excellent , i tried this with horse huff the other day with hardly no success...i love chaga tea. thanks for helper the novice people.. i have been practicing daily , honestly no ember . only smoke. ill keep at it my friend , great vid.. ..bill
+billy joe denny You know, Bill, I've tried it with horse hoof fungus and I just can't make it work. That's odd, because it's such a great coal extender, and it doesn't make sense to me -- with enough heat, it should take a coal, right? But so far it hasn't worked. I've been thinking about it so much that I think I'm going to try it again today and see if I have any luck. If something happens, I'll let you know, but so far the hoof fungus just hasn't worked like chaga for me. =) Kenton
I have had the same problem with chaga not wanting to go out too. Lol chaga is great stuff. I just did a hunt video with a buddy of mine a few weeks ago. Great stuff. I am going to give it a try with hand drill. I have tried other mushrooms that were dried out with a bow drill and it worked great. Great tip and awesome of you to share your chaga with your viewers. 👍👍
+Adventure Time Outdoors It would be fun to hear your chaga not-going-out story! I bet there are a lot of them out there =) And great to know you've had success with other fungi and the bow drill. I haven't tried that! =) Kenton
+ReWildUniversity I don't know the species but it worked with Amadou and other false tinder fungus like fungus. Some kind of bracket fungus. As for the chaga story I was experimenting with a flint and steel and trying different materials to see if they would take a spark..chaga worked well and I was sure it was out and stuck it in my pocket. after a half hour or so something was burning my leg. pulled out the chaga and it had burnt a cone shaped hole right through the golf ball sized piece. I was surprised to see how deep the ember burnt with the lack of air being covered up. lol lesson learned
Going to give hand drill a go this year- I want to be able to make fire without any special kit. I think it must bring a sense of freedom being able to do this. I homeschool my kids and want to try this in a local bushcraft group here in the uk
+Gemma Young Awesome! Here's a step-by-step guide if you like: ua-cam.com/video/ScmQxuRrFww/v-deo.html And thanks for homeschooling -- that has been our choice too, and it's marvelous! =) Kenton
I seen that little Wood Imp, " SPECIES: ( Valpdorideapuss)"...riding on the back of your cat behind the hay bale. Well, where I live here in Wisconsin I have many varieties of birch trees and all the wonderful benefits they bring to the outdoorsman! I think your gift will really put a smile on someone's face that do not have our type of access to that magical fungus! Actually I'll have to come back to this thread just to see what other people found. ;)
Very nice video. Do you have a hand drill video using birch polypore rather than chaga? I'm still trying to learn the hand drill, and I always seem to get the bug around this time of year. Chaga isn't nearly as common here as it once was, and I prefer to leave what little there is for medicine and to (hopefully) repopulate itself to larger numbers again.
I have tried and tried with birch polypore to no avail. Not sure why I can't get it =) But no, I don't have that video you're looking for. So sorry!!! =)
We dry our Chaga in small pieces and I made a wooden box, that holds a mason jar , with a hole on the top and use a regular mason jar lid and a vacuum to seal the jar - tha Chaga lasts all winter without spoiling.
Thanks for another great video Kenton! I really appreciate the time you put into creating them and sharing your knowledge. We have Chaga growing here in the northern part of Sweden, but it is very hard to find and very valuable. So much so that neighbours of mine even had theirs stolen right under their noses from a birch growing in front of their house..! I haven't tried using a hand drill on one yet. For hand drill fire I've been using mugwort for the drill and spruce as hearthboard. Have yet to find Mullein which is probably better since only a few of the Mugwort stems actually do the trick. For creating a coal with Chaga I've simply rubbed it against a sharpened piece of spruce board. Takes more effort but works fairly well and only requires a small piece. Thanks again! /Matti
Next time you visit Gothenburg, take a walk. Chaga all over the place. :-) I live in the woods about an hour away from the city but it's kind of hard to find chaga here. Odd.
+Christer Lundenius It's funny that.. It seems the trees most affected are the unhapoy trees. Only ones I find are in town and near people, never in the woods.
+mafric750 I'll have to try that method! Fascinating! Sorry it's so tough to find in your area. In some places it is very scarce, in others abundant. Even when it is abundant, though, I try to take only a little =) =) Kenton
Great vid. Fellow Wisconsinite here, wondering what materials I could use for the spindle, other then Jerusalem artichoke and mullen. I've been having difficulty with the mullen and can't seem to find some decent sized Jerusalem Artichoke. (for reference I'm off the bay of Green Bay. I also have land up by Wausaukee) TIA
A fellow Wisconsinite! Sometimes the Jerusalem Artichoke can be too thin-walled. You could try goldenrods. You'll have to search for a thicker one, and not all species are equal, but you might get lucky there. Another that has worked really well for me is horseweed: www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/horseweed.htm Again, you'll have to search a little to find a thicker one, but it can work wonders. You won't find any right now because they all will be too rotted (except perhaps the mullein), but this autumn after the plants die is the optimal time to harvest a bunch of spindles. Make sure they are fully dead and dried. Let me know how things go! =) Kenton
ReWildUniversity thank you for the information! I'll go hunting tomorrow and see what I can come up with. I found about 3 lbs of chaga so I'm kinda playing around with it. Chaga tea is unreal, probably my favorite now. Thanks again Kenton, I'll let ya know how it goes.
That chaga is amazing stuff, isn't it? I can't get enough of that tea! I'll be excited to hear how it goes getting an ember with it! I can't remember all I included in this video, but I've considered doing an updated one -- if I didn't mention it, note that there are different densities of chaga, sometimes in a single fungus -- the medium to harder (but not really hard) stuff works best for this.
