Slow match fire carrier

Today, while at a program run for/by experimtntal archaeologists and interested people, I was playing around with some red cedar bark cordage (which is real nice and doesn't grow near me). In the spirit of the fire cigar type device that the guy showing fire starting techniques had as a prop, I tried lighting some bulky cordage and seeing how slowly it burned. I was very impressed. A six inch segment of tightly twisted cord smouldered (after being lit and blown out with a fire) for a full hour. And anyone who's used cedar bark cordage before knows its pretty quick to make (and in this case can be quite crude). If I spent 20 or 25 minutes making a few feet, I could carry a coal all day on a "slow match." I tried running with it, blowing on it as hard as I could, shaking it, and flicking it. Only flicking it risked putting it out by knocking off the white ash easily. Of course, It isn't waterproof, but something could be rigged up, I'm sure. I'll give it a try with other cordages to see if it works as well.

I'm willing to bet that wet cedar cordage will work just as well. Speaking from experience, you can submerge cedar in water shake it out and light it with a spark... great stuff. During an ice storm, last winter, my cousin and I found a two foot section of red cedar, totally encased in ice. We knocked the snow and ice off and it provided us with a spindle, hearth board, tinder bundle and enough kindling to get the surrounding, frozen wood going. Cedar is my "cheating" wood when it comes to primitive fire starting.

Rick

_________________
"Arrogance, I'm above that sort of thing."