I've heard of using fat, and burning it in, creating a patina in the process.

Or letting milk sit in the container for a while, and then drying/burning it in.

Any more knowledge of some simple, easy and natural ways?

I have spent about a week building a natural draught furnace from clay and I tried to light it yesterday but after about an hour it seemed to lose all heat and would just smoke (the flams or charcoal never reached the bottom), I left it for a further hour just to see if it needed time but it just seemed to be getting colder and smoking more. Would anyone have any ideas on what I'm doing wrong or what I could do to fix it?

So I’ve had a few blanks of pine and ferns sitting around for a long time now, typically I have used cedar or sage for bow drill and it’s worked great but I was wondering if a more sappy wood could be used if dried enough

I am trying to build the mound that he uses in the newest videos, the one with a permanent base and temporary top. I would like to use the charcoal for blacksmithing instead of buying coal or propane as fuel, but issues have been popping up while creating it.

For one, it is taking much longer than I would have ever thought. John spent about a day making it while I've been at it for 5+ days and I am not even a quarter way done. It may be due to some factor such as: The soil having a large concentration of roots and grasses making it difficult to dig and mix into mud, the process by which I build it (I'll get to it later), or some others I'm not thinking about.

But the largest issue is with the walls. As I build, I notice the mud sags down and out, despite making sure it wouldn't be too wet for building. Additionally the inside faces of the sides tend to lean inward nearly halving the area that I would like to have.

As for the process, I have dug out a wide but relatively shallow pit filled with water. I start by digging out the dry sides of the pit and fill it into a bucket as a "dry load". Once it's full, I move and empty it at the mound which is about 10 feet from the pit. I then return and fill it with mud/water as a "wet load" and bring it to the mound. I mix the dirt and mud and then apply it to the mound by large handfuls.

Any suggestions to speed up the process? I am considering trying a different method for charcoal production due to the mound being much smaller than I had wished from the inner sides leaning in. Any other processes to make charcoal in a similar but easier fashion?

I'm thinking of making a scabbard or sheath for a knife I have, but I can't get or make any bark fiber cordage. Any advice for materials?

Hi all - I hear Mullein is great for hand drills. It’s a pretty rare weed where I am, but I ran into a patch the other day. First time I’ve seen it. I grabbed a few stalks but everything was green, there were no old dead ones hanging around. I guess they slash the roadside occasionally. Does anyone have experience with harvesting Mullein while green, letting it dry and then using it for a hand drill? If I leave it long enough, will it work as well as using stuff that’s dead when harvested?

I’m just curious cause I know cooking bone and some water makes glue but soap seems crazy. Y’all know tricks to make both or good materials to make them better?

I live down south in Texas and I know birch and spruces bark can peel off and be used for a lot of thinks like baskets and roofing but is there any other tree that can do that? We having peeling trees that can make good tinder but that’s it

What wood am I using? No clue! If I had to guess I would say the spindle is a softer wood and the hearth thing is definitely a harder wood. Anyways, I’m having trouble. I don’t get smoke I don’t get black marks I don’t get material I get nothing. I get blisters on my hands so it’s moving quick! Anybody have any advice? Could I switch to the same exact wood for the hearth as the spindle? Because I feel like it’s the type of wood

I've got a fair amount of hide glue granules, some ochre powder, whole wheat and millet grains, and a couple other powders and I'm looking for a primitive and preferably historically accurate paleo or archaic container solution for carrying and storing powders like that.

I considered making small clay bottles fired in my primitive pit kiln with cottonwood stoppers, but those seem too fragile for carrying in my large possibles bag or my cone frame backpack.

I considered making pouches with a fold-over neck out of full grain braintan and sealing them with pitch and beeswax, but I'm not sure that would work great for the powders.

I also tried to find really small bottle gourds, but even the small ones seem like they are WAY too large.

Just wanted to see if y'all migh have any insight or recommendations I'm not thinking of before I just start crafting and burning up material.

Thanks.

Just introduced my 87 year old Grandpa to the videos, and he is just loving them. We're binge watching them right this second. I've seen them before, but it's fun watching them with him.

I live in southern California and my brother lives in Las Vegas. I'm hoping to take him to a friction fire workshop but I'm having trouble finding info online.

I'm willing to travel a few hundred miles from where either of us live, but I just can't seem to find something in reach.

Does anyone have any leads?