Got it! Yesterday, June 10. Gathered, peeled about dozen nettle stalks, they're just about 3 ft. tall, here in Indiana. And it's been dry, for a few weeks. Let dry in direct sun for at least 3 hours, and then roughed up, did it like a fire roll, minus ashes. Then teased, and fluffed up. Got it to take a spark twice, put it out, tried again about an hour later, after leaving bundle in the sun. Took a spark, and built my fire for the night! Thanks again, Steve
This is a fantastic report! Thanks for taking time to share, and please keep up the good work. Can't wait to hear about your many future successes I'm sure you'll have.
I have literally watched thousands and thousands of videos on UA-cam over the years this is probably one of the best Bushcraft ones I’ve seen absolutely brilliant and the amount of time of effort gone into studying was awesome well done
I think this is the single greatest primitive firelighting video I've ever seen! You guys deserve a medal, or some other recognition - absolutely outstsnding! 🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for the huge compliment! Glad you enjoyed the video. Hopefully you got to see the follow up video we did that had all of the successful tinders we found. Flint & Steel Complete "NO CHAR" Tinder List...Declassified ua-cam.com/video/i1N0voqDk0Y/v-deo.html
Awesome video with great new info for us fellow "fire bugs". Unfortunately here in Alaska at the elevation i live, we do not have any of *those* plants. However where there is one, there may be more and gives me hope that we may have local plant/s that may work similar to what you have found. This video should go viral and I hope it does. You deserve it for the info you have shared.
Honored. I’ve been a fan and subscriber to you and your content for some time. Thanks for the kind words. We are excited about what we learned in this flint/steel project (especially regarding stinging nettle). We consider it to be new information which would be beneficial to the bushcraft/fire making community. Would love to hear about any “non char” plant tinders in the Far North that you discover that might replicate what we found here in the Pacific NW. Please share our video/discovery to anyone you think would benefit! That would be a huge boost to our channel. (Viral video sounds great to me)! Thanks again! Luke Wilderness Strong
Wow!!! Lonnie i've been following you probably 10 years... When you had maybe a few thousand followers... I agree that it is an honor to have you here checking this out!
@@sparrowflying864 We actually do have stinging nettles about 25 miles from here which is the closest I am aware of. We are at a higher elevation and I do not know if they would grow here or not.
Unbelievable! I don’t ever comment but couldn’t let this go by. You just probably brought back long lost knowledge to the bushcraft community and I thank you for sharing your research! I know it’s been a question we all have been searching for
Thanks for the great comment! We’ve continued the quest for more Tinders and should have an updated video out soon with a few more exciting discoveries. Stay tuned!
This is really interesting, historically educational and of great value from a practical perspective. It adds a whole new understanding as to how our ancestors and forefathers utilised natural materials to start fires. I’m from the UK and nettles are abundant here. It is brilliant that you are discovering and sharing valuable knowledge which has been universally forgotten and lost in the mists of time. Very well done and thank you.
That was absolutely awesome! I've started fires every way that y'all probably have and maybe even more but not that way. I had never even give it a thought to start with green material let alone the dead dried nettle stems. I'm really glad I stumbled onto this video and this channel. I will go back and watch the first three. I have Burdock growing all over my property and tried to eradicate it because of the dried seed pods that kept getting stuck to the animals. But I bet I don't now. I've been doing Woods Craft since I was 12 years old in the Boy Scouts, I am now 71 so I've been doing it a year or two. Thank you so much for this video. I watch these types of videos and others because of things that I know and have learned that have fallen to the back of my brain and I need to bring them forward. Thanks again for this video I most certainly will be saving this. Y'all have a great day and stay vigilant now you hear!
You are actually learning exactly how people did it in the past. Much knowledge has been lost and many things must be invented again. But because people discovered fire all over the globe, it meant that the materials are still available today anywhere on the globe. We don't have to look far.. Well done once again!
I can't believe this video only has 30K views, AND you currently have less than 3k subscribers. What I just watched was not only incredibly interesting and educational, but it was expertly produced. I've tried to get crushed, dry leaves and other things to take a spark without success. This makes me want to try this, and experiment with others. Subscribed!
Congratulations on a genuinely education video, that is well researched, and well produced. Thank you for sharing your findings with the community. Warm regards, Paul
One of the most valuable videos about fire making, I have ever seen! Great job guys! These kind of videos really deserve to become viral! Love, Health and positive energy to you and your Families!
Incredible! You are a pioneer of curiosity, determination and a need to invent for necessity...After your fire, you can have a cup of nettle tea leaves, or a boiled meal of nettle now... Thankyou for sharing with everyone. It may save lives someday...many thanks...
How is it this video has so little views? Ive watched so many ways of starting a fire.....then the thought came:"what if i had no ferro rod, striking steel, or charcloth"? THIS VIDEO IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT.!!! "THIS" is true ingenuity. BRAVO!!!
I've tried today with green stinging nettle. Dried it in air for couple of hours, but there was direct sun for only about 40 minutes and not too hot, summer is at its finish. Grinded the fibres with rocks and left it to dry some more. Couldn't get it to ignite by hitting the striker with rock, but after a lot more then 10 strikes I finally got it to ignite by holding the nettle on top of the rock and hitting it with a striker. Really does spread like charred cloth. I will have to experiment this some more.
Tried today with another dried batch, it was more sunny and warm, just couldn't get it to ignite. Maybe it's the nettle, maybe it's too young, I should try with old, bigger plants
That is a fantastic report. Your persistence paid off! Did you peel the nettle fibers before grinding? Also what type of rock were you successful with?
@@wildernessstrong6131 yes, picked the leaves off and then lightly flattened the stems with a rock to peel the fibers easier. Then left on direct sun for a couple of hours on a grill mesh. Grinded them in a spice mortar. The rock for striking is, well.. couldn't say for sure. There's no flint in my region, so far I've been using mostly quartz, but recently I stumbled upon something that looks a lot like some kind of chert, but not sure what is it since it doesn't retain the edge sharpeness as I believe flint does. Then again, never had real flint so who am I to judge. :) But nevertheless it does give off a lot of sparks so I'm not doubting the choice od rock for sure, had many charred cloth fires with it.
