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How to light a fire on vacation, with a shortage of firewood. A log fire can perform more than one function, such as lighting, heating, cooking, repelling animals and insects. In addition, such a type of fire as a wood-fired primus (other names are Indian, Swedish, Finnish candle) replaces the tripod for the cauldron.
You can’t dry things by such a fire, but you can cook the first and second courses, as they say, on the “one fuse”.
How to light a fire
Before you make a primus from a log, prepare a saw, wire and a log.
Find a dry log with a diameter of 10 - 40 cm without knots. The tree can be anything, just keep in mind that each species has its own characteristics. For example, a Christmas tree and a pine sparkle when burned, so it is better not to take them for heating. You need to be more careful with birch, because it burns very strongly, you can get burned, and it smokes a little because of the tar in the bark. Best Option- well-dried aspen. When burning, its flame is even and colorless.
Cut the log depending on the destination (15 - 40 cm). If you make a fire for cooking, take a thick and short log so that you can put dishes directly on it. The candle will remain stable. For lighting, on the contrary, a long and thin candle will be convenient, which can be carried if necessary. And for heating, you need a thick and long one to burn for a long time.
Split a dry log into four pieces. Of these, a fire will be collected later.
In each part, remove the middle so that when assembling the log you get a hole with a diameter of 5 - 7 cm, and make small notches. Perfect option if you find a hollow tree. After cutting or splitting, you will need to scrape out the rotted middle of the hollow.
Fold 4 logs into a single log, winding them with wire, trying to leave as few gaps as possible. So they will not fall apart and will not quickly burn out through large cracks.
Thus, you should get a solid log with an empty middle.
In the resulting opening for kindling, put the sawdust that remained after cutting the middle or birch bark. The filling of a wooden stove and its location affects the degree of combustion. Located at the top of the hole, the birch bark will burn for a long time, only weakly. Such a candle is more suitable for heating food or for heating. Well, if you put birch bark on the bottom, then the fire will be very strong, which is good for cooking or lighting, but the candle will not last long. The best option is its location in the middle. Also make sure that there is draft for combustion. To do this, put a candle on stones or logs.
Now you can use the fire, which will be very convenient for cooking. Convenience lies in the ability to adjust the strength of the flame, blocking the access of air from below with a lid, earth and other things.
Food will be cooked on hot smoke, as the fire will smolder from the inside, and not burn.
Also, the overlap of air (bottom and top) serves to extinguish the candle if it is no longer needed, and then reuse it if necessary. Basically, candles are enough for several preparations of food.
We hope these tips on how to start a fire will help you.
Lovers of outdoor activities, as well as hunters and fishermen, know how important it is to properly make a fire in order not only to keep warm, but also to cook camp food on it. This is especially important in winter or in slush, when you constantly need to add firewood and make sure that the fire does not go out. Give warmth and light for a long time, as well as provide fire safety in nature, a Finnish candle will allow, other names of which are taiga, Swedish, Indian. This design of the fire is easy to move without fear of burns, and it can burn all night. How to make a Finnish candle will be detailed below.
Finnish candle cooking
An effective candle for burning is a log with a diameter of 12 cm and a height of more than 18 cm. When building a fire, the type of wood used does not matter, but it is better not to use conifers due to the release of resin, which sparks and cracks. In other cases, the main thing is that the wood used is dry, but not rotten. The proportions of a Finnish candle depend on its purpose: for heating it is more convenient to use a thick and long log, for lighting - long and thin for ease of carrying, and for cooking a candle should be thick and short.
Finnish cooking candle Finnish candle: how to make, video
by the most in a simple way is the so-called camping, or - the manufacture of a Finnish candle from a finished log, if any were found in the forest. You need to pick up three saw cuts of the same size, put them around tightly to each other. A fire is kindled in the middle. Uniform burning in all directions will be ensured the right choice chock in height, which should be two log diameters in width. If you put a three-liter pot on these logs, it will boil in less than half an hour. As the logs burn through, they will need to be placed in a "hut", and then just put firewood on.
If it is possible to use a chainsaw, a Finnish candle is made with your own hands as follows: a thick log no less than 50 cm long is taken, and it is sawn through in the middle crosswise by about three quarters of its height. If the log is too wide, cuts can be made in such a way that the log is divided into eight "slices". If you make them large quantity, then the Finnish candle will burn out faster. The log must be well fixed on the ground, propped up with stones or dug a little into an earthen depression. Sawdust, dry fuel or ignition mixture are placed inside the cuts.
If there is no chainsaw, a Finnish candle can be built with an ax. The chock splits as in the usual chopping of firewood, only into identical logs. Then they are gathered together, tied from below with wire. A thick branch is inserted into the middle of the hearth, which serves as a kind of wick for a Finnish candle. If the log is not too large, a branch can be stuck into the ground, then it will act as a leg for a fire.
If there is no tool nearby, a Finnish candle is assembled with your own hands. Thick poles with a diameter of at least 5 cm are assembled, installed around the branch in the same way as described above. On the inside poles, located in the center, you need to make notches with a knife so that they catch fire faster.
You can watch the video on how to put a Finnish candle correctly.
How to make a Finnish primus candle with your own hands for cooking
The Finnish primus candle is used only for cooking, since there is not enough heat to heat it. Its difference from the usual Finnish candle is as follows:
- The log should have a notch inside if it is solid. If the fire is made from individual logs, they can be planed in the middle, then connected as described earlier, fixed with rope or wire so that they fit snugly together, forming an outside side without gaps.
