Thank You for being patient with us new comers. Like your videos. You remind be so much of my late uncle. Precise and to the point. Keep doing what ya do. Old pupil from US
Well Keith, Before this video I used to save that "rubbish" stuff and burn it outside to clean the block up. ... But no longer, this will be a great teaching opportunity for my Grandkids who are learning how to start a fire with very small sticks, found "in the air" lay the fire and start with one match. The next chapter for them is percolating in me now. I am very grateful. It keeps them from the TV, and every time they come to Grandpa's they learn something really cool! Blessings
Not a stupid question at all. Punk wood/punkwood is dry rot. This is caused by a wood destroying fungus called Serpula lacrymans. I would imagine though that the conditions would have to be right for this to spread, though I would not be storing a lot of it next to timber framing just in case. I have a lot of punk wood in various places, some stored in plastic shopping bags. I have some in the wood shed but it has not spread to the timber there. Regards, Keith.
charcoal is still usable, just not with flint and steel reliably, rather with solar and a burning lens. I have found I could sometimes get charcoal to catch with flint and steel sparks but it wasn't reliable and you really had to work at it. With a good magnifying lens it will ember charcoal in a second or two in full sunlight. The other way to utilize charcoal is for ember transfer, get your charred punk wood embered up and then transfer that ember to the charcoal. It's a good way to extend the punk wood out.
@@historicaltrekking I have been experimenting a fair bit with charcoal and charring wood (non punk wood) and I think the main problem with why it won't take a spark reliably from flint and steel is charcoal lacks the fine feathery bits that charred punk wood often has. It is these fine feathery bits (which are often on the ends of the pieces) that most often easily catch the sparks. The sparks most often simply bounce off the charcoal and fail to catch.
@@waveman0 I think you are pretty close to the mark on that one Orion, softer materials catch a spark easier than harder materials, & smaller particles of a harder material will catch & hold a spark. I still think we are missing something though, something inherent in tinder materials that is not there in other materials. We need to do more research Orion. Stay in touch. Regards, Keith.
@@historicaltrekking agreed, though it is very difficult to do objective, scientific experiments with this sort of thing, there is simply not the people to do the research or the people interested enough to justify the research being done.
Keith, I never thought about using this as fire starting tinder. I find this stuff from time to time and will start saving it for my fire kit. Thank you again for bringing us your knowledge and experience.
Thank you Bill, good to hear from you again. Your words remind me of my early days!!! Luckily we are both back on track now :) Take care mate. Regards, Keith.
You answered the question that I asked UA-cam and to great detail. You gave me the understanding that was easy to absorb,,,,,, me being a novice. Thank you.
Thank you for imparting your knowledge. I've enjoyed watching your videos and reading your web-pages. You seem to embody that natural spirit and instinct in man that yearns for survival; the instinct to survive.
you always explain your discussions very well keith. thanks. i have been trying to get back to the simple ways, some how i have strayed off in some other direction of building gear that was not necessary. i been making a good old oil cloth and cotton tarp and belt pouch. as my skills grow , less gear i need. ..bill
Good to hear from you Greg, thank you. Yes, you need to look at nature with new eyes, learn what there is to find out there & pass it on to the Grandkids. Most things in the bush have a use, you have to think out of the box. I appreciate your feedback Andrew. Regards, Keith.
thanks for the tips keith, once again very useful. I've actually walked past some punk wood everyday and didn't know it. got some now though. thanks again.
Today I started my very first fire using flint and steel and charred punk wood. Could not have made it without your very informational video series on this subject; thank you for sharing your knowledge! Cheers from Sweden!
Thanks for this great video, I always hear people talking about punkwood but never showing how to find it, especailly in the Australian bush. Ive seen that wood around the place all the time but never knew it was punk wood. Will have to collect some next time I see it. Thanks again for the infomation mate! Take care
I can't believe it taken me this long to subscribe Keith! I have watched a few of your video in the past but ended up going with the modern survival methods lately. Well I've just subbed and ready to learn the bushcraft living skills that got us here. You have my full attention. Brilliant work Keith .