Hey guys. I really appreciate your work. Did you get to a conclusion? I tried all nettle I could get, young old dead... Can't get it to catch a spark... 🙄 It barely smolders even lighted with a flame... Grinded it thoroughly but no amber... maybe it's the German nettle... safety first non ignitable version.... Well it works very good for cordage 😂
Have to watch over & over ! So AMAZING ! Way back when I met Larry Dean Olsen - Richard Jaminson- Jim Riggs - Ernest Wilkerson and all the other " Greats " at the first " Rabbit Stick " gathering in 1978 ---- I was / we were questioning the " Well, ya gotta have fire - TO MAKE FIRE ( char tinder ) !" Great, Thanks to you , WOW ! All my orig. R.S. friends have passed now ---- I wish they could have shared your knowledge. Sincerely, Mtn Mel, Ret USN SERE Inst. W. Colo. Note - My Negrito Troopers in P.I. JEST school did show me my first " Fire Piston " , 1968, using natural , unprepared tinder from the Fish Tail Palm tree, a " fuzzy like cotton " from inside bark = Amazing .
Thanks for the great comment. Larry was one of our early inspirations and sources of knowledge. He reached out to my dad back in the 80s and they had a great phone conversation. I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed meeting him. Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching.
I like how persistent you are, how methodical and organized. I really like that you turned bushcraft into science. Experimenting and documenting... You just got yourself a new fan ! I trully loved your video, you deserve a lot more views :)
This series was simply amazing. Over the past two years I’ve learned basic skills to start fires with a variety of tools, but I’m only proficient with about 4 tinder sources. This series really opened up the horizons and I’m going to use it to get to the next level of proficiency. Request: could you add one video that covers visual identification and where to find the 3 tinders that can accept a cool spark without a char? I know you names the plants but I’m walking through the woods and it all looks the same. Thank you for the amazing instruction.
That’s a great comment thanks. So glad you’re getting value from our work. Your suggestion is a good one, and yes we’ve had enough interest on the subject that we’re planning to do a follow up video which will include more detail on locating and processing these plants. Thanks!!
I have to ask, but doesn't " punk wood" char work better or the same as? I have flint and steel . I do agree that part about about have to make a fire to build a fire . I do however love all your videos. I am a 74 year old fanatic about the fun of primitive fire . Love your channel too.
This video shows consistent flint/steel fire success using three (non-charred) common plants that grow around us in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. For the complete updated list of No Char Tinders check out this video: Flint & Steel Complete "NO CHAR" Tinder List: ua-cam.com/video/i1N0voqDk0Y/v-deo.html
Great video thanks. I was especially suprized because it confirmed a huntch on a theory i had about the stinking nettle, and that is, that stinking nettle and other natural skin irritating plants abilities, mimic in a way acidic burns hence the astonishing high burn ability, natural ability i might add. Ill bet all those plants that was able to kindle extremely fast (even as green) have in common the high acidic content in them, as everyone knows acid burns thru almost anything. Ps. I hope i didnt butcher your language while trying to explain, really enjoyed the video. All the best.
Thank you! You can't believe for how long I looked for this. In the beginning you sumed up the problem perfectly and you solved it. I'll definitely try.
@@wildernessstrong6131 Hi. I just tried it today and got the dried nettle fibers very fluffy. Unfortunately they didn't catch the spark even though I tried many times with plenty of sparks hitting them. Could it be, that my steel striker is not the perfect steel, so it doesn't produce sparks hot enough? It works with charred material and treated horsehoof fungus but not with untreated fungus and nettles.
I made my first flint and steel fire when I was eight years old (1967). It’s been my main fire starting method ever since. I’ve never thought to try these materials. Just goes to show that even an old hiveranno like me can learn something new. 😎 In the black powder community, we will sometimes make “rub cloth”. Take any cotton material (I like to use old mop heads, or gun cleaning patches) and get it wet. Then rub black powder into it. Let it dry, and you’re done. It catches a spark easily. ...and as you’re blowing it into flame, it smells like firecrackers 😉
I find it ironic and awesome! My first successful bow drill friction fire with a stinging nettle nest. I was making cordage to see if I could something strong enough to string my bow. I had a bunch of teased dried fibers. And I finally figured out that a honey locust board and chokecherry spindle (seasoned!!!) Finally gave me a spark. Cambium from poplar fiber worked well too. Laundry lint worked very well. So.... Jack craftey sent me some flint and told me it would spark. I'm going to try my first flint/steel fire this summer! Thank you for your restlessness and brutal persistent relentlessness. I know how difficult these types of things are and really appreciate the time and heartache spent. Subscribed.
Wow! Excellent video! In my youth as a Scout, I learned to make fires using the same ol' sources of tinder and have used them my whole life. I'm now in my mid 50's and you JUST taught me that I've been overlooking these three plants as viable (and plentiful) resources to start a fire. I mean, nettles grow everywhere on my farm and so does burdock, and I've spent YEARS trying to eradicate them from my land as nuisance plants (ever try to comb burdock out of your horse's mane and tail? How 'bout a farm cat's tail -> not as easy I'm telling you!) Thank you so much for sharing your hard-earned knowledge with the rest of us! This old dog just learned a new trick!
Fantastic comment thanks! Our horses have stayed Burdock free, but our Border Collies have a knack for collecting it in their tails. Regardless I’ve left a few on the property just for Bushcraft purposes. Glad you enjoyed the video and left us a comment. Thanks for watching!
One of the most interesting videos I've ever seen on UA-cam! In so many ways... What a beautiful display of love for nature, for knowledge and for sharing with others.
