But he did not tell me how to get fire in extreme conditions.

Making a fire yourself is not always easy, even if you have matches. What to do if it is raining in the forest? In this article, I would like to talk about the methods of producing fire (both with ordinary matches, lighters, and somewhat extravagant methods). There are a great many of the latter, but I would like to make a reservation in advance: only really working methods will be indicated here, and / or those that are normal from the point of view of a healthy mind.

A simple example: in one of the films with Les Stroud, he makes fire using shots from his rifle, namely, he disassembles the cartridge, replacing the bullet with a tinder and crimping the case with a multitool. Agree, it's strange that a person has a rifle and a multitool, but no simple matches or flint. This is nothing, but he transferred about 10 rounds there, and this is, in the worst case scenario, 5 (!) Targets hit. Such methods of starting a fire are stupid and you will not see them in this article.

Making a fire in traditional ways

First, I would like to talk about how to start a fire with matches, lighters, and flint. Matches are a component of any survival kit (kit), in almost every one of them you can find this small and effective remedy extraction of fire. There is Various types matches, namely:

1. water / wind resistant
2. ordinary
3. matches with a long piece of wood
4. bezelless matches.

Exists different kinds Factory-made water and windproof matches, which we know as "hunting" matches, some of them are really good, but they are much more expensive than ordinary ones. Better, by the way, to take several boxes (this applies to all matches): a couple for testing and preparation, others directly to the NAZ.

You can also recommend foreign matches "Windproof Waterproof Survival Matches" NATO NSN: 9920-99-665-4243. They are packed in a sealed plastic container. The chirkash for initiating matches is located outside the container and can get wet or damp, so if you wish, it is better to move it inside, or even better, add another chirkash cut from the matchbox.

Also of interest are the so-called strike-anywhere matches. They are ignited by friction and on any hard surface (for example, against a stone or wall), and they can be identified by double coloring of the head. Since they are sensitive to friction, they must be stored carefully.

There are also ordinary matches, but it is better not to lay them down without additional processing in NAZ.

One of the simplest, and at the same time best ways processing of matches is waxing. Matches are dipped in molten paraffin for a few seconds, no more (the paraffin should lie on the match in a thin layer). Such matches burn longer and stronger than simple matches. You can also cover the head of the match with varnish, and, if necessary, remove this varnish by rubbing, for example, against the same stone or knife blade, but this method has sunk into oblivion, since it is inconvenient and impractical.

It is better to store such and any other matches in sealed containers. Previously, for example, a 35mm film case was popular, but now it is difficult to get it. Therefore, many reputable survivalists advise keeping matches in sealed plastic envelopes.

They are usually done. Two pieces of plastic film are taken, and sealed along three edges (put them between two sheets of paper, leaving a free edge of 1-2 centimeters, and go over it with an iron or a soldering iron. Or you can weld the edges in the flame of a match). Put matches in this container (several, together with a teal or a whole box), and weld the last edge. Hermetically sealed and comfortable. You can also wrap the matches in waxed paper and put them in this container - you will have great tinder too.

There are also factory containers, many of which already have a chirkash, and in some models there is a small flint outside at the bottom.

Tinder- any material that can be ignited by a single spark. It can be birch bark, dry leaves, dry grass, or reeds that grow along the banks (or rather, its upper part), in general there are a lot of options. The tinder is convenient: you ignite it, and the whole fire is already ignited from it. Many people recommend not relying on natural tinder, but also wearing your own tinder - a small box with burnt cotton wool or cotton wool soaked in petroleum jelly.

You can also carry lighters. There are a great variety of lighters:

• gas
• petrol
• alcohol

You can take both gas and gasoline / alcohol, but it is important not to take cheap Chinese ones - you will not light a fire from them. I also highly recommend carrying a couple of spare flints for the lighter, because they can also light a fire in case of anything. For a long time, the magazine "UT" even published a recipe for such a "fiery pencil": flints from lighters were inserted into a regular pencil instead of a lead. When such a pencil was held on a hard surface, a spark was struck, from which the tinder was ignited.