ReWildUniversity that'd be great if you made another vid. The chaga isn't easy to find thats for sure. Not easy to get either. I ended up finding it 12 ft off the ground and and to fab the saw up to get it down. I really enjoyed the taste and smell of chaga. I did however notice my urine had a different color to it so I assume it's working it's magic. I'm starting to research different trees, plants and fungi but it's not easy to learn from a book or on line. Way easier for me to learn by getting in it and seeing it all in person. I've been having issues with hand drill due to old skateboard injuries. My left wrist and elbow are stricken with arthritis. I can float the spindle and everything but start to cramp up after a few minutes. I can do bow drill fine just that dang hand drill lol I have gotten smoke just no ember... Which brought me to you friction fire with chaga :) I will get it eventually
You must have found it up at Wausaukee? I always think of it as a northern fungus. So cool that you're exploring this! I have found the chaga to be easier, though it can be tough to know when you've go that ember. I also wonder if the tea will help with the arthritis. Have you tried turmeric as well?
I love chaga, I just got done processing some I found, for personal use, I just have it cubed up now but I will probably grind it into something finer than coffee grounds, I know you can re use the chunks and all but I like making it into finer than foldgers looking, not that I like folgers, I wish I could buy one of those fire starting sticks off you, I don't feel good lol I am in northern Michigan, do you have any recommendation for a fire starting stick I could just find in the woods, I know its gotta be straight and dry, maybe maple? love your videos so much.
Tom, I'm sure you have mullein up there! I've found it in the UP (if that's where you are) in forest clearings and roadsides. This is the perfect time to harvest it. Just look for those tall dead stalks on the edge of forest and open areas (check areas that have been logged a year or two ago), and look for those distinctive "hot dogs" on the tops of the sticks, and you should be able to find one =)
@@ReWildUniversity I brought home the mullein, one I left the cola on cuz it was so huge! lol for a home decoration, I just eyed up the pieces to check the straightness and look good
Aren't they beautiful? Sometimes I run a knife at a 90 along the shaft for a while to smooth it out if it has too many sharp points on it. Keep me updated!
@@ReWildUniversity they are beauties! I love them, hard to message on this phone. I couldn't find the pocket saw, been missing a while, i should have used them when I had a sore throat during the virus. I won't give up on this. I was gonna look for a hearth today but that didn't happen but it will. I used to think when I was a kid that the giant colas were just that weed lol it would make good ass wipe too. I saw one vid where a guy made a thumb harness thing out of chamois to help aid in the gentle downward pressure. I try and spread the seeds after I pick it. I found some runt mullien today but what I found the other night should work, it's almost overly seasoned with some splits, I was thinking in reverse about using it, next time I gather some I will go more low to the base for a more solid contact point, I will keep you updated, appreciate your commination.
Hi Tim! If I'm understanding your question correctly, you're asking about the origins of it? It seems that it arose in multiple cultures around the world, much like the bow and arrow did. It was probably originally used as a drill with a hard wooden tip or small stone tip to drill through items. For instance, you can drill through a shell to make a shell ornament. Perhaps eventually someone noticed that when they were drilling through some things, there was significant heat generated, and even smoke? It probably took a mega-genius after that to recognize that if the drill's "dust" could be collected and condensed, it would create an ember. We'll probably never know for sure, but that's one possible origin story! =) Kenton
I'm trying to learn more about this. So far only chaga has worked for me, but I feel like others, such as hoof fungus, should work equally well. I haven't tried it in about a year, so it's probably time to experiment again. =) Kenton
ReWildUniversity I believe I saw a video, but forgot where it is of a guy using another kind of fungus that grows on a white birch tree. Is this the hoof fungus you are talking about? Thanks!
B Charron It probably is. I'm actually going out today to harvest some -- I've tried it before and failed, but my skills get better every year, so mayhaps it was my lack of technique rather than something wrong with the fungus.
C Leaf It has to be at a certain point in its life cycle. Dead and dry, but not rotting. If it seems "alive" (tan or white bottom, very resilient), you can let it dry for a few months. If it is already dead (brown bottom) it might be just right! If you can break it apart with your fingers easily, it might be too far gone. =) Kenton
Hi Aaron! Kenai Peninsula. WOW! I checked it out online. Looks gorgeous! I was using perhaps mullein or Jerusalem Artichoke in this video -- I can't remember. It looks like you have box elder there -- often the small side-shoots can be used if they die on the tree and are still pithy. Canadian Horseweed is an incredible spindle if you can find it. If you are doing this notchless chaga method, you have more flexibility than if you are doing wood-on-wood. Have you done a traditional (non-chaga) hand drill yet? If none of this helps, write me an email (you can find it on rewildu.com). I can either coach you through it or even mail you a kit! =) Kenton
I haven't tried it, but my guess would be that the chaga would be too soft and the power of the bowdrill would just drill right through it before generating enough heat. =) Kenton
+CinemaTablet It really is pretty easy. I'm not sure about the birch. Usually I use a pithy-cored spindle, because it works better for me on a wood-on-wood set, but I wonder if almost anything might work with the chaga. I'm going to have to experiment! =) Kenton
+CinemaTablet It really is pretty easy. I'm not sure about the birch. Usually I use a pithy-cored spindle, because it works better for me on a wood-on-wood set, but I wonder if almost anything might work with the chaga. I'm going to have to experiment! =) Kenton
People in the old times would use it not only as a firestarter, but also portable coal ;) Instead of making new fire every night they could travel all day, and the ember would be constantly smoldering inside the fungus. The piece of the size you have here could smolder for weeks before it would go out completely, allowing for many nights of fire :D
Indeed! A wonderful way to "carry fire". I actually have a challenge we do with students to start a fire in the morning, then "carry" the fire through a series of challenges to re-light the fire later in the day with their coal. =) Kenton
Hey Kenton! You can also just grate the Chaga into a fine powder and then use that powder like coffee powder :) Greetings from Sweden! (it does grow here too, and directly translated it's called "explosion polypore"! :) )
Hey! I don't think you would have any problems on sending Chaga overseas, since it is not really a fungus. The large, black "tumor" which is collected for tea and firemaking, is a formation caused by the fungus, but not the fungus itself. The fungus itself is small and very very rarely found, usually ofter the host tree is dead. What you are using, literally is a tumor of the tree, caused by fungus. Chaga does grow in North Europe as well, just as you thought.