Generally speaking yes OB, to date I have not had any success without charring punkwood. There is a bracket fungus that will catch a spark uncharred, & of course to can use gunpowder (black powder) to make fire with uncharred tinder & you can use a reading glass (see my other fire lighting videos). "I kept moving about to the best of my power, while he lay in a dry place by the side of the bank where the wind had blown away the snow. I at length found some very dry rotten wood which I used as a substitute for spunk, and was so happy as to raise a fire. We then applied ourselves to thaw and dry our moccasins, and when partly dry we put them on, and went to collect fuel [Page 24] for a larger fire than we had before been able to make". imp.lss.wisc.edu/~jrvalent/AIS/Assets/Pdfs/BookTanner.pdf If I can ever be of any help OB, contact me. Keith.
probably a stupid question but can you harm your wood house by bringing this fungus into your house by bringing the punkwood into your home. Or does it require the wood to be outside where it gets wet. tks. Gwndfm
in other words your refering to white rot i think, where the fungus has eaten everything except for the celulose which makes its fluffy soft and powdery the only reason i mention the details is as a pest controller we need to ID it
and for those who dont know cellulose is the part of timber which termites eat while brown rot or cubic rot the fungus eats the celulose instead and leaves the rest
Serpula lacrymans is the name of the fungus that destroys the wood. Wide spread in all countries I would imagine, which makes it a popular tinder to use. Thanks for taking the time to reply, appreciated. Regards, Keith.
Feels very similar, but in most cases a little softer. Keep that in mind, the texture, when looking for other plant tinders. In general they are all much the same. Keith.
Thank you for the advice Robert. This was filmed using my old camera, the newer ones should be fine. My apologies for the low volume, that was the main reason for getting the new camera. Keith.
+C moore As you can see by the date, this was made two years ago with my old camera. The main problem I had with that camera was the sound. Editing now will make no difference. ALL later videos were/are made with my new camera, so there should be no problems. Thanks for commenting. Regards, Keith.
Hi Keith! Watching you with interest! Great explanation of what Punk wood is!
Good to hear from you GBL, appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
David West sent me. Thank you for sharing your knowledge & expertise!
Good day Sofia, & thank you for commenting, much appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
Thank You for being patient with us new comers. Like your videos. You remind be so much of my late uncle. Precise and to the point. Keep doing what ya do. Old pupil from US
Good to hear from you David, & thank you for your comment.
Regards, Keith.
Well Keith, Before this video I used to save that "rubbish" stuff and burn it outside to clean the block up. ... But no longer, this will be a great teaching opportunity for my Grandkids who are learning how to start a fire with very small sticks, found "in the air" lay the fire and start with one match. The next chapter for them is percolating in me now. I am very grateful. It keeps them from the TV, and every time they come to Grandpa's they learn something really cool! Blessings
Not a stupid question at all. Punk wood/punkwood is dry rot. This is caused by a wood destroying fungus called Serpula lacrymans. I would imagine though that the conditions would have to be right for this to spread, though I would not be storing a lot of it next to timber framing just in case.
I have a lot of punk wood in various places, some stored in plastic shopping bags. I have some in the wood shed but it has not spread to the timber there.
Regards, Keith.
You are very welcome Jeff, & thank you for your feedback. Much appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
Keith, very much enjoyed your video. I was referred by the David West channel. Thanks a lot.
Good day Bill, good to hear from you. Many thanks for taking the time to comment, much appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
charcoal is still usable, just not with flint and steel reliably, rather with solar and a burning lens. I have found I could sometimes get charcoal to catch with flint and steel sparks but it wasn't reliable and you really had to work at it. With a good magnifying lens it will ember charcoal in a second or two in full sunlight.
The other way to utilize charcoal is for ember transfer, get your charred punk wood embered up and then transfer that ember to the charcoal. It's a good way to extend the punk wood out.
Thank you for your input Orion, appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
@@historicaltrekking I have been experimenting a fair bit with charcoal and charring wood (non punk wood) and I think the main problem with why it won't take a spark reliably from flint and steel is charcoal lacks the fine feathery bits that charred punk wood often has. It is these fine feathery bits (which are often on the ends of the pieces) that most often easily catch the sparks. The sparks most often simply bounce off the charcoal and fail to catch.