Flint can also be used to light a fire. Fire is a metal plate (often with a notch, like a file) and a round bar (flint) made of magnesium or a pyrophoric alloy. The latter is most often used, but if you have a flint with a chair made of a pyrophoric alloy (most often it is mischmetal - an alloy of iron, magnesium, cerium and some lanthanides), then you can simply buy a separate magnesium bar for kindling (available for sale).

How to work with a flint is shown in the figure

There are also various eternal matches, the so-called. Lebedev's lights, ready-made kindling, but absolutely anyone will tell you that this is all nonsense, and none of this will be useful to you. Eternal match fueled with gasoline, but the sparks it produces are not powerful enough, and it is difficult to wield it, and the price bites. Lebedev's fire is simply a ready-made kindling that also needs to be set on fire, and many wear it solely for the sake of one plus - this kindling cannot be extinguished until it burns out ... But the price covers this plus. For such purposes, it is recommended to have at least a couple of tablets of dry alcohol in your NAZ - this is an excellent kindling, and it is quite cheap, and it itself, for example in dry rations, is packed in an airtight container already together with a chirkash and "hunting" matches, which is incredibly convenient.

It is necessary to summarize. The following ignition means are recommended for NAZ:

1. At least two boxes of water-resistant (hunting) matches. If they are not there, then you can put waxed, hermetically packed ordinary matches (although it is recommended to put them in addition to hunting matches).
2. Several lighters with a supply of flints for them.
3. Flint.
4. Stock of tinder (burnt cotton wool in a sealed box).

Making fire in unconventional ways

But what if you don’t have NAZ (either your NAZ doesn’t have them, or they run out), there are no match shops either, and you yourself were captured by an emergency? The fire can be lit in other ways. In this part, you will learn how to make fire by rubbing and without matches.

Method number 1. Chemical reaction.

The fire can be diluted as a result of the reaction of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) and glycerin, or by rubbing the same potassium permanganate and sugar. Moreover, in the first case, the fire will be at the beginning yellow color, but then it will become normal (interaction with oxygen will begin). The method is somewhat strange, but it works, and many in NAZs have potassium permanganate (it is an excellent means for disinfecting water and a lot for something else).

Method number 2. Fire by friction.

You can effectively get fire using the so-called. " hand drill". Make a bow by tying a string or string to the ends of the stick. Using the bow and stick that you will rotate this bow, start to drill a hole in the piece of wood, as it were. As a result of friction, there will be a kind of black dust, similar to fine coal. When this powder begins to smolder (due to friction), it must be transferred to the tinder prepared in advance. It is important that the tinder and wood are dry, otherwise nothing will work.

See the figure for more details.

Method number 3. Fire with a car battery.

However, you can use any other battery. Short-circuit the two wires from the negative and positive terminals. From the resulting electric arc light the tinder on fire.

When there is extreme situation of autonomous existence, a fire made in time can be of great benefit. It will provide an opportunity to warm up at low air temperatures, prepare hot food and drink, which is especially important if there are wounded in the group. A bonfire is also a purely psychological calmer, from which it breathes with hope, confidence in a successful outcome of the case. In short, it is very important to know how to start a fire anywhere and in any weather conditions.

But there are situations when none of the victims have lighters, matches, or they are hopelessly damp, i.e. missing one of the elements of the "triangle of fire" (see 1.3). In this case, you will have to make fire in one of the ways indicated in Figures 140-144.

The easiest way to get fire is by striking a rock of hard rock (silicon, pyrite, etc.) with sliding blows with a chair. As a chair, you can use metal objects: file, underside of knife blade, ax blade. The direction of blows must be such that sparks strike the

tinder is a flammable or smoldering material (Fig. 140). The success of the business depends on its quality. Therefore, the tinder can be prepared in advance and carried with you in a sealed package.

You can make tinder from a piece medical cotton after soaking it with a concentrated solution of potassium nitrate and drying it well. Tinder can also be made from a piece of pure wool or cotton fabric. It is dried over low heat until it starts to burn around the edges. Without allowing the fabric to ignite, it is removed from the fire and placed in an airtight package.

If there is no pre-prepared tinder, then it can be made in an extreme situation, using fine dry birch bark, primary pine or cedar bark, wood dust from a trunk eaten by insects, reed and bird fluff - in a word, everything that begins to smolder or ignite when sparks hitting them.