I don't have chaga around here, but I did find some horseshoe fungus (I think) do you know if that can be used as a fire board to? With or without a noch. Thanks
William, try it without a notch, as you'd use chaga. I feel like it should work! Yet I've failed again and again to make it happen. I can't figure out why it doesn't behave like chaga for me. Maybe you'll have better luck?
@@ReWildUniversity Alright, I'll tell you how it goes. I will have to wait a little while though because my hands are pretty messed up from drilling too much with my sumac board. I know I should have stopped, but I just couldn't keep myself from trying to get an ember.
First time I've seen this video Kenton! I'm improving on the hand drill, Yay, but not having the best luck on substitute materials yet. Now I'm going to give the Chaga a try. Going to jump on it first thing tomorrow. A question though, are you using fresh or dry Chaga? I have about 50lbs of dry and all the fresh I would ever want to harvest. I'm kind of hoping it's fresh so I have an excuse to go on a special hike :) All the best to you and the family, my dear friend! Sty
Hi Sty! So great to hear that it's coming along! I've used fresh and dried both, and find that they both work, unless the fresh is noticeably damp from excessive rains or from having a "pool" in the shape of the chaga where water collects. Dried, of course, will probably work better, but I don't want to take away that excuse for the special hike! Let me know how it goes, my friend! =) Kenton
Thanks Kenton! Well now that the rain is suppose to stop for a couple of days, I guess I'll just have to head out and get a fresh piece (just for comparison of course) lol! I did get an ember on a dry piece, and noticed that it didn't seem to take quite as much downward pressure. My hands are still only good for maybe one ember a day, and I'm at least successful 2 out of three attempts now :) Take care my friend! Sty
Sty North That's a great success rate, and the everyday practice is paying off. That slow but steady hand conditioning will pay off. Let me know how the fresh chaga goes! We've been drinking tea every day after seeing you, after being inspired by your words about how much good it has done for all of you. Yum!
What is YOUR favorite choice for a Spindle ?? On wood and on Chaga ?I am just learning and practicing on friction fire and was wondering if the type of fungus on trees in the South ( I'm from Alabama) may work similar to Chaga ?
My current favorite is the Jerusalem Artichoke, which I believe you should have down there. As for fungi, I don't know of any that can take a hand drill like chaga, unfortunately, but I may be wrong! A dry box elder or white pine board can be a great starter set. Here's a tutorial! ua-cam.com/video/ScmQxuRrFww/v-deo.html =) Kenton
I'm certainly would love one of those ancestral tools to learn how to create fire for our sweat lodge, what about the four legged friend watching your back as a good witness Kenton I will say the mysterious visitor Is the cat person...thank you for sharing.
+Primitive Lifeways Aha! You've seen it, but it's closer to animal than plant. Sort of =) At any rate, someone did claim the kit. Awesome that you saw it though! That takes a keen eye! =) Kenton
I, so far, have never successfully created a coal using a hand drill. Actually, I've only tried once using a poplar harth board and a cedar spindle...probably not a good combination. I live in central Indiana and have never seen Chaga (sp?). Although, I have made several canoe trips to the BWCA, I didn't know about the fungus then and wasn't looking for it. The cat seems a little out of place but, hey, I've got a cat (and a dog) that are my constant companions...so it didn't seem so out of place to me. LOL
+Chuck Barnett Hi Chuck -- you're correct -- it's not the cat. Something more hidden =) Up at the Boundary Waters is a great place to look for it (if it's legal to harvest it there -- I'm not sure. Definitely none in Indiana as far as I know. You probably have box elder or white pine and Jerusalem artichoke or mullein. Both make great kits. Here's a tutorial I put together a while back to help out if you want to give it a try: ua-cam.com/video/ScmQxuRrFww/v-deo.html =) Kenton
Fresh off the tree works great! I've used it many times like that. It is already quite dry unless it has been raining hard for a long, long while, or the shape of the chaga forms a bowl where water collects. But almost always, it's great right off the tree. Good question! =) Kenton
+papaschuette You're right -- if used wisely, a piece this size can last a very long time. I've already been using this one for a couple of years for demonstrations! =) Kenton
Get in touch with me! If money is a barrier, I've started a Patreon page where I hope to get enough support to be able to make all of my offerings payment-optional. If there are other barriers, maybe those can be overcome as well. Judging by your UA-cam sign, this year's offering might be of interest . . . rewildu.com/classes/the-way-of-the-forest-ninja-training-intensive/ =) Kenton
Hey bud, old friend of yours, name always changes cuz i lose password. O wonder if it would still be beneficial for cancer of a guy has abused kidneys as its high on oxolates, wonder if theres a solution
Sadly I don't have expertise in this. I wonder if other mushrooms are high in oxalates? A fair number of the polypore species are thought to have cancer-fighting properties.
at 00:58 seconds I see something next to your right knee but I don't know what it is my cell phone screen is to small to tell. I would like to try the hand drill with chaga that would be crazy just did my first bow drill the other day haha. Joe in oklahoma
+joey You're so close Joey! Just let me know what kind of dinosaur it is! Do you know any kids who are dinosaur crazy? They would know in an instant! =) Kenton
+chopstick thrower Sadly, no. I'm at the southern range for it in mid-Wisconsin, so it's definitely something that is only found in the north. =) Kenton
+Henrik Bylin Absolutely. Mullein and chaga (or mullein and many other woods for the board) are great combos. Mullein is one of my go-to's if I'm doing hand drill. =) Kenton
Hi' I am in Scotland. Not far from Pollok Country Park . Well been finding poly pore & stuff was always l0oking for a bit of chaga luck. Never found it till out l0oking for puffballs 2016 found 2 decent lumps & a mass amount of puffballs. Well was over the m0on found em both on the side of a golf course in the park please g0ogle the park title you will not be let down reason being this estate being in the heart of Glasgow! Oh & yes your videos are fantastic keep em up Thanks very much.