New subscriber here from Britain. Fantastic research, dedication in the extreme. At least here in the UK we are blessed 🤔 with an abundance of nettles. Can’t believe you only have 400+ subscribers but my guess is you’ll attract a lot more very quickly 👍
I don’t know why the algorithm hasn’t brought your channel up until now. I’ve watched many various channels and practiced many various Primitive bushcraft skills for over 6 years, except for the last three years due to odd times. I always wanted to find better viable natural ways to use flint and steel. As noted, char is for second fire. I did a similar experiment using various materials, spices, etc. to make fireroll embers. Maybe someday you may try that for content. I am now bing watching all your vids to catch up. Keep up the great work and God bless.
Great video!!! I would mention though, striking the flint with the steel, while holding the tinder ON the flint works well. The sparks go directly into/onto your tinder. But if you notice when you strike the flint with the steel above your tinder it send sparks all over the place. The reason is, the "flint" is actually harder than the steel, so you are literally shaving super heated shards from the steel. If you hold your steel close and perpendicular to the tinder bundle then strike the steel with the flint, the sparks are directed straight onto the bundle. It's all about controlling the direction of the spark to maximize effect. and keeping from lighting a fire under your hind end. :)
Thanks for sharing! You may enjoy this video we made on the topic: Flint Steel Top 5 Methods | NEW Striking Technique ua-cam.com/video/gTBq9MzGxSg/v-deo.html
VERY cool! Looking forward to replicating these. The only natural materials I'd found, so far, to take a spark, were the ovum from a milkweed plant, and the inner lining of dried gourds. Give 'em a shot.
Just found your channel. Very good content and the production quality is phenomenal. How you approach your videos as a research project and acknowledge the other ways/ views to do things, is very rare in social media. Phenomenal job. I am excited to watch your channel grow.
Subscribed! I have always had a nagging feeling that our ancestors were able to make fire easily and quickly without resorting to friction methods and without steel. You have solved one of the problems. Now all we need the sparking method that does not require a steel.
this video has got to be the beston no char flint and steel fire making. Absolutley amazing. Unfortunatley I was yet unable to get the spark to catch in stinging nettle fibers (originaly gatherd in summer and sun dried for cordage, and I pounded and mulched them now to try this). I have to keep trying as I think my rock was not as sharp and the sparks looked much weaker than in your video. Will definatley keep this up to discover what works in my area. Another discovery or just a translated property is using ashes to enhance the tinder. this idea comes from the Fire roll or Rudiger roll technique and rolling some nettle fibers in ashes I was able to get the spark to catch. Ashes work as a great excelerator so to say and make many tinders, into a more of a smoldering tinder. Great videos guys I love watching every one of them.
Great comment. And good call on using the ashes. Stay with it on the nettle, I’d love to hear about the results. We have a follow up video planned that’ll talk about the processing a bit more because that’s really the key element for success when it comes to the nettle.
Loved this. Thank you for putting in the hours. It’s a joy to see you experimenting and finding incredible results. Your passion and tenacity really shows to me. Don’t stop teaching, I am learning.
Köszönjük! Engem mindig zavart az a tudat, hogy előre szenesített (Otthon gázon vagy nagy tűzön !) tindereket használok. Ez a videó nagyon jó. Gratulálok a kitartó kísérletezéshez és köszönöm a közzé tételt!
I live in the mountains,and this is 100% true. Stinging nettle is awesome,I use it for food,for tea,for rope,for fire ...it is a wonderful plant. Of course is considered ...a useless weed.
Nice, very nice video. Thanx for the research and the sharing. I am from Holland and we call the Stinging Nettle "Brandnetel" which is literally translated as "Burning nettle", because of the burning sensation when touched. Never thought it would really burn. This video gives me a total new picture of the name of this plant. :-) Now putting on my boots and start gathering some stinging nettle! Cheers.
That's wonderful. I've been kinda frustrated with Quartz and Steel because of the having to have a fire to have a fire. As soon as the snow's gone up here, I'm going looking for last year's nettles.
I don't own any flint or steel I've seen and thought about giving it a try. After seeing this demonstration in this video I'm am going to start trying to aquire a flint and steel setup.
This is perhaps the BEST bushcraft video about the fire I've ever seen! Outstanding, yes! Extremely useful, and I am very happy that I found it! Thank you very much!
@@WayPointSurvival Sounds good. You can direct email us anytime. We’d enjoy sharing a few more details with you sometime. Luke/Mark: wildernessstrong@gmail.com
Great video . This is probably the best video i've seen relating to non char natural materials using flint and steel, which can be consistantly found and used . Thanks again
I dont want to believe any of this, but im convinced. Great work, thanks for adding to my knowledge base in a way previously thought impossible!!! Love it!
Wow, so turns out a length of nettle cordage makes a great slow match! I used it as an ember extender but I imagine the end of the cord could be processed as you've shown and ignited with flint and steel before smouldering into the densely packed cordage for a slow burn. Great video!
Wow, along with everybody else that said wow, thank you thank you thank you for all that work. I have never cared for charred material, I've always preferred to use chaga. I can't wait to get out and try these new plants. 🔥👍🏻
Wow. That's awesome. So essentially you'd want to always have char cloth with you. But if there's dried nettles which certainly are extremely common in Scandinavia where I live, your be fine just using that. Since it seems like pretty easy finding a handful of that and bash them with two rocks to catch a spark. Very nice.
The charred material will be vastly superior to the uncharred, but yes dead nettle and green dried nettle will do the job which we were excited to learn and share. The processing has to be very thorough I should add. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Brilliant, I have been practicing bushcraft for years now, I am new to flint and steel, I thought that you needed charcloth or no fire!! This video was amazingly educational...thanks so much👍
Seriously impressive research!👍👍👍👍. I imagine that you have rediscovered what our ancestors knew. Knowledge that was lost! Wonderful series! Thank you!