If possible, the tinder can be moistened with gasoline, alcohol or some other flammable material before use.

Several other methods of producing fire are based on the effect of frictional heat release. The most productive of these is the drilling method. To do this, you need to make a bow, "drill", support and thrust bearing (Fig. 141). A bow can be made from any branch with a length of about a meter, with a diameter of 2 - 3 cm.As a bowstring, it can have a strong rope, a narrow strip from a cut

leg belt. To make a support, you need to split a block of hard wood in half ( best material- dry larch). It is desirable to make a "drill" from the same wood species. A dry branch with a diameter of 1 - 2 cm and a length of 15 - 20 cm is suitable for this. The upper part of the "drill" should be turned in the form of a sphere or a cone with an angle of about 60 °, the lower one - in the form of a cone with an angle of 30 °. At the same angle on the surface of the support, 1.5 - 2 cm from the edge, make a small depression, where the "drill" is inserted with its lower end. The "drill" is pressed against the support by the foot pad. Therefore, it should also be made of hard wood, and it is better to use a stone with a small depression. After this, the "drill" is overwhelmed by the bowstring of the bow.

To rotate the "drill", moving the bow back and forth, it is necessary at first slowly, gradually increasing the speed. In this case, the "drill" is not too strongly pressed against the support through the thrust bearing. First, smoke appears in the place of the deepening. But the work must be continued for some time, until a certain amount of brown powder appears in the depression. The heated powder may flare up at the edges of the recess. If this does not happen, then you should carefully inflate the powder, attach the previously prepared tinder to it. Working together (Fig. 142), you can do without a bow. Otherwise, the operating procedure remains the same.

The simplicity of this method does not guarantee quick success. And it depends on many factors: correct selection wood, quality of tinder, force of pressure on the "drill", weather, etc. As a rule, this method can be successful only in dry weather in summer.

If the victims have a gun, the tinder can be set on fire with a shot. For this, a bullet or shot is removed from the cartridge, as well as part of the gunpowder. The sleeve is clogged with cotton wool, dry moss, a ball of cloth or small birch bark. The shot is fired into the ground next to

stacked tinder. You can pour some of the gunpowder onto the tinder and try to set it on fire, striking sparks with a kale.

If, in a vehicle accident, the battery or batteries remained unharmed, then they can be used to produce a fire (Fig. 143). Short-circuiting the positive and negative contacts will generate a powerful spark that can ignite the tinder.

The task is greatly simplified in clear sunny weather. With the help of a lens from a camera, binoculars, glasses, you can focus the sun's rays on the tinder and thereby ignite it. Having focused the rays on the tinder, the lens should be kept motionless (Fig. 144). To do this, you can prepare a hand rest in advance.

There are also chemical methods making fire, based on spontaneous combustion of various mixtures. In case of a vehicle accident, you can use antifreeze (radiator coolant) and potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate), which should be in the car's first aid kit. For this, a teaspoon of potassium permanganate is poured onto paper or cloth, 2 - 3 drops of antifreeze are dripped onto it. After that, the sheet must be tightly rolled up, put on the ground, put tinder on top. During the oxidation process, a large number of heat capable of igniting the paper and setting the tinder on fire. You should not pour a lot of liquid - this slows down the heating rate. The heating speed also decreases with loosely curled paper.

The same effect is obtained by the combination of potassium permanganate with glycerin, which can be in a medical kit as a means used to soften the skin and mucous membranes in case of its disease. In this case, potassium permanganate is poured onto a dry surface, a few drops of glycerin are dripped onto it. After the appearance of smoke, a few more drops of glycerin are added, which may turn out to be critical - a bright flash occurs, from which the cooked tinder is set on fire.

In all cases of making a fire, you must first carefully prepare. To do this, it is necessary to prepare tinder, small kindling, small and large branches for the subsequent making of a fire after the ignition of the tinder. A campfire site must also be prepared.