+Godis Love I wouldn't know the best ones out in your area, but my good friend Mike probably would! His UA-cam Channel is here: ua-cam.com/channels/NUD53N2ps343fgVoooMAtw.html at Agile Woodsman. Drop him a comment and he can probably tell you! =) Kenton
+Godis Love Northern or Southern California? I live in Southern California. I was able to get some smoke from a dried miner's lettuce spindle and the branch of an old palm frond as my hearth wood. So far I have only gotten white smoke, so it is likely good to also hear from Agile as you have been kindly guided to do.
joepike1972 Thanks so much for jumping in here Joe! I was hoping some other people from CA would chime in! I guess I should have asked the same question as you. Your state ranges from desert to mountain to temperate rainforest, doesn't it?
+hagenoft Nope, not the cat -- keep looking. It really blends in, and can be tough to ID, but I'd love to give the kit to you if you can find it! =) Kenton
+ReWildUniversity I totally missed it! I had to read the comments to figure it out. My nephew gave me some chaga. I put a little bit in my smoothie everyday until it was gone. Cool stuff. Cool videos!
+smallmechanic Ah, it's been claimed. There's another "creature" in there besides the cat, who gave a good distraction. Yes, you're probably too far south for chaga. If you ever make a trip to the northern states, it's worth looking for! =) Kenton
Kenton thank you for making me laugh. your amazing but you need to learn how to spit 😹😹 love to try the tea but I'm in California no chaga I know of here. peace ✌
+sharon crowe Very close, but it is older than that. Sort of =) I do want to let you know that the kit is already claimed. Awesome that you saw it, though! =) Kenton
+Nathaniel Natal Nice guess! There is actually something else a bit tougher to find. By the way, the chaga has already been rewarded to someone, but you're welcome to search just for fun! =) Kenton
Chaga is one of nature's miracles. Thanks for the video.
+Rob Farrell I couldn't agree more!
=) Kenton
Congratulations Joey on wining the chaga and drill. Kenton, thanks for sharing your videos and your knowledge.
+Agnos Junior Thanks much! I'm excited to that Joey will be able to get his first hand drill coal on chaga!
=) Kenton
that was a nice tip on chaga I will defentily try that out with the hand drill methode.
Let me know how it works for you!
=) Kenton
excellent , i tried this with horse huff the other day with hardly no success...i love chaga tea. thanks for helper the novice people.. i have been practicing daily , honestly no ember . only smoke. ill keep at it my friend , great vid..
..bill
+billy joe denny You know, Bill, I've tried it with horse hoof fungus and I just can't make it work. That's odd, because it's such a great coal extender, and it doesn't make sense to me -- with enough heat, it should take a coal, right? But so far it hasn't worked. I've been thinking about it so much that I think I'm going to try it again today and see if I have any luck. If something happens, I'll let you know, but so far the hoof fungus just hasn't worked like chaga for me.
=) Kenton
I have had the same problem with chaga not wanting to go out too. Lol chaga is great stuff. I just did a hunt video with a buddy of mine a few weeks ago. Great stuff. I am going to give it a try with hand drill. I have tried other mushrooms that were dried out with a bow drill and it worked great. Great tip and awesome of you to share your chaga with your viewers. 👍👍
+Adventure Time Outdoors It would be fun to hear your chaga not-going-out story! I bet there are a lot of them out there =) And great to know you've had success with other fungi and the bow drill. I haven't tried that!
=) Kenton
+Adventure Time Outdoors Do you remember what fungi you used, by the way? I always love experimenting with new materials.
+ReWildUniversity I don't know the species but it worked with Amadou and other false tinder fungus like fungus. Some kind of bracket fungus.
As for the chaga story I was experimenting with a flint and steel and trying different materials to see if they would take a spark..chaga worked well and I was sure it was out and stuck it in my pocket. after a half hour or so something was burning my leg. pulled out the chaga and it had burnt a cone shaped hole right through the golf ball sized piece. I was surprised to see how deep the ember burnt with the lack of air being covered up. lol lesson learned
Adventure Time Outdoors
Ha! Great story! It's strange, isn't it, how well it can burn even without a lot of oxygen. Amazing stuff!
Great tip I will have to give that a try thanks for sharing atb John
+Turtle Bushcraft Let me know if you try it!
=) Kenton
Wow, yet another use for Chaga! I have a lot around me and did not even know it lit so well. Great video as usual. Thanks for your advice
Amazing stuff in so many ways!
=) Kenton
Fire thing very cool. Just found out about tea this winter, found some near by.
Cheers
Nice! Amazing fungus, isn't it?
Thanks , you are such a peaceful person, I love you fire and survival videos it's a pleasure to watch
I so appreciate your kind words! Thanks so much.
=) Kenton
Going to give hand drill a go this year- I want to be able to make fire without any special kit. I think it must bring a sense of freedom being able to do this. I homeschool my kids and want to try this in a local bushcraft group here in the uk
+Gemma Young Awesome! Here's a step-by-step guide if you like: ua-cam.com/video/ScmQxuRrFww/v-deo.html And thanks for homeschooling -- that has been our choice too, and it's marvelous!
=) Kenton
dude man, i love youre videos. in my eyes you are living the dream! :)
Appreciated!
=) Kenton
Yellow birch is probably my favorite tree, then cedar and hemlock, man I love trees! lol I am a tree hugger.
Me too, Tom. And you've just named three of my favorites, too =)
Thanks for the detailed info will have to try it , lot's of chaga on western birch , will harvest some the next time I'm there
Let me know what you think!