Hey great to hear. I hope you got to see the most recent video we did that covered all of our successful Tinders. 20 plants total. ua-cam.com/video/i1N0voqDk0Y/v-deo.html
As a bushcraft teacher it becomes harder and harder to find a new techniques that surprise me as much as this video did, thank you for all your research and dedication towards finding these... PS Halfway through your video I couldn't resist trying it as I had some dried nettle in my garage (as you do) and yup it works... Amazing!!! Thanks again :-D
I'm 8.5 minutes in and am glad I found this video, I was wondering the same thing just a few minutes ago, if I had no char cloth what could be used instead. I came on YT just looking for flint and steel fires, nothing specific and your video came up in the suggestions under the Townsend video I was watching. Our ancestors must have run into this issue at some point so it only stood to reason there had to be a way. I've loved fire ever since I was a kid and appreciate learning how to make it, thank you for all the time making this video, it definitely put me a few steps ahead in my search for fire making techniques
Great testing, persistence and a lot of hard work. Sugestion for the next video. Redo the testing but with flint and iron pyrite. Other than the fungi you mentioned the only thing I ever managed was with punk wood, and even then it required extremely good punk wood and a lot of work.
Thank you for this great video. The information in this video is very useful to people in the northern and western USA, as these three plants are primarily found in those regions. For those living in the southeastern USA, none of these plants exist, except in very small areas, which makes them of no use to people there. This, in no way, reduces the value of the video, but distribution of the three plants should have been pointed out. Oh, by the way, the first light bulb was invented in 1838, by Belgian lithographer Marcellin Jobard. Edison's laboratory improved on it, and made it practical, in 1879.
Really good video. And good science too. I think making fire like this is not about being easy, but about achieving something important, even life sustaining in the right circumstances. Well done. I'm off to find tinders in my own environment now. Information freely shared enriches us all.
Phenomenal. And a very likely way our ancestors lit fire. Now if only you tested getting sparks from two rocks, without steel. Then we'd know. Thanks for thr effort you put into this.
I can't thank you enough for this video. It's the most interesting and educational firemaking video I've seen in ages! This will be a game changer for us all. Now I won't walk around and avoid the Stinging Nettle, I'll harvest it and bring it with me. I'm not familiar with Waterleaf yet, but I see Burdock pretty frequently. I can't wait to give this all a try. Just Fabulous! You have a new subscriber too.
Glad you liked the video! We’ve continued our research and experiments which resulted in several more common plants that work uncharred. Working on putting them into a video soon, so stay tuned!
Got it! Yesterday, June 10.
Gathered, peeled about dozen nettle stalks, they're just about 3 ft. tall, here in Indiana. And it's been dry, for a few weeks.
Let dry in direct sun for at least 3 hours, and then roughed up, did it like a fire roll, minus ashes. Then teased, and fluffed up.
Got it to take a spark twice, put it out, tried again about an hour later, after leaving bundle in the sun.
Took a spark, and built my fire for the night!
Thanks again,
Steve
This is a fantastic report! Thanks for taking time to share, and please keep up the good work. Can't wait to hear about your many future successes I'm sure you'll have.
I have literally watched thousands and thousands of videos on UA-cam over the years this is probably one of the best Bushcraft ones I’ve seen absolutely brilliant and the amount of time of effort gone into studying was awesome well done
Thanks for the huge compliment! We appreciate it.
Same here!
@@wildernessstrong6131 I'm 73 and I was as giddy as a 9 year old . I can't wait to get out and try this.
Ditto
This is huge. Good job.
I think this is the single greatest primitive firelighting video I've ever seen! You guys deserve a medal, or some other recognition - absolutely outstsnding! 🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for the huge compliment!
Glad you enjoyed the video. Hopefully you got to see the follow up video we did that had all of the successful tinders we found.
Flint & Steel Complete "NO CHAR" Tinder List...Declassified
ua-cam.com/video/i1N0voqDk0Y/v-deo.html
Awesome video with great new info for us fellow "fire bugs". Unfortunately here in Alaska at the elevation i live, we do not have any of *those* plants. However where there is one, there may be more and gives me hope that we may have local plant/s that may work similar to what you have found. This video should go viral and I hope it does. You deserve it for the info you have shared.
Honored. I’ve been a fan and subscriber to you and your content for some time. Thanks for the kind words.
We are excited about what we learned in this flint/steel project (especially regarding stinging nettle). We consider it to be new information which would be beneficial to the bushcraft/fire making community.
Would love to hear about any “non char” plant tinders in the Far North that you discover that might replicate what we found here in the Pacific NW.
Please share our video/discovery to anyone you think would benefit! That would be a huge boost to our channel. (Viral video sounds great to me)!
Thanks again!
Luke
Wilderness Strong
100 % agree 👍👍
Wow!!! Lonnie i've been following you probably 10 years... When you had maybe a few thousand followers... I agree that it is an honor to have you here checking this out!
Can you plant stinging nettle around your place?? Maybe they would grow there?
@@sparrowflying864 We actually do have stinging nettles about 25 miles from here which is the closest I am aware of. We are at a higher elevation and I do not know if they would grow here or not.
Unbelievable! I don’t ever comment but couldn’t let this go by. You just probably brought back long lost knowledge to the bushcraft community and I thank you for sharing your research! I know it’s been a question we all have been searching for
Thanks for the great comment! We’ve continued the quest for more Tinders and should have an updated video out soon with a few more exciting discoveries. Stay tuned!
Same thought, it's amazing.... I've tried at least 2000 hits but it never worked without charred tinder. Thanks.
This is really interesting, historically educational and of great value from a practical perspective. It adds a whole new understanding as to how our ancestors and forefathers utilised natural materials to start fires. I’m from the UK and nettles are abundant here. It is brilliant that you are discovering and sharing valuable knowledge which has been universally forgotten and lost in the mists of time. Very well done and thank you.
That was absolutely awesome! I've started fires every way that y'all probably have and maybe even more but not that way. I had never even give it a thought to start with green material let alone the dead dried nettle stems. I'm really glad I stumbled onto this video and this channel. I will go back and watch the first three. I have Burdock growing all over my property and tried to eradicate it because of the dried seed pods that kept getting stuck to the animals. But I bet I don't now. I've been doing Woods Craft since I was 12 years old in the Boy Scouts, I am now 71 so I've been doing it a year or two. Thank you so much for this video. I watch these types of videos and others because of things that I know and have learned that have fallen to the back of my brain and I need to bring them forward. Thanks again for this video I most certainly will be saving this. Y'all have a great day and stay vigilant now you hear!