When lighting a fire, one must take into account the weather conditions and try to eliminate them as much as possible. negative impact... In windy conditions, find a quiet, closed place or build a windbreak. It is difficult to make fire when it is raining because the air humidity is very high and the tinder cannot be kept dry. In such a situation, methods of making fire by friction become ineffective, and if there is no way to use another method, then it is worth waiting for the rain to stop.

Making a fire without matches requires skill, a lot of patience, and sometimes this process takes quite a long time. Once having made a fire, one must try to preserve it for the entire period of autonomous existence. Our ancestors did the same, treating the preservation of fire as a sacred duty. Keeping the fire in place is easy. A constant watch is required to maintain it (there should always be firewood at hand). At night, you need to collect smoldering embers and coals in a heap, cover them with a layer of ash, and heat dry earth on top. In case of rain, you can cover the fire place with an awning. In the morning, it is enough to clean up the earth and ash and inflate the embers. After that, it is easy to re-light the fire. Care must be taken to use firewood in the evening, which gives good coals, and does not completely burn out. You can use a gnarled log or the root of a small tree for this.

It is more difficult to keep the fire going if the group (or one person) is on the move. Embers covered with ash can be carried in a pot, bucket, or tin can. In the absence of containers, another method is used. The bark is removed from the birch to its entire thickness - to the wood. A layer of dry earth is poured onto the straightened bark, then a layer of ash. Smoldering coals should be laid on the ash and covered with a layer of ash, then earth. After that, the birch bark must be carefully rolled up, tied tightly and the ends of the roll must be closed with birch bark, wooden corks (Fig. 145). It is necessary to carry such a roll in an upright position, protecting it from shaking.

A torch is also used, in which thin splinters are shifted with dry moss, tightly wrapped in bark. Such a torch, up to 15 cm thick and 70 cm long, will keep fire for about 6 hours.

Spring has come, which means it is the season of going out into nature. How to have fun in nature, except for the field kitchen and setting up the camp? We suggest you try several methods of making a fire without matches and lighters. It is exciting, and most importantly, if the result is positive, you will get an invaluable experience that may come in handy someday in your life.

Every experienced hunter, fisherman, and just an avid traveler should know how to get fire without matches. This is the basis for survival in any unforeseen situation. Fire is life, and do without it in the harsh field conditions extremely difficult. Matches can be elementary dampened and then traditional and not quite traditional ones come to the rescue. traditional methods and methods of producing fire. Some of the methods described below are familiar to man since ancient times, and some are the know-how of modern times, they were invented recently and in some moments are not inferior to the traditional methods of producing fire. Lighting a fire without matches is painstaking and laborious. You can find yourself in the wild under any conditions, and only a fire can save a person.

1. Extraction of fire by friction

This is perhaps the most famous and affordable way receiving fire. It is long and painstaking, so you need to prepare for the fact that it will take a lot of time to get the first spark.

There are certain criteria for the success of such an event, one of which is the correctly selected wood as a core and a board. The tree should be dry and not damp. The core is called wooden stick, which will have to be twisted on a plank around its axis in order to produce fire, creating the effect of strong friction.

The best types of wood suitable for producing fire by friction are Walnut, cypress, cedar, willow, aspen, pine.

Collect the tinder in a compact pile. Avoid placing too much tinder on the wood substrate. The tinder itself is made from dry leaves or grass, it is a light material that should be ignited by a spark. A V-hole is cut in the wood backing and some tinder is placed in the recess of the hole. After that, the wooden rod is placed in the recess and the rotation of the rod begins. To rotate the rod with your hands it was more convenient, you need to take a wooden stick to create a rod at least sixty centimeters long. It is necessary to press the rod on a wooden substrate very carefully, while quickly rotating it between the palms.

After the spark is received, dry moss, juniper, aspen bark should be placed on the board.

One more interesting way extraction of fire without matches, this is the Fiery Plow. For the production of fire using a similar method, a wooden substrate made of dry wood is useful, in the middle of which a recess for the rod is cut. It is necessary to forcefully move it up and down. As soon as the tree begins to smolder, you need to put tinder.