=) Kenton
I seen that little Wood Imp, " SPECIES: ( Valpdorideapuss)"...riding on the back of your cat behind the hay bale. Well, where I live here in Wisconsin I have many varieties of birch trees and all the wonderful benefits they bring to the outdoorsman! I think your gift will really put a smile on someone's face that do not have our type of access to that magical fungus! Actually I'll have to come back to this thread just to see what other people found. ;)
+john- waxerone Lol!!! I love it! I'm near Menomonie, Wisconsin. Are you anywhere close by?
=) Kenton
Merrimac, Wisconsin... The Baraboo Bluff area.
john- waxerone
My brother lives down there, near New Glarus. GORGEOUS country down in the driftless zone . . .
i think i saw something beside you , not sure..... i had to go back and look .....lol
+billy joe denny A little "critter" that appeared for just a bit?
=) Kenton
Very nice video. Do you have a hand drill video using birch polypore rather than chaga? I'm still trying to learn the hand drill, and I always seem to get the bug around this time of year. Chaga isn't nearly as common here as it once was, and I prefer to leave what little there is for medicine and to (hopefully) repopulate itself to larger numbers again.
I have tried and tried with birch polypore to no avail. Not sure why I can't get it =) But no, I don't have that video you're looking for. So sorry!!! =)
We dry our Chaga in small pieces and I made a wooden box, that holds a mason jar , with a hole on the top and use a regular mason jar lid and a vacuum to seal the jar - tha Chaga lasts all winter without spoiling.
Great tip! Thank you!
=) Kenton
Thanks for another great video Kenton! I really appreciate the time you put into creating them and sharing your knowledge.
We have Chaga growing here in the northern part of Sweden, but it is very hard to find and very valuable. So much so that neighbours of mine even had theirs stolen right under their noses from a birch growing in front of their house..!
I haven't tried using a hand drill on one yet. For hand drill fire I've been using mugwort for the drill and spruce as hearthboard. Have yet to find Mullein which is probably better since only a few of the Mugwort stems actually do the trick.
For creating a coal with Chaga I've simply rubbed it against a sharpened piece of spruce board. Takes more effort but works fairly well and only requires a small piece.
Thanks again!
/Matti
Next time you visit Gothenburg, take a walk. Chaga all over the place. :-) I live in the woods about an hour away from the city but it's kind of hard to find chaga here. Odd.
+Christer Lundenius It's funny that.. It seems the trees most affected are the unhapoy trees. Only ones I find are in town and near people, never in the woods.
+mafric750 I'll have to try that method! Fascinating! Sorry it's so tough to find in your area. In some places it is very scarce, in others abundant. Even when it is abundant, though, I try to take only a little =)
=) Kenton
Great vid.
Fellow Wisconsinite here, wondering what materials I could use for the spindle, other then Jerusalem artichoke and mullen. I've been having difficulty with the mullen and can't seem to find some decent sized Jerusalem Artichoke. (for reference I'm off the bay of Green Bay. I also have land up by Wausaukee)
TIA
A fellow Wisconsinite! Sometimes the Jerusalem Artichoke can be too thin-walled. You could try goldenrods. You'll have to search for a thicker one, and not all species are equal, but you might get lucky there. Another that has worked really well for me is horseweed: www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/horseweed.htm Again, you'll have to search a little to find a thicker one, but it can work wonders. You won't find any right now because they all will be too rotted (except perhaps the mullein), but this autumn after the plants die is the optimal time to harvest a bunch of spindles. Make sure they are fully dead and dried.
Let me know how things go!
=) Kenton
ReWildUniversity thank you for the information! I'll go hunting tomorrow and see what I can come up with. I found about 3 lbs of chaga so I'm kinda playing around with it. Chaga tea is unreal, probably my favorite now.
Thanks again Kenton, I'll let ya know how it goes.
That chaga is amazing stuff, isn't it? I can't get enough of that tea! I'll be excited to hear how it goes getting an ember with it! I can't remember all I included in this video, but I've considered doing an updated one -- if I didn't mention it, note that there are different densities of chaga, sometimes in a single fungus -- the medium to harder (but not really hard) stuff works best for this.
ReWildUniversity that'd be great if you made another vid.
The chaga isn't easy to find thats for sure. Not easy to get either. I ended up finding it 12 ft off the ground and and to fab the saw up to get it down.
I really enjoyed the taste and smell of chaga. I did however notice my urine had a different color to it so I assume it's working it's magic.
I'm starting to research different trees, plants and fungi but it's not easy to learn from a book or on line. Way easier for me to learn by getting in it and seeing it all in person.
I've been having issues with hand drill due to old skateboard injuries. My left wrist and elbow are stricken with arthritis. I can float the spindle and everything but start to cramp up after a few minutes. I can do bow drill fine just that dang hand drill lol I have gotten smoke just no ember... Which brought me to you friction fire with chaga :)
I will get it eventually
You must have found it up at Wausaukee? I always think of it as a northern fungus. So cool that you're exploring this! I have found the chaga to be easier, though it can be tough to know when you've go that ember. I also wonder if the tea will help with the arthritis. Have you tried turmeric as well?
Super awesome 👌
I love chaga, I just got done processing some I found, for personal use, I just have it cubed up now but I will probably grind it into something finer than coffee grounds, I know you can re use the chunks and all but I like making it into finer than foldgers looking, not that I like folgers, I wish I could buy one of those fire starting sticks off you, I don't feel good lol I am in northern Michigan, do you have any recommendation for a fire starting stick I could just find in the woods, I know its gotta be straight and dry, maybe maple? love your videos so much.
