Proper preparations is vital when lighting a fire, dont cut corners

Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. The 5 P´s are a good reminder when it comes to making a fire. I can´t stress enough the importance of proper preparations, especially in bad weather conditions. The worse the conditions, the less the margins. In good conditions you might get a way by cutting some corners, but that´s about it.

I started by collecting and shaping the hearth board and spindle. The idea behind this is to let them dry out in my pants pocket while I prepare everything else. Because of the very humid and wet conditions we have been having here for weeks now I made the whole fire out of one dead, standing pine tree (Pinus sylvestris). I made the hearth board and spindle from the driest core wood. The same goes for feather sticks, shaving clusters (by the way a very underestimated method), split splints from pencil thick to wrist thick, everything from one tree. I even made the platform for the fire from the same tree.

The exception was the tinder bundle where I used fatwood scrapings. I could have made them from the pine tree as well but I chose fatwood because it was readily available. To getup off the moist ground I made a platform from dry wood. All the sizes of fuel from tinder bundle to wrist thick wood was placed within reach from the platform. All this took me about 2 hours. It might seem like a long time but that´s what it takes sometimes. Don´t stress it, take your time!

When everything was done I started drilling for an ember. I used light pressure on the spindle the whole time. First to dry the wood out a little and later to get a dry, fluffy friction dust that ignites easily. In my experience many people use way too much pressure than needed on the spindle. This can actually be counterproductive causing a coarser and charred friction dust. I usually let the ember sit in the tinder bundle for a while to warm up it´s surroundings. I found this to be an easier way of getting it to burst into flames. When it´s on flames take it easy with the fuel so you don´t smother the fire.
The chicken tasted good by the way:)
Hope you enjoy