A bow drill is another versatile way of getting fire without the use of matches. Unlike manual friction, the spark is produced from the bow more quickly. Since the bow maintains ideal pressure and maximum rotation speed of the wooden rod. As a result, strong friction arises, helping to produce fire in a short time. What is needed for this method? These are, first of all:

• Wooden rod;
• Wooden backing;
• Bow and weight;

With friction, the weight is pressed against the end of the rod, and the rod rotates with a bow. In order not to break the rod, it is necessary to take a less dense and solid weighting agent.

You can use water or oil as a lubricant, so the process will go faster. Let's talk about the bow itself. You can do it yourself. The length of the bow must match the length of the arm an ordinary person... It is better to choose a flexible and pliable vine, the bowstring is made of rope, lace from under the boots. The bowstring can be made of absolutely anything, but it must be strong and not rip during the production of fire. It is simply pulled over the ends of the vine and the bow is ready to use. A hole is cut in the wooden backing, and a wooden rod is placed in the loop of the bowstring. One end of the rod should fit in the hole in the backing, and the other in the bowstring. The bow moves in a forward motion, and through this process, fire can be quickly produced. Tinder is added to the embers, and the fire slowly but surely flares up.

2. Extraction of fire with lenses

We all know the standard course of physics at school, from which we remember that a beam passing through glass solar energy concentrates at one point. The temperature is so high at this point that it is enough to just bring a paper napkin to it and it will light up. This method of producing fire is good for everyone, but there is also a significant disadvantage. You can get fire with a lens only in dry and sunny weather. What is required?

• Lens of any type;
• Tinder collected from dry leaves or grass;

If you don't have a lens, regular glasses, a piece of glass, the bottom of an aluminum can, and even ice will do. By the way, you can dwell in more detail on the production of fire using ice. It would seem that these are two mutually exclusive concepts: ice and flame. But thanks to ice, you can kindle a fire, this is especially useful in winter period when dry leaves or grass are difficult to find. The principle of operation of such an interesting method was also described by Jules Verne. You need to create a lens from regular ice, but the ice should be as clean and transparent as possible.

Through coordination sun rays you can even set fire to paper. It is not always possible to find pure ice in nature, but you can freeze simple ice. drinking water... The resulting piece of ice is carefully processed and polished with improvised means. Ice can also be frozen in a spherical container such as a shallow saucer. But you need to remove the ice as carefully as possible so as not to damage it. Ice melts quickly and such a lens must be used as quickly as possible.

As for simple lenses, just take a few dry twigs, leaves, grass and build something that looks like a nest. After the lens is aimed at the tinder, you must carefully monitor the appearance of smoldering and smoke, try to fan the fire.

3. We make fire with the help of chemicals

A simple knowledge of elementary chemistry will help you make fire. Some chemical compositions flammable when rubbed or mixed. But when using this method, individual care must be taken so as not to harm yourself. It is important to avoid physical contact chemical with a metal surface. The following compounds contribute to the ignition:

• Potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) and ordinary sugar in a ratio of nine (sugar) to one (potassium permanganate);
• Potassium chlorate and sugar (proportions three to one);
• Potassium permanganate and glycerin;
• Sodium chlorate and sugar (three to one ratio);
• Potassium permanganate and any antifreeze;

Now the question is: where to get these chemical elements? Potassium chloride is a part of some drug against throat diseases (Furacillin). And potassium permanganate and glycerin can be found in the medicine cabinet. The most elementary example: we take a small piece of cotton wool, pour potassium permanganate, then sugar and begin to rub this kind of tinder with a stick.

After a couple of minutes, the cotton wool will ignite. Typical mistake inexperienced people is that they do not observe the correct dosage of ingredients.

4. Getting fire with flint, chisel or silicon

Another method, rooted in a centuries-old history: making fire with a flint. Flint was especially popular in the eighteenth century before the invention of ordinary matches. To strike a spark and make a fire, it is enough to have a silicon stone. A couple of blows are enough and you can bring tinder from leaves or dry grass to kindle a fire. Flame was often used in field conditions or in war. And also, many wear it in theirs. The armchair must be made of metal.

If you're lucky, you can strike sparks for the future fire with silicon. Flint, which is composed of hard rocks of minerals, can easily be found among stones. By the way, flint flint was used in ancient firearms.