Tom, I'm sure you have mullein up there! I've found it in the UP (if that's where you are) in forest clearings and roadsides. This is the perfect time to harvest it. Just look for those tall dead stalks on the edge of forest and open areas (check areas that have been logged a year or two ago), and look for those distinctive "hot dogs" on the tops of the sticks, and you should be able to find one =)
@@ReWildUniversity I brought home the mullein, one I left the cola on cuz it was so huge! lol for a home decoration, I just eyed up the pieces to check the straightness and look good
quite the core in the sticks but they are beautiful
Aren't they beautiful? Sometimes I run a knife at a 90 along the shaft for a while to smooth it out if it has too many sharp points on it. Keep me updated!
@@ReWildUniversity they are beauties! I love them, hard to message on this phone. I couldn't find the pocket saw, been missing a while, i should have used them when I had a sore throat during the virus. I won't give up on this. I was gonna look for a hearth today but that didn't happen but it will. I used to think when I was a kid that the giant colas were just that weed lol it would make good ass wipe too. I saw one vid where a guy made a thumb harness thing out of chamois to help aid in the gentle downward pressure. I try and spread the seeds after I pick it. I found some runt mullien today but what I found the other night should work, it's almost overly seasoned with some splits, I was thinking in reverse about using it, next time I gather some I will go more low to the base for a more solid contact point, I will keep you updated, appreciate your commination.
Great information Kenton.! Keep the videos coming. =) Thumbs up!
+aHigher Power Thanks my friend! Thank you for your presence here!
=) Kenton
Now I see it just beside your right hand, it looks like a stegosaurus but really small it is that spiny little lizard coming from another dimension?
Indeed! Well done! It's my daughter's Kentrosaurus replica =)
I love your videos, ideas and attitude, please keep going :)
+Paulius Jančiukas Thank you so much! Words like that definitely keep me making more videos!
=) Kenton
Awsome, what is the hand drill from
Hi Tim! If I'm understanding your question correctly, you're asking about the origins of it? It seems that it arose in multiple cultures around the world, much like the bow and arrow did. It was probably originally used as a drill with a hard wooden tip or small stone tip to drill through items. For instance, you can drill through a shell to make a shell ornament. Perhaps eventually someone noticed that when they were drilling through some things, there was significant heat generated, and even smoke? It probably took a mega-genius after that to recognize that if the drill's "dust" could be collected and condensed, it would create an ember.
We'll probably never know for sure, but that's one possible origin story!
=) Kenton
Amazing video. Thank you! Is there any other fungus that you can use this same way thought probably not as affective? Thanks again!
I'm trying to learn more about this. So far only chaga has worked for me, but I feel like others, such as hoof fungus, should work equally well. I haven't tried it in about a year, so it's probably time to experiment again.
=) Kenton
ReWildUniversity I believe I saw a video, but forgot where it is of a guy using another kind of fungus that grows on a white birch tree. Is this the hoof fungus you are talking about?
Thanks!
B Charron
It probably is. I'm actually going out today to harvest some -- I've tried it before and failed, but my skills get better every year, so mayhaps it was my lack of technique rather than something wrong with the fungus.
+ReWildUniversity I just found a lot of horses hoof fungus that I knocked off the tree to keep it from dying, do you think that will work?
C Leaf
It has to be at a certain point in its life cycle. Dead and dry, but not rotting. If it seems "alive" (tan or white bottom, very resilient), you can let it dry for a few months. If it is already dead (brown bottom) it might be just right! If you can break it apart with your fingers easily, it might be too far gone.
=) Kenton
Great tutorial! What was your spindle made of? Having a hard time here on the Kenai Peninsula doing this. Thanks.
Hi Aaron! Kenai Peninsula. WOW! I checked it out online. Looks gorgeous! I was using perhaps mullein or Jerusalem Artichoke in this video -- I can't remember. It looks like you have box elder there -- often the small side-shoots can be used if they die on the tree and are still pithy. Canadian Horseweed is an incredible spindle if you can find it.
If you are doing this notchless chaga method, you have more flexibility than if you are doing wood-on-wood. Have you done a traditional (non-chaga) hand drill yet?
If none of this helps, write me an email (you can find it on rewildu.com). I can either coach you through it or even mail you a kit!
=) Kenton
Good video. Thanks for sharing. - And, I love my Chaga tea to..
+NorseMan So good . . .
=) Kenton
can the bow drill work as well
I haven't tried it, but my guess would be that the chaga would be too soft and the power of the bowdrill would just drill right through it before generating enough heat.
=) Kenton
that makes more sence because threbow drill will burn right threw thank for the nice and amazing comments you give me thanks.
:) Ethan
Looks too easy! I have to try this. Perhaps hard dry birch spindle?
+CinemaTablet It really is pretty easy. I'm not sure about the birch. Usually I use a pithy-cored spindle, because it works better for me on a wood-on-wood set, but I wonder if almost anything might work with the chaga. I'm going to have to experiment!
=) Kenton
+CinemaTablet It really is pretty easy. I'm not sure about the birch. Usually I use a pithy-cored spindle, because it works better for me on a wood-on-wood set, but I wonder if almost anything might work with the chaga. I'm going to have to experiment!
=) Kenton
People in the old times would use it not only as a firestarter, but also portable coal ;) Instead of making new fire every night they could travel all day, and the ember would be constantly smoldering inside the fungus. The piece of the size you have here could smolder for weeks before it would go out completely, allowing for many nights of fire :D
Indeed! A wonderful way to "carry fire". I actually have a challenge we do with students to start a fire in the morning, then "carry" the fire through a series of challenges to re-light the fire later in the day with their coal.
=) Kenton
Great video! I am now a subscriber!
+Casey Kreie Thanks Casey! I appreciate your subscription!
=) Kenton
Hey Kenton! You can also just grate the Chaga into a fine powder and then use that powder like coffee powder :) Greetings from Sweden! (it does grow here too, and directly translated it's called "explosion polypore"! :) )
Wow! I love this new information! It really is great stuff, isn't it? Thanks Linnea!