@@waveman0 I think you are pretty close to the mark on that one Orion, softer materials catch a spark easier than harder materials, & smaller particles of a harder material will catch & hold a spark. I still think we are missing something though, something inherent in tinder materials that is not there in other materials. We need to do more research Orion.
Stay in touch.
Regards, Keith.
@@historicaltrekking agreed, though it is very difficult to do objective, scientific experiments with this sort of thing, there is simply not the people to do the research or the people interested enough to justify the research being done.
Hello Keith,I have seen this everywhere in Australia but did not know it would take a spark from a flint an steel.
Top video.Thank you.
Cheers Kim.
Keith, I never thought about using this as fire starting tinder. I find this stuff from time to time and will start saving it for my fire kit. Thank you again for bringing us your knowledge and experience.
Thank you, & you are most welcome. Glad you like it.
Regards, Keith.
thank you very much appreciate the education ... did not know what punk wood was , now i know.
Thank you for the feedback Richard, much appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
Thank-you for the feedback Sir, appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
Thank you Bill, good to hear from you again. Your words remind me of my early days!!! Luckily we are both back on track now :)
Take care mate.
Regards, Keith.
No worries, thanks for the feedback, appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
Good one, glad it was useful. Thank you for the feedback, appreciated.
Keith.
Thank You Keith; very good information !
Thanks Thomas, good to hear from you.
Keith.
Thank you, glad you liked it.
Regards, Keith.
You answered the question that I asked UA-cam and to great detail.
You gave me the understanding that was easy to absorb,,,,,, me being a novice.
Thank you.
Glad you liked it Jay. Any questions on the book, contact me.
Regards, Keith.
Much appreciated my friend, thank you.
Keith.
Thanks mate, I will certainly check out your channel.
Regards, Keith.
Thanks mate, appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
Thank you, obliged.
Regards, Keith.
Thank you for imparting your knowledge. I've enjoyed watching your videos and reading your web-pages. You seem to embody that natural spirit and instinct in man that yearns for survival; the instinct to survive.
My pleasure David, & thank-you for your comment, much appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
Thanks Tom.
Regards, Keith.
you always explain your discussions very well keith. thanks. i have been trying to get back to the simple ways, some how i have strayed off in some other direction of building gear that was not necessary. i been making a good old oil cloth and cotton tarp and belt pouch. as my skills grow , less gear i need.
..bill
Thank you.
Keith.
Interesting video, I've seen this but never knew there was a name for it. Thanks Keith.
Good to hear from you Greg, thank you. Yes, you need to look at nature with new eyes, learn what there is to find out there & pass it on to the Grandkids. Most things in the bush have a use, you have to think out of the box.
I appreciate your feedback Andrew.
Regards, Keith.
informative as usual .. thanks for sharing
thanks for the tips keith, once again very useful. I've actually walked past some punk wood everyday and didn't know it. got some now though. thanks again.
Good one mate, well done.
Regards, Keith.
Thank you,help me to now be on the look out for punk wood.Greeting from Germany!
+Tonauac/Teonewhopossesseslight /Nahuatl Good to hear from you. Pleased that I was able to help.
Regards, Keith.
Good vid. Just read your article in The backwoodsman here in the states. Enjoyed it. Many thanks.
Good one JW.
Keith.
Today I started my very first fire using flint and steel and charred punk wood. Could not have made it without your very informational video series on this subject; thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Cheers from Sweden!
Charred fungi is great too.
Great job Keith, thanks!
Thank you John, much appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
Great video Kieth! on the next!
Nice score that one should last awhile. Just found your channel and subbed. Awesome channel! Thanks for putting all this great info up.
Thanks for this great video, I always hear people talking about punkwood but never showing how to find it, especailly in the Australian bush. Ive seen that wood around the place all the time but never knew it was punk wood. Will have to collect some next time I see it. Thanks again for the infomation mate!