Hey great comment. Thanks for watching and glad you’re enjoying the videos.
You are actually learning exactly how people did it in the past. Much knowledge has been lost and many things must be invented again. But because people discovered fire all over the globe, it meant that the materials are still available today anywhere on the globe. We don't have to look far.. Well done once again!
I can't believe this video only has 30K views, AND you currently have less than 3k subscribers. What I just watched was not only incredibly interesting and educational, but it was expertly produced. I've tried to get crushed, dry leaves and other things to take a spark without success. This makes me want to try this, and experiment with others. Subscribed!
Thanks! Really appreciate your comment.
Finally. I have been waiting for years for this answer to that question. I would have never imagined. Thank you so much.
That’s great to hear! We were also surprised by the results. Glad you enjoyed the video.
From Europe . These experiments should bring an award 🕯️🏆.
Congratulations on a genuinely education video, that is well researched, and well produced. Thank you for sharing your findings with the community. Warm regards, Paul
Thanks for the great comment/compliment. Much appreciated!
@@wildernessstrong6131It was award winning science.
One of the most valuable videos about fire making, I have ever seen!
Great job guys!
These kind of videos really deserve to become viral!
Love, Health and positive energy to you and your Families!
That is so much appreciated! Thanks and best wishes to you as well.
I love the experimental nature of this. It had to have been a huge amount of work and deserves far more views than it has.
Hey thanks for watching and appreciating what went into making this video. It was a fun and rewarding challenge.
This video alone was enough for a sub. At 62 I thought I'd pretty much seen it all. Turns out I was very wrong, so I thank you for that.
Hey great to hear! Thanks for watching, and welcome aboard!
Incredible! You are a pioneer of curiosity, determination and a need to invent for necessity...After your fire, you can have a cup of nettle tea leaves, or a boiled meal of nettle now... Thankyou for sharing with everyone. It may save lives someday...many thanks...
How is it this video has so little views?
Ive watched so many ways of starting a fire.....then the thought came:"what if i had no ferro rod, striking steel, or charcloth"?
THIS VIDEO IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT.!!! "THIS" is true ingenuity. BRAVO!!!
I've tried today with green stinging nettle.
Dried it in air for couple of hours, but there was direct sun for only about 40 minutes and not too hot, summer is at its finish. Grinded the fibres with rocks and left it to dry some more.
Couldn't get it to ignite by hitting the striker with rock, but after a lot more then 10 strikes I finally got it to ignite by holding the nettle on top of the rock and hitting it with a striker.
Really does spread like charred cloth.
I will have to experiment this some more.
Tried today with another dried batch, it was more sunny and warm, just couldn't get it to ignite. Maybe it's the nettle, maybe it's too young, I should try with old, bigger plants
That is a fantastic report. Your persistence paid off! Did you peel the nettle fibers before grinding? Also what type of rock were you successful with?
We were using older nettle and haven’t tried young plants yet. So your theory might be correct on that. Keep experimenting. Thanks for the updates!
@@wildernessstrong6131 yes, picked the leaves off and then lightly flattened the stems with a rock to peel the fibers easier. Then left on direct sun for a couple of hours on a grill mesh. Grinded them in a spice mortar.
The rock for striking is, well.. couldn't say for sure. There's no flint in my region, so far I've been using mostly quartz, but recently I stumbled upon something that looks a lot like some kind of chert, but not sure what is it since it doesn't retain the edge sharpeness as I believe flint does. Then again, never had real flint so who am I to judge. :)
But nevertheless it does give off a lot of sparks so I'm not doubting the choice od rock for sure, had many charred cloth fires with it.
Hey guys.
I really appreciate your work.
Did you get to a conclusion?
I tried all nettle I could get, young old dead...
Can't get it to catch a spark... 🙄
It barely smolders even lighted with a flame...
Grinded it thoroughly but no amber...
maybe it's the German nettle... safety first non ignitable version....
Well it works very good for cordage 😂
Have to watch over & over !
So AMAZING ! Way back when I met Larry Dean Olsen - Richard Jaminson- Jim Riggs - Ernest Wilkerson and all the other " Greats " at the first " Rabbit Stick " gathering in 1978 ---- I was / we were questioning the " Well, ya gotta have fire - TO MAKE FIRE ( char tinder ) !" Great, Thanks to you , WOW ! All my orig. R.S. friends have passed now ---- I wish they could have shared your knowledge. Sincerely, Mtn Mel, Ret USN SERE Inst. W. Colo. Note - My Negrito Troopers in P.I. JEST school did show me my first " Fire Piston " , 1968, using natural , unprepared tinder from the Fish Tail Palm tree, a " fuzzy like cotton " from inside bark = Amazing .
Thanks for the great comment. Larry was one of our early inspirations and sources of knowledge. He reached out to my dad back in the 80s and they had a great phone conversation. I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed meeting him.
Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching.
I like how persistent you are, how methodical and organized. I really like that you turned bushcraft into science. Experimenting and documenting... You just got yourself a new fan ! I trully loved your video, you deserve a lot more views :)
Thanks! That is all much appreciated.
well done peoples! been a LONG time since i’ve seen a new method to start a flint and steel fire WITHOUT a bit of charr! seriously impressed!
This series was simply amazing. Over the past two years I’ve learned basic skills to start fires with a variety of tools, but I’m only proficient with about 4 tinder sources. This series really opened up the horizons and I’m going to use it to get to the next level of proficiency.
Request: could you add one video that covers visual identification and where to find the 3 tinders that can accept a cool spark without a char? I know you names the plants but I’m walking through the woods and it all looks the same.
Thank you for the amazing instruction.
That’s a great comment thanks. So glad you’re getting value from our work. Your suggestion is a good one, and yes we’ve had enough interest on the subject that we’re planning to do a follow up video which will include more detail on locating and processing these plants. Thanks!!
@@wildernessstrong6131 when will you be putting out the video??
