some bark off of a birch tree. Two great products to keep in your Bug Out Bag are “WetFire” and “Fire Paste“. What do you use? I know these are just the tip of the iceberg for survival fire tender.
How To Make Your Own Wicks For Candles Candle making is a popular crafting activity. They make fun and unique gifts, are customizable and give of lovely scents when lit. Many crafters create their own candles but wicks are often purchased at a hobby store. For a completely handmade candle, use just a few steps and simple materials. Things You'll Need Cotton Kite Strings Or TwineClothespins And LineTable SaltScissorsOld NewspapersPaper And Binder Clips show more Dissolve two tablespoons of table salt and four tablespoons of borax in 1-1/2 cups of warm water. Soak a 1-foot length of regular cotton kite string or twine in the solution for 15 minutes. Hang the string with a clothespin for five days to be sure it is completely dry. Use a paper clip to dip the string in melted wax three or four times, coating it completely. Store wicks rolled up in a newspaper. Add only one chemical for color variation.
fire There's no doubt that the ability to make and control fire was one of the greatest technological advancements of mankind after tool making. It was there for warmth, protection, cooking, hunting and even primitive agricultural techniques. The knowledge of how to make fire utilizing primitive methods directly connects us to the people who used these techniques. Sparks From Flint It is the old one. Long ago the ability to create and make use of hot sparks to make fire was discovered. Top: A fire works kit consisting of a striker and a piece of good black flint is shown in its waterproof tinder box. Before the introduction of steel, sparks were obtained using a piece of iron pyrite for the striker. How To Catch A Spark One of the best materials for catching a spark is charcloth. You can do the same thing with the dry, punky wood you find in old stumps. There is a fungus called innonotus obliquus that grows on Birch trees that can catch a spark without being charred.