Outdoor Wonders you should get out more ...

Thoughts on Tinder

I started this page because there seems to be a lot of varying opinion about what constitutes good "tinder" for firestarting. This is my attempt to try to clear the waters when it comes to the subject. 

For this discussion, I consider "tinder" the stuff that catches the smallest spark or coal and either smolders or burns to get your fire started. Note that tinder materials will vary significantly by geography; also, there may be different species of these materials that work for me that might not work well (or may work much better) for you. I'd like to hear any feedback on the topic that you can offer.

I break up the category of Tinder into these groups:

· High Temperature Spark (HTS) Tinder 

· Low Temperature Spark (LTS) Tinder 

· Coal/Ember Tinder

Additionally, there are tinders that start with open flame, but I'm most interested in those above.

High Temperature Spark (HTS) Tinders - include those materials that can be ignited by high-temperature heat sources. These sources include sparks from metal match (also known as ferrocerium or magnesium fire starters.) Sparks from these sources are white hot, so they can cause combustion in a wider range of materials than natural flint & steel (also known as FNS.). 

Examples of High Temperature Spark (HTS) Tinders include:

· Unspun cotton - cotton balls or similar, untreated

· Bull Thistle down

· Milkweed down

· Dandelion down

Low Temperature Spark (LTS) Tinders - include the most basic tinders that can be ignited by  low-temperature spark generating mechanisms such as simple, natural flint and steel (FNS). These sparks are not as hot as those generated by metal match or ferrocerium, and tend to be orange or yellow in color, as opposed to metal match's white.

Examples of Low Temperature Spark (LTS) Tinder include:

· Charcloth - charred cotton or linen 

· 0000 Steel wool

· Inonotus obliquus - the "tinder fungus" found on birch trees

Note: Amadou, one of the other "tinder fungi" may be included in this group, I have yet to confirm these independantly.

Coal/Ember Tinders - include those materials that will produce coals or flames when ignited by an glowing, red embers, such as those generated by friction. These tinders generally will not produce sustained combustion when used with sparks from FNS or ferrocerium.

Examples of Coal/Ember Tinders include:

· New England "cedar" (actually a member of the juniper family) bark 

· Horse Chestnut leaves, dried

· dried pine needles 

· Sisal or jute rope, untwined

 

Tinder Suitability Summary Chart - Below is a chart that summarizes the results I got when testing local materials (that I've been able to identify by name) for their tinder suitability. Your results may vary for a variety of reasons and I encourage you to contact me if you see glaring differences.

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