I have to ask, but doesn't " punk wood" char work better or the same as? I have flint and steel . I do agree that part about about have to make a fire to build a fire . I do however love all your videos. I am a 74 year old fanatic about the fun of primitive fire . Love your channel too.
This is so cool, like a modern rediscovery of something ancient peoples used for 10s of thousands of years
After trying the same experiment as a kid I never found anything that really worked, so OMG am I'm I impressed!
Never say "it can't be done" for some that loudly states the opposite. Thank you. You've earned a like , subscribe, and notifications bell
This video shows consistent flint/steel fire success using three (non-charred) common plants that grow around us in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
For the complete updated list of No Char Tinders check out this video:
Flint & Steel Complete "NO CHAR" Tinder List: ua-cam.com/video/i1N0voqDk0Y/v-deo.html
AMEN!
Thee most educational survival video on UA-cam.
Period .
Subbed ,shared
.thanks.
Amazing!! very, very good job!!👍👍👏👏👏👏👏
Stinging nettle is common in other parts of the world, too. I wonder if all species make good char
Great video thanks.
I was especially suprized because it confirmed a huntch on a theory i had about the stinking nettle,
and that is, that stinking nettle and other natural skin irritating plants abilities, mimic in a way acidic burns hence the astonishing high burn ability, natural ability i might add.
Ill bet all those plants that was able to kindle extremely fast
(even as green) have in common the high acidic content in them, as everyone knows acid burns thru almost anything.
Ps. I hope i didnt butcher your language while trying to explain, really enjoyed the video.
All the best.
If there’s one thing this video exemplifies, is that “it’s all about the PROCESS”!
Thank you for your work! 🙂🙇🏻
Very good content, organization and delivery. Taught this 75 year old something new. Thanks.
Thank you! You can't believe for how long I looked for this. In the beginning you sumed up the problem perfectly and you solved it. I'll definitely try.
Great to hear! That’s exactly why we took on this project. Let us know your results if you give it a try. Thanks for watching!
@@wildernessstrong6131 Hi. I just tried it today and got the dried nettle fibers very fluffy. Unfortunately they didn't catch the spark even though I tried many times with plenty of sparks hitting them. Could it be, that my steel striker is not the perfect steel, so it doesn't produce sparks hot enough? It works with charred material and treated horsehoof fungus but not with untreated fungus and nettles.
I made my first flint and steel fire when I was eight years old (1967). It’s been my main fire starting method ever since.
I’ve never thought to try these materials.
Just goes to show that even an old hiveranno like me can learn something new.
😎
In the black powder community, we will sometimes make “rub cloth”.
Take any cotton material (I like to use old mop heads, or gun cleaning patches) and get it wet. Then rub black powder into it. Let it dry, and you’re done.
It catches a spark easily.
...and as you’re blowing it into flame, it smells like firecrackers 😉
I’ve never tried making rub cloth. That sounds like fun. Glad you’re enjoying our content! Thanks for your comments.
Çok yararlı bilgiler öğrendim teşekkürler.
I find it ironic and awesome!
My first successful bow drill friction fire with a stinging nettle nest. I was making cordage to see if I could something strong enough to string my bow.
I had a bunch of teased dried fibers.
And I finally figured out that a honey locust board and chokecherry spindle (seasoned!!!) Finally gave me a spark. Cambium from poplar fiber worked well too. Laundry lint worked very well.
So.... Jack craftey sent me some flint and told me it would spark. I'm going to try my first flint/steel fire this summer!
Thank you for your restlessness and brutal persistent relentlessness.
I know how difficult these types of things are and really appreciate the time and heartache spent.
Subscribed.
Hey great comment. Let us know how your FS adventures go. I enjoy Jacks channel. Some great content on there.
Wow! Excellent video! In my youth as a Scout, I learned to make fires using the same ol' sources of tinder and have used them my whole life. I'm now in my mid 50's and you JUST taught me that I've been overlooking these three plants as viable (and plentiful) resources to start a fire. I mean, nettles grow everywhere on my farm and so does burdock, and I've spent YEARS trying to eradicate them from my land as nuisance plants (ever try to comb burdock out of your horse's mane and tail? How 'bout a farm cat's tail -> not as easy I'm telling you!)
Thank you so much for sharing your hard-earned knowledge with the rest of us! This old dog just learned a new trick!
Fantastic comment thanks! Our horses have stayed Burdock free, but our Border Collies have a knack for collecting it in their tails. Regardless I’ve left a few on the property just for Bushcraft purposes. Glad you enjoyed the video and left us a comment. Thanks for watching!
One of the most interesting videos I've ever seen on UA-cam!
In so many ways...
What a beautiful display of love for nature, for knowledge and for sharing with others.
Thanks for the kind words. We appreciate it.
Very good spark temperature
This is absolutely the best movie about flint and steel I have ever seen! amazing job
That is a huge compliment! Thanks so much.
Now that's some seriously great work 👏 👌 👍
I think You guys rediscovered something lost with time....Congratulations!!!
New subscriber here from Britain.
Fantastic research, dedication in the extreme. At least here in the UK we are blessed 🤔 with an abundance of nettles.
Can’t believe you only have 400+ subscribers but my guess is you’ll attract a lot more very quickly 👍
Well thanks for subbing and appreciating the research! Hope you’re putting those UK nettles to good use. Thanks for watching.
And water leaf? Do we get that here? And what name does it go by?
I don’t know why the algorithm hasn’t brought your channel up until now. I’ve watched many various channels and practiced many various Primitive bushcraft skills for over 6 years, except for the last three years due to odd times. I always wanted to find better viable natural ways to use flint and steel. As noted, char is for second fire. I did a similar experiment using various materials, spices, etc. to make fireroll embers. Maybe someday you may try that for content. I am now bing watching all your vids to catch up. Keep up the great work and God bless.
Bravo. I don't know if you rediscovered lost knowledge or discovered something new, but this is a significant discovery.
Great video!!!