=) Kenton
Hey! I don't think you would have any problems on sending Chaga overseas, since it is not really a fungus. The large, black "tumor" which is collected for tea and firemaking, is a formation caused by the fungus, but not the fungus itself. The fungus itself is small and very very rarely found, usually ofter the host tree is dead. What you are using, literally is a tumor of the tree, caused by fungus. Chaga does grow in North Europe as well, just as you thought.
Very interesting! I guess I'm probably overly paranoid about regulations like that =) Very informative comment! Thanks much!
=) Kenton
I don't have chaga around here, but I did find some horseshoe fungus (I think) do you know if that can be used as a fire board to? With or without a noch.
Thanks
William, try it without a notch, as you'd use chaga. I feel like it should work! Yet I've failed again and again to make it happen. I can't figure out why it doesn't behave like chaga for me. Maybe you'll have better luck?
@@ReWildUniversity Alright, I'll tell you how it goes. I will have to wait a little while though because my hands are pretty messed up from drilling too much with my sumac board. I know I should have stopped, but I just couldn't keep myself from trying to get an ember.
@@williamwhite9481 Please give them a good break my friend. I once overdid it until they bled, and it took me six months to heal . . .
@@ReWildUniversity I definitely will. That is a scary long time to heal.
First time I've seen this video Kenton! I'm improving on the hand drill, Yay, but not having the best luck on substitute materials yet. Now I'm going to give the Chaga a try. Going to jump on it first thing tomorrow. A question though, are you using fresh or dry Chaga? I have about 50lbs of dry and all the fresh I would ever want to harvest. I'm kind of hoping it's fresh so I have an excuse to go on a special hike :) All the best to you and the family, my dear friend! Sty
Hi Sty!
So great to hear that it's coming along! I've used fresh and dried both, and find that they both work, unless the fresh is noticeably damp from excessive rains or from having a "pool" in the shape of the chaga where water collects. Dried, of course, will probably work better, but I don't want to take away that excuse for the special hike!
Let me know how it goes, my friend!
=) Kenton
Thanks Kenton! Well now that the rain is suppose to stop for a couple of days, I guess I'll just have to head out and get a fresh piece (just for comparison of course) lol! I did get an ember on a dry piece, and noticed that it didn't seem to take quite as much downward pressure. My hands are still only good for maybe one ember a day, and I'm at least successful 2 out of three attempts now :)
Take care my friend!
Sty
Sty North
That's a great success rate, and the everyday practice is paying off. That slow but steady hand conditioning will pay off. Let me know how the fresh chaga goes! We've been drinking tea every day after seeing you, after being inspired by your words about how much good it has done for all of you. Yum!
Hi. What are the specifics for the "hand drill"? Does it have to be some certain wood and so on?
Here's a full tutorial!!
ua-cam.com/video/ScmQxuRrFww/v-deo.html
=) Kenton
What is YOUR favorite choice for a Spindle ?? On wood and on Chaga ?I am just learning and practicing on friction fire and was wondering if the type of fungus on trees in the South ( I'm from Alabama) may work similar to Chaga ?
My current favorite is the Jerusalem Artichoke, which I believe you should have down there. As for fungi, I don't know of any that can take a hand drill like chaga, unfortunately, but I may be wrong! A dry box elder or white pine board can be a great starter set. Here's a tutorial! ua-cam.com/video/ScmQxuRrFww/v-deo.html
=) Kenton
I'm certainly would love one of those ancestral tools to learn how to create fire for our sweat lodge, what about the four legged friend watching your back as a good witness Kenton I will say the mysterious visitor Is the cat person...thank you for sharing.
Such a great way to make fire!
Ah, it's not the cat, actually -- something more ancient and more modern all at once . . .
=) Kenton
Around a minute it looks like some stick with thorns. I would say mesquite or New Mexico Locust but it does not have that many thorns on it.
+Primitive Lifeways Thanks -- always good to hear of other materials that work!
=) Kenton
ReWildUniversity lol my bad, I was referring to the hidden object.
+Primitive Lifeways Aha! You've seen it, but it's closer to animal than plant. Sort of =) At any rate, someone did claim the kit. Awesome that you saw it though! That takes a keen eye!
=) Kenton
Very nice gift to someone my friend! Was wondering if I could send you a PM?
+4 directions bushcraft Absolutely! You can either do it through my youtube channel, or send to my email at kenton (at) rewildu (dot) com!
=) Kenton
I, so far, have never successfully created a coal using a hand drill. Actually, I've only tried once using a poplar harth board and a cedar spindle...probably not a good combination. I live in central Indiana and have never seen Chaga (sp?). Although, I have made several canoe trips to the BWCA, I didn't know about the fungus then and wasn't looking for it. The cat seems a little out of place but, hey, I've got a cat (and a dog) that are my constant companions...so it didn't seem so out of place to me. LOL
+Chuck Barnett Hi Chuck -- you're correct -- it's not the cat. Something more hidden =) Up at the Boundary Waters is a great place to look for it (if it's legal to harvest it there -- I'm not sure. Definitely none in Indiana as far as I know.
You probably have box elder or white pine and Jerusalem artichoke or mullein. Both make great kits. Here's a tutorial I put together a while back to help out if you want to give it a try: ua-cam.com/video/ScmQxuRrFww/v-deo.html
=) Kenton
Glad someone won, but still want to know what it is? Is it a stegosaurus?
It's actually a kentrosaurus!
=) Kenton
+ReWildUniversity hahaha. Love your videos.
Dirt Time Adventures
Thanks my friend! =)
Quick question (hopefully I didn't miss this in the video) - can the chaga be used like this fresh off of the tree, or does it need some time to cure?
Fresh off the tree works great! I've used it many times like that. It is already quite dry unless it has been raining hard for a long, long while, or the shape of the chaga forms a bowl where water collects. But almost always, it's great right off the tree. Good question!
=) Kenton
it's that gat dern cat, Kenton. Great vids :)
Ah, there is another, more ancient (and yet modern) beast hidden in there, Daniel. Not alive =)
Roots,
Kenton
hmm
That has got to be the largest piece of chaga I have ever seen. If conserved right, that would last forever.