5. Condom

After we have looked at the traditional and quite familiar methods of making fire without matches, you can pay attention to alternative methods of making a flame. Let's talk about the most interesting ones. A condom is not only a means of protection, but also an excellent means for making fire without matches. It must be filled with water, the main thing is not to overdo it.

The result is a kind of lens. The light from the sun passing through the condom is focused on the pre-prepared tinder on a wooden backing. As a result, the tinder begins to smolder slowly, all that remains is to fan the flame of fire. Such is the interesting and creative way.

6. Flashlight

You can get fire with a regular flashlight, if, of course, you do not feel sorry for it. The flashlight will have to be broken. The electric part of the light bulb on the lantern is neatly broken (we need to expose the electric arc itself).

Promptly place some tinder, bring up the bare arc and set fire to the tinder.

7. Skating

Do not wash, do it by rolling! In this case, you need regular cotton wool. This old prison know-how consists in the fact that a kind of roller is formed from a simple piece of cotton wool.

The roller begins to roll over the wood surface. After a while, the cotton wool begins to smolder, the cotton wool increases in size, saturated with oxygen. Oxygen itself is a catalyst for the combustion reaction.

8. A can of Coca-Cola and a bar of chocolate.

How can these delicacies help in making fire, you ask? Everything is very simple. Success ingredients sunny day, chocolate and soda can (tin). We open the chocolate and start rubbing the bottom of the tin can with it. Of course, it's a pity for chocolate, but what you don't have to sacrifice for the sake of making fire!

This tricky polish will make the bottom of the tin shine and shine. After polishing, the Coca-Cola can turned into a kind of parabolic mirror. We turn the polished bottom towards the sun and try to set fire to the previously prepared tinder.

8. Wool and batteries

Wool and regular batteries can also come in handy when performing the arduous task of making fire without matches.

Just stretching woolen fabric(it is desirable that the wool was natural) and quickly begin to rub the piece of wool with a battery. The optimal battery power suitable for such actions is about 9 watts. After long efforts, the wool slowly begins to ignite, it remains to slightly blow on it and put a tinder on it so that the fire starts up faster.

10. Firearms

You can get saving fire if you have firearms... It's just that a shot is removed from the cartridge itself, the sleeve can be puffed up with tinder in the form of dry moss, leaves, coiled dry bark and a blank shot at the place where the fire is planned to be held. The rest is just a matter of technology, you need to fan the fire and throw dry branches into it.

At first glance, a rather exotic method, but still very effective in emergency situations.

As you can see, there are tons of ways to make a fire if there are no matches. It is important to know some basic rules, folk tricks and tips that can keep you warm in the forest or even save your life if you suddenly get lost. The experience accumulated over the centuries makes it possible to extract the saving fire from almost any available materials. This does not require a special skill, it is important to apply the maximum amount of effort to produce fire. Fire is life. And a cheerful, crackling fire will warm you in any situation and in any weather.

The ability to make fire without matches or a lighter is invaluable, especially when faced with extreme survival conditions. Various circumstances can contribute to the fact that matches become damp, and the lighter is lost or it runs out of gasoline. In this case, it is able to save from cold and hunger the production of fire by friction, despite the fact that this process is very laborious and time-consuming. They knew how to make fire without matches (by friction) even in ancient times, since there were no other ways to keep warm, to protect oneself from animals at night and cook the food obtained.

Friction fire

There are two main ways you can start a fire by friction:

• Method using a hand drill.

To do this, you will need: a base and a rod made of dry wood, tinder, ignition material. At the base, you need to make a groove where friction with a wooden rod will be performed. Another groove is removed from this groove, coals and other friction products will come out of it. After that, a rod made of durable wood is installed in the groove. The friction of the rod against the base is carried out by rotating it by hand around its axis, as a result of which coals are obtained. After that, the coals need to be moved to the previously prepared tinder, and when the flame starts up, move to another material for lighting the fire (logs, branches, etc.).

• Using a bow drill.

The principle of operation is similar to the previous ignition, with the only difference that a retainer is attached to the top of the rod, which allows it to rotate more quickly without injuring your hands, the danger of which arises when using a hand drill. This is a more efficient way.

