How To Start A Fire with A Hammer
Materials you will need:
- A piece of iron, usually a nail or an iron rod
- A hammer or better yet a maul
- A chunk of iron or Anvil or railroad tie to place the iron on
- Easily igniteable kindling such as paper or dry straw.
Step 1: Preparing the Kindling
The first step is to prepare the kindling. It must be very dry and very thin. Dried leaves, straw or lichens.
Step 2: Find an Iron Nail
You will need a nail or some other piece of rod like iron. It must be long enough so that you can hammer one end of it while you hold the other end a safe distance away from the hammer.
Step 3: Hammer the Tip of the Iron
Hold the iron in one hand and the hammer in the other. Place the iron on top of the anvil and repeatedly strike the iron with the hammer. Strike the last inch or so of the iron. with each strike turn the nail or rod such that you don't repeatedly hit the iron only on one side. This would flatten it out and we do not want that. The friction will generate.
Step 4: Light the Tender
Once the iron tip has started to glow a bit you can try to put the tip in the tender bundle and press the tender against the iron to transfer the heat. Hopefully you will get smoke from the tender. Repeatedly blow on the tender until it ignites.
In conclusion, starting a fire by striking a piece of iron with a hammer is a simple but effective method. With a little practice, you can master this primitive technique and be prepared in case you ever find yourself in a survival situation. But don't make the mistake of thinking this is easy.
Two people are better than one. It will take a lot of strikes to generate enough heat. If you watch a video of this method it is very likely that they started their hammering with an already hot piece of iron. That will make it seem like it gets hot faster than it really does.