I would mention though, striking the flint with the steel, while holding the tinder ON the flint works well. The sparks go directly into/onto your tinder. But if you notice when you strike the flint with the steel above your tinder it send sparks all over the place. The reason is, the "flint" is actually harder than the steel, so you are literally shaving super heated shards from the steel. If you hold your steel close and perpendicular to the tinder bundle then strike the steel with the flint, the sparks are directed straight onto the bundle.
It's all about controlling the direction of the spark to maximize effect. and keeping from lighting a fire under your hind end. :)
Thanks for sharing! You may enjoy this video we made on the topic:
Flint Steel Top 5 Methods | NEW Striking Technique
ua-cam.com/video/gTBq9MzGxSg/v-deo.html
Hey well done. This is some solid information. Excellent production as well. This is a breakthrough and an absolute game changer
I've been in bushcraft for decades.. that's a first. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the knowledge! I applaud your efforts!
VERY cool! Looking forward to replicating these. The only natural materials I'd found, so far, to take a spark, were the ovum from a milkweed plant, and the inner lining of dried gourds. Give 'em a shot.
Sounds good, thanks for the info. Let us know how it goes with the plants from our video. Would love to hear a success story. Thanks for watching!
Just found your channel. Very good content and the production quality is phenomenal. How you approach your videos as a research project and acknowledge the other ways/ views to do things, is very rare in social media. Phenomenal job. I am excited to watch your channel grow.
Absolutely a fantastic video. Thanks for hanging in there.
Thanks for the compliment! Glad you enjoyed.
Well done and thank you for sharing this. This discovery is truly a game changer and could save lives in an emergency. Thank you, gentlemen.
Really appreciate that comment. Thanks for watching!
Subscribed! I have always had a nagging feeling that our ancestors were able to make fire easily and quickly without resorting to friction methods and without steel. You have solved one of the problems. Now all we need the sparking method that does not require a steel.
this video has got to be the beston no char flint and steel fire making. Absolutley amazing. Unfortunatley I was yet unable to get the spark to catch in stinging nettle fibers (originaly gatherd in summer and sun dried for cordage, and I pounded and mulched them now to try this). I have to keep trying as I think my rock was not as sharp and the sparks looked much weaker than in your video. Will definatley keep this up to discover what works in my area. Another discovery or just a translated property is using ashes to enhance the tinder. this idea comes from the Fire roll or Rudiger roll technique and rolling some nettle fibers in ashes I was able to get the spark to catch. Ashes work as a great excelerator so to say and make many tinders, into a more of a smoldering tinder.
Great videos guys I love watching every one of them.
Great comment. And good call on using the ashes. Stay with it on the nettle, I’d love to hear about the results. We have a follow up video planned that’ll talk about the processing a bit more because that’s really the key element for success when it comes to the nettle.
Nettles! they usually find me. That makes a flint and steel make sense. Thank you for all your hard work, a brilliant video.
Loved this. Thank you for putting in the hours. It’s a joy to see you experimenting and finding incredible results. Your passion and tenacity really shows to me. Don’t stop teaching, I am learning.
Ok more content coming! Thanks for the great comment.
Köszönjük! Engem mindig zavart az a tudat, hogy előre szenesített (Otthon gázon vagy nagy tűzön !) tindereket használok. Ez a videó nagyon jó. Gratulálok a kitartó kísérletezéshez és köszönöm a közzé tételt!
Amazing video, it’s rare when watching a bush crafting video that you learn something so different from orthodoxy! Congratulations!
This is very very interesting indeed! Thank you for your dedication and research
Hey you’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video.
I live in the mountains,and this is 100% true.
Stinging nettle is awesome,I use it for food,for tea,for rope,for fire ...it is a wonderful plant.
Of course is considered ...a useless weed.
Very true. It’s a fantastic plant. It’s been a game changer for us and fire making.
That can be why wild fires start.
But the find was very educatio. Thank you very much 😊
Love learning something I didn't know.
Nice, very nice video.
Thanx for the research and the sharing.
I am from Holland and we call the Stinging Nettle "Brandnetel" which is literally translated as "Burning nettle", because of the burning sensation when touched. Never thought it would really burn.
This video gives me a total new picture of the name of this plant. :-)
Now putting on my boots and start gathering some stinging nettle!
Cheers.
well, I am curious. Did you succeed in getting an ember?
Amazing! Anyone interested in primitive fire making methods should see this video. These 3 plants should work in fire pistons as well.
That's wonderful. I've been kinda frustrated with Quartz and Steel because of the having to have a fire to have a fire. As soon as the snow's gone up here, I'm going looking for last year's nettles.
I don't own any flint or steel I've seen and thought about giving it a try. After seeing this demonstration in this video I'm am going to start trying to aquire a flint and steel setup.
This is perhaps the BEST bushcraft video about the fire I've ever seen! Outstanding, yes! Extremely useful, and I am very happy that I found it! Thank you very much!
Outstanding effort on increasing bushcraft skills
Excellent video and information! Thanks so much!
You bet. Thanks for checking us out and for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@wildernessstrong6131 I may do a video on it and give you a shout out, If that's ok.
@@WayPointSurvival Sounds good. You can direct email us anytime. We’d enjoy sharing a few more details with you sometime.
Luke/Mark: wildernessstrong@gmail.com
I like the process involved with flint and steel fire. It’s almost a”zen” feeling.
You’ve opened up a new part of the process.... I like it. 🙂
Great video . This is probably the best video i've seen relating to non char natural materials using flint and steel, which can be consistantly found and used . Thanks again
A great compliment! Thanks for that. We’re excited about what we discovered. Thanks for watching.
I dont want to believe any of this, but im convinced. Great work, thanks for adding to my knowledge base in a way previously thought impossible!!! Love it!
Very interesting thanks for posting 👍🔥
Wow, so turns out a length of nettle cordage makes a great slow match! I used it as an ember extender but I imagine the end of the cord could be processed as you've shown and ignited with flint and steel before smouldering into the densely packed cordage for a slow burn. Great video!
What you just described is a great idea for a follow up video. Thanks for the comment!