Making fire by friction: process technology

Before starting a fire, you need to prepare tinder, collect firewood, prepare a nest for coal, make a bow with a drill and prepare a wooden base.

Dry fibrous material is used as tinder: moss, lint from clothes, bird feathers and down, wood shavings. For firewood, you need to collect thin dry twigs, which can be found in the dry, lower tier of trees. The branches lying on the ground are most likely damp and wet, it will be difficult for them to flare up. Green wood should be avoided as it does not burn well. The tinder bundle should be wrapped in a denser material such as leaves or dry grass. In this case, you need to leave a recess for coal and openings for air ventilation.

The next step is to make the bow, for which you need to choose strong, resilient wood. After suitable material found, made a bow 30-60 cm long. It should be a thin, light rod, not too curved and at the same time rigid enough not to bend during rotation. To make a bowstring, a string, rope, twine is used, which is attached to the bow in such a way that it is slightly sagging.

For the spindle, you need to make the upper support of stone or wood. The stone should fit comfortably in your hand, not too small. It should have a notch and smooth edges. Wood can be made into a support block using hardwood by drilling a hole to about the middle of the block with a knife.

The support should be such that the spindle rotates freely around its axis, while maintaining a stable position of the narrow end. To reduce the wear on the top end, you can lubricate the hole in the block with resin.

Lighting a fire

On the base, you need to make a mark where the wooden drill will turn. Then drill a recess in this place with a diameter equal to the diameter of the spindle and a depth of about 5 mm. A hole for the tinder is cut under it.

After that, you need to burn a hole:

1. The wooden base is placed on a flat piece of ground.
2. With your left foot, you need to stand on the base at a distance of 2-3 cm from the funnel. The second leg is bent at the knee behind.
3. Hold the spindle with your left hand, right hand you need to hold the bow.
4. The bowstring must be looped at the upper, pointed end of the rod so that too much tension is not created. If it is difficult to tighten, loosen the string.
5. With the rounded end, the spindle is inserted into the hole in the base, a support block is held above it from above.
6. You need to take one end of the bow, and begin to rotate the spindle around its axis, pressing its lower end to the base.
7. If done correctly, a black charcoal will form around the drill and smoke will appear.

Then you need to make a chimney: from the edge of the newly formed burnt funnel, you need to saw through a V-shaped hole, not reaching the middle of the funnel. When the spindle rotates, coals are formed, which will fall out through this hole. Below it you need to put flat base for collecting coals, a flat chip is suitable for this.

After that, they start laying out the firewood as follows: they are laid at right angles with gaps between the rods for air circulation in the order of tinder - kindling - fuel. In this case, the kindling is not placed on the surface of the ground, but on a litter of leaves or dry branches. You should also leave a hole for placing the coals inside.

Now again you need to twist the drill on the base to get charcoal, gradually increasing the rotation speed. The coals through the hole will fall on the tinder, which will soon smoke. An indicator that they have formed will be darkening, redness, or lightening of the tinder. Then you need to carefully remove the board, support the embers with air (with a wave or a gentle breath), gradually surrounding them with tinder. When the first tongues of flame appear, the burning tinder must be placed in the hole of the prepared kindling, fan the fire.

The main mistake in the method of producing friction fire with a bow is that inexperienced tourists place the ignition material in the immediate vicinity of the friction point, relying on the fact that it will ignite on its own. They do not take into account the fact that in this case only smoke will arise, and for the emergence of fire, it is necessary to place coals in the starting material, fanning it.

Starting a fire by friction: other methods

In addition to using a hand or bow drill, there are several other methods of extracting fire by friction:

1. You will need a regular nail and a die, which you need to drive in. This should be done for several minutes, while rotating the nail around its axis. It will heat up enough to ignite the tinder.
2. A small base with a split should be made of pine. The tinder is placed there so that there is little space left under the board. Next, you need to find a rope, it is better if it is made of natural fiber. It is necessary to take it by both ends and start with quick movements "sawing" the wooden plank from below. When smoke appears, it needs to be fanned, having received fire.
3. The easiest way: a piece of cotton wool is placed between two dry wooden planks, and they begin to rub against each other. After a few minutes, the cotton wool will smoke.