+papaschuette You're right -- if used wisely, a piece this size can last a very long time. I've already been using this one for a couple of years for demonstrations!
=) Kenton
I wish I could go the rewild Uni
Get in touch with me! If money is a barrier, I've started a Patreon page where I hope to get enough support to be able to make all of my offerings payment-optional. If there are other barriers, maybe those can be overcome as well. Judging by your UA-cam sign, this year's offering might be of interest . . . rewildu.com/classes/the-way-of-the-forest-ninja-training-intensive/
=) Kenton
+ReWildUniversity I'm just wondering what the age limit is and were it is located
tyrone morrell
It's usually 18 and over, but I have taken on students as young as 15 if everything seemed right. I'm in Wisconsin, USA.
Hey bud, old friend of yours, name always changes cuz i lose password. O wonder if it would still be beneficial for cancer of a guy has abused kidneys as its high on oxolates, wonder if theres a solution
Sadly I don't have expertise in this. I wonder if other mushrooms are high in oxalates? A fair number of the polypore species are thought to have cancer-fighting properties.
at 00:58 seconds I see something next to your right knee but I don't know what it is my cell phone screen is to small to tell.
I would like to try the hand drill with chaga that would be crazy just did my first bow drill the other day haha.
Joe in oklahoma
it shows up at 47 seconds then is gone at one minute
+joey maybe some kind of toy dinosaur. all I can see are the spikes lol :)
+joey You're so close Joey! Just let me know what kind of dinosaur it is! Do you know any kids who are dinosaur crazy? They would know in an instant!
=) Kenton
+ReWildUniversity And congrats on your first bow drill success!
+ReWildUniversity it's a kentrosausaurus!!!
kenton do you know if chaga fungus exist on Florida?
+chopstick thrower Sadly, no. I'm at the southern range for it in mid-Wisconsin, so it's definitely something that is only found in the north.
=) Kenton
Great video. Which state/province are you in?
+Curtis Mellor Hi Curtis,
Wisconsin!
=) Kenton
Do you think Muline will work for the hand drill?
+Henrik Bylin Absolutely. Mullein and chaga (or mullein and many other woods for the board) are great combos. Mullein is one of my go-to's if I'm doing hand drill.
=) Kenton
Nice!
Hi' I am in Scotland. Not far from Pollok Country Park . Well been finding poly pore & stuff was always l0oking for a bit of chaga luck. Never found it till out l0oking for puffballs 2016 found 2 decent lumps & a mass amount of puffballs. Well was over the m0on found em both on the side of a golf course in the park please g0ogle the park title you will not be let down reason being this estate being in the heart of Glasgow! Oh & yes your videos are fantastic keep em up Thanks very much.
Scotland! I have some Scottish blood, and hope to visit someday . . .
=) Kenton
Ah very nice. Well a man like you will fit in the Scottish highlands very well. It is lovely just like your home. Have a nice 1!
+ReWildUniversity What wood can I use in California to start a hand drill fire?
+Godis Love I wouldn't know the best ones out in your area, but my good friend Mike probably would! His UA-cam Channel is here: ua-cam.com/channels/NUD53N2ps343fgVoooMAtw.html at Agile Woodsman. Drop him a comment and he can probably tell you!
=) Kenton
+Godis Love Northern or Southern California?
I live in Southern California. I was able to get some smoke from a dried miner's lettuce spindle and the branch of an old palm frond as my hearth wood. So far I have only gotten white smoke, so it is likely good to also hear from Agile as you have been kindly guided to do.
joepike1972
Thanks so much for jumping in here Joe! I was hoping some other people from CA would chime in! I guess I should have asked the same question as you. Your state ranges from desert to mountain to temperate rainforest, doesn't it?
I live in Northern California.
Godis Love
Great -- so does Mike, so he should be able to help you!
I don't know how to hand drill but would love to try. Is it the cat (feline) that shouldn't be there?
+hagenoft Nope, not the cat -- keep looking. It really blends in, and can be tough to ID, but I'd love to give the kit to you if you can find it!
=) Kenton
+ReWildUniversity I totally missed it! I had to read the comments to figure it out. My nephew gave me some chaga. I put a little bit in my smoothie everyday until it was gone. Cool stuff. Cool videos!
hagenoft
I do feel amazing when I drink that tea or chew on little bits. In your smoothie -- great idea!
Does this work with hoof fungus too?
You know, it really seems like it should. Yet to each time I try, I fail at it. I'll keep trying =)
I'm sure the mist
Boiling for 20 hours wow that's what you get for anti cancer
Feline? I don't think we have that fungus in wv. Cool video
+smallmechanic Ah, it's been claimed. There's another "creature" in there besides the cat, who gave a good distraction. Yes, you're probably too far south for chaga. If you ever make a trip to the northern states, it's worth looking for!
=) Kenton
I find chaga here in Philadelphia.
Awesome! I didn't know it grew that far south! Thanks for this info!
=) Kenton
And dry your Chaga asap and dont put it in a plastic bag it'll get white mold almost immediately, thanks friend
Kenton thank you for making me laugh.
your amazing but you need to learn how to spit 😹😹
love to try the tea but I'm in California no chaga I know of here.
peace ✌
+1960Plague It really was a less-than-impressive spit, wasn't it? Ha!
Peace in return my friend!
=) Kenton
I want to say a spiny lizard.
+sharon crowe Very close, but it is older than that. Sort of =) I do want to let you know that the kit is already claimed. Awesome that you saw it, though!
=) Kenton
The kitty cat
+Nathaniel Natal Nice guess! There is actually something else a bit tougher to find. By the way, the chaga has already been rewarded to someone, but you're welcome to search just for fun!
=) Kenton
cat
+Song Min Thanks!
=) Kenton