Take care
I can't believe it taken me this long to subscribe Keith! I have watched a few of your video in the past but ended up going with the modern survival methods lately. Well I've just subbed and ready to learn the bushcraft living skills that got us here. You have my full attention. Brilliant work Keith .
You are welcome Mark.
Regards, Keith.
Do you have to char it to take a spark from a fire steel? Thanks
Generally speaking yes OB, to date I have not had any success without charring punkwood. There is a bracket fungus that will catch a spark uncharred, & of course to can use gunpowder (black powder) to make fire with uncharred tinder & you can use a reading glass (see my other fire lighting videos).
"I kept moving about to the best of my power, while he lay in a dry place by the side of the bank where the wind had blown away the snow. I at length found some very dry rotten wood which I used as a substitute for spunk, and was so happy as to raise a fire. We then applied ourselves to thaw and dry our moccasins, and when partly dry we put them on, and went to collect fuel [Page 24] for a larger fire than we had before been able to make".
imp.lss.wisc.edu/~jrvalent/AIS/Assets/Pdfs/BookTanner.pdf
If I can ever be of any help OB, contact me.
Keith.
Top video mate.
Thank you, appreciated.
Keith.
Good video, I use it in my flint and steel fire kit after making it into charcoal works great. sent you a VR of it.
probably a stupid question but can you harm your wood house by bringing this fungus into your house by bringing the punkwood into your home. Or does it require the wood to be outside where it gets wet. tks. Gwndfm
Can we find punkwood in asia?
Yes ph, you can find punkwood in Asia. You also have polypore tinder fungus in Asia. See my other videos on plant tinders.
Regards, Keith.
Australia.
Great vid keith, just made some charred wood yesterday.
in other words your refering to white rot i think, where the fungus has eaten everything except for the celulose which makes its fluffy soft and powdery the only reason i mention the details is as a pest controller we need to ID it
ah i spoke too soon i put this post up before watching it all
hehe he knows his stuff
and for those who dont know cellulose is the part of timber which termites eat while brown rot or cubic rot the fungus eats the celulose instead and leaves the rest
Serpula lacrymans is the name of the fungus that destroys the wood. Wide spread in all countries I would imagine, which makes it a popular tinder to use.
Thanks for taking the time to reply, appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
no worries mate allways apreciate someone shareing what they know with others keep it up chief
I have found that live and coastal oaks in Southern California will either give white punk wood, or black. Both seem to work.
+Craig Swogger Excellent Craig, thank you for the information.
Regards, Keith.
Can I use the punk wood "sponge" to clean my dishes?
I have never tried Syed, I guess you could, but the punkwood will probably break up a bit. I don't take dishes on a camp.
Regards, Keith.
Subbed...thanx! Love natural tinder
thanks I tried to make today did not work, you show me why, my was to hard not rotten enough thanks...
robert boose My pleasure Robert. Any questions, contact me
Regards, Keith.
Just a note to viewers punk wood will take a spark from Flint and steel without being charred also. it is just easier if it’s charred.
Can't say I have ever managed that with the steel I use Tracy, but thank you for this information.
Regards, Keith.
oh then the wood i found is definitely not punk wood, explains why it wouldn't catch a spark. Thank you!
You are very welcome Esben, & thank you for commenting. Appreciated.
Regards, Keith.
kinda of like balsa wood ty for this
Feels very similar, but in most cases a little softer. Keep that in mind, the texture, when looking for other plant tinders. In general they are all much the same.
Keith.
We get a lot of punk wood out of dead fallen pine trees.
+Dona LeGrand Excellent!
Regards, Keith.
Wow you have huge wood
Thank You for the awesome Videos.
Forgive me for my sad attempt at humor above.
Turn up the volume. It be nice to hear you a lot of need to do it
Thank you for the advice Robert. This was filmed using my old camera, the newer ones should be fine. My apologies for the low volume, that was the main reason for getting the new camera.
Keith.
sound check!!!
+C moore As you can see by the date, this was made two years ago with my old camera. The main problem I had with that camera was the sound. Editing now will make no difference. ALL later videos were/are made with my new camera, so there should be no problems.
Thanks for commenting.
Regards, Keith.