A lot of fungi works when dry as does punk whole or powdered. Great effort for your findings. Well done!
Wow, along with everybody else that said wow, thank you thank you thank you for all that work. I have never cared for charred material, I've always preferred to use chaga.
I can't wait to get out and try these new plants. 🔥👍🏻
Wow. That's awesome. So essentially you'd want to always have char cloth with you. But if there's dried nettles which certainly are extremely common in Scandinavia where I live, your be fine just using that. Since it seems like pretty easy finding a handful of that and bash them with two rocks to catch a spark. Very nice.
The charred material will be vastly superior to the uncharred, but yes dead nettle and green dried nettle will do the job which we were excited to learn and share. The processing has to be very thorough I should add. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Brilliant, I have been practicing bushcraft for years now, I am new to flint and steel, I thought that you needed charcloth or no fire!! This video was amazingly educational...thanks so much👍
That’s great to hear. Glad you enjoyed our experiment and video. Thanks!
Excelente, me gusta. Sería bueno opción traducir al español. Eres excelente. Saludos😊😊😊
This instructional worths it's weight in gold!
Thank you very much for the relentless effort to discover this. You are awesome!
Thanks for watching and leaving a great comment. We appreciate it!
Seriously impressive research!👍👍👍👍. I imagine that you have rediscovered what our ancestors knew. Knowledge that was lost!
Wonderful series! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks.
This is the first time I've ever seen this. This is nuts. I can't wait to try it. 👍
The extreme of flint and steel information. My next experimenting was in the direction of "other than char". You saved me a lot of dead ends.
Hey great to hear. I hope you got to see the most recent video we did that covered all of our successful Tinders. 20 plants total. ua-cam.com/video/i1N0voqDk0Y/v-deo.html
This is a criminally underrated video.
😂”Criminally underrated”🤣 - Thank you. We’re still excited about what we learned in this experiment. Glad some folks are finding value in it as well.
No reply necessary.
Thank for sharing.
Very interesting.
Surly this must be a significant rediscovery.
As a bushcraft teacher it becomes harder and harder to find a new techniques that surprise me as much as this video did, thank you for all your research and dedication towards finding these... PS Halfway through your video I couldn't resist trying it as I had some dried nettle in my garage (as you do) and yup it works... Amazing!!! Thanks again :-D
This comment made my day. Glad you had success with it!
What a important discovery!!! You should be rightfully very proud 👍
I'm 8.5 minutes in and am glad I found this video, I was wondering the same thing just a few minutes ago, if I had no char cloth what could be used instead. I came on YT just looking for flint and steel fires, nothing specific and your video came up in the suggestions under the Townsend video I was watching. Our ancestors must have run into this issue at some point so it only stood to reason there had to be a way. I've loved fire ever since I was a kid and appreciate learning how to make it, thank you for all the time making this video, it definitely put me a few steps ahead in my search for fire making techniques
That’s all great to hear! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Great contribution; you've done a lot of work to find the right stuff! Keep going. Your hard work has paid off.
Nice job! 👍 Thanks for all the trial and error research you did to find this out and then sharing your very cool findings with all of us. 🙏
Hey thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Very impressive experiment and Outstanding information.
Thank you! Glad you found it valuable. Thanks for watching.
Great testing, persistence and a lot of hard work.
Sugestion for the next video. Redo the testing but with flint and iron pyrite.
Other than the fungi you mentioned the only thing I ever managed was with punk wood, and even then it required extremely good punk wood and a lot of work.
Very impressive that you were able to ignite punk wood! Thanks for the suggestion and for watching our video.
Thank you for this great video. The information in this video is very useful to people in the northern and western USA, as these three plants are primarily found in those regions. For those living in the southeastern USA, none of these plants exist, except in very small areas, which makes them of no use to people there. This, in no way, reduces the value of the video, but distribution of the three plants should have been pointed out.
Oh, by the way, the first light bulb was invented in 1838, by Belgian lithographer Marcellin Jobard. Edison's laboratory improved on it, and made it practical, in 1879.
Really good video. And good science too. I think making fire like this is not about being easy, but about achieving something important, even life sustaining in the right circumstances. Well done. I'm off to find tinders in my own environment now. Information freely shared enriches us all.
OUTSTANDING!!!! Thank you for this information, it will be useful for sure. hats off to yall!!!
Thanks! Very much appreciate the compliment.
Phenomenal. And a very likely way our ancestors lit fire. Now if only you tested getting sparks from two rocks, without steel. Then we'd know. Thanks for thr effort you put into this.
😄Two rocks…still working on that one. Thanks for your comment/compliment.
Total game changer, well done!👍
Hey thanks! We’re still pretty excited about it all. Thanks for watching.
This is absolutely AWESOME!!!!! I must try this for myself!! Some of the most quality content I have ever seen, keep it up!
Lives will be saved because of this discovery. 👍
We hope so! Thanks.
Truly amazing, thank you for all your hard work!
Hey thank you for checking out our project. Glad you enjoyed it.
@@wildernessstrong6131try eucalyptus bark also
I'm grateful for this information. That plants the gift, that keeps on giving! It's a magnificent source of nutrition as well.
I know you know that.
Appreciate all the effort that goes into your vids . Clear , thorough and enjoyable. Get ready for your channel to explode.
Kind words my friend. Thanks for the support!!
I have practiced a few survival techniques and am astounded by this video. Thank you so very much. I'm now subscribed.
Fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
I can't thank you enough for this video. It's the most interesting and educational firemaking video I've seen in ages! This will be a game changer for us all. Now I won't walk around and avoid the Stinging Nettle, I'll harvest it and bring it with me. I'm not familiar with Waterleaf yet, but I see Burdock pretty frequently. I can't wait to give this all a try.
Just Fabulous! You have a new subscriber too.
Glad you liked the video! We’ve continued our research and experiments which resulted in several more common plants that work uncharred. Working on putting them into a video soon, so stay tuned!
Amazing discovery! We are never too old to learn! I was amazed! Thanks for the education!