- Logs located opposite each other are cut or pushed up a little more than the rest by 5-6 cm. Made in this way, they form a structure that allows the fire to be inflated with air, while the flame will be directed mainly upwards.
Thus, the fire is concentrated inside the structure, giving off heat for fast food food. For cooking, it is better to cut a log into four parts, and not into eight. If there is such an opportunity, it is better to put a fire on stones or poles so that there is a gap for air from below. Otherwise, you can cut a small air duct from the bottom of the logs. It should be borne in mind that the hearth, concentrated in the upper part of the logs, will burn long time, but not too intense, and when ignited from below, the fire will be stronger, but the candle will burn out faster.
On a hike or just on vacation, a log fire can perform more than one function, such as lighting, heating or cooking, scaring away animals, but several at the same time. You can kindle it in a traditional or exotic way, while the tools you need are the most elementary. In addition, such a type of fire as a Finnish candle (other names are Indian, Swedish, wood-burning stove) replaces a tripod for a cauldron.
Step-by-step instructions for making a Finnish candle
Before you make a Finnish candle, prepare a saw, wire or adhesive tape, nails and a log that will become a candle. And then to make an Indian candle, follow the instructions:
1. Find a dry log with a diameter of 10-40 cm without knots. The tree can be anything, just keep in mind that each species has its own characteristics. For example, a Christmas tree and a pine sparkle when burned, so it is better not to take them for heating. You need to be more careful with birch, because it burns very strongly, you can get burned, and it smokes a little because of the tar in the bark. The best option is a well-dried aspen. When burning, its flame is even and colorless.
2. Cut it depending on the purpose of the candle (15-40 cm). If you make a fire for cooking, take a thick and short log so that you can put dishes directly on it. The candle will remain stable. For lighting, on the contrary, a long and thin candle will be convenient, which can be carried if necessary. And for heating, you need a thick and long one to burn for a long time.
3. Split a dry log into four pieces. Of these, a Swedish bonfire will later be assembled.
4. In each part, remove the middle so that when assembling the log you get a hole with a diameter of 5-7 cm, and make small notches. Ideal if you find a hollow tree. After cutting or splitting, you will need to scrape out the rotted middle of the hollow.
5. Fold 4 logs into a single log, winding them with wire, trying to leave as few gaps as possible. So they will not fall apart and will not quickly burn out through large cracks. Thus, you should get a solid log with an empty middle.
6. Put the sawdust that remained after cutting the middle or birch bark into the formed opening for kindling. The filling of a wooden stove and its location affects the degree of combustion. Located at the top of the hole, the birch bark will burn for a long time, only weakly. Such a candle is more suitable for heating food or for heating. Well, if you put birch bark on the bottom, then the fire will be very strong, which is good for cooking or lighting, but the candle will not last long. The best option is to find it in the middle. Also make sure that there is draft for combustion. To do this, put a candle on stones or logs.
That's the whole instruction on how to make a taiga candle.
Now you can use the Swedish fire, which will be very convenient for cooking. Convenience lies in the ability to adjust the strength of the flame, blocking the access of air from below with a lid, earth, snow and other things. The food will be cooked on hot smoke, since the Finnish candle fire will smolder from the inside, and not burn.
Every person who from time to time gets out of the house into nature should be able to make a fire in order to cook food and warm himself. However, not everyone can afford to make a “Finnish candle” - a fire that never goes out on its own, even if there is snow, slush and gusty wind around.
Advantages of the "Finnish Candle"
The main advantage of such a fire is that you don’t have to worry about it, even if there is dirt and slush around. In winter, you don’t have to worry that the snow under the fire will begin to melt and thereby put out the fire. Finally, a "Finnish candle" is safer than an ordinary fire in places where there is a lot of dry grass and leaves. Finally, such a fire can simply be moved from place to place. The “candle” will burn all night, and at the same time it will require only one log. And the shape of the fire is such that it is convenient to use it when cooking - after all, pots or a kettle can simply be placed on top of a log, like on a burner.
How to make a "Finnish candle"
In order to make a "Finnish candle", you need to have a log 30-50 cm thick, as well as a saw. The height of the log is not so important. The saw cut is about three-quarters deep. Most often they are sawn into 4, 6 or 8 parts. After that, a small hole will appear in the log. Kindling will be laid and kindled in it.
If you don’t have a saw at hand (and most likely you won’t have it on a hike), you can use an ax. In this case, making such a fire will be more difficult. The log must be split with an ax into four parts. Each part will have to grind down the middle so that when they are folded together, a hole is made. After that, it remains only to tie the logs with a strong rope, or better, with wire.
Finally, a "candle" can be made by simply stacking several logs side by side. Each should be 5-15 cm thick. Uses 3 to 8 pieces of wood.
A spoon of tar
Finally, it is worth mentioning the disadvantages of the “Finnish candle”. Cooking such a fire requires some skill and experience. Also, as it has already become clear, tools are needed. "Finnish candle" is not very well suited for heating. You also need to take into account the fact that if the fire was extinguished, then it will be extremely problematic, almost impossible to light it again. It's easier - to prepare a new candle.
In continuation of the topic, which will help in the country and in the forest.
Reading time ≈ 3 minutes
A Finnish candle is a kind of mini-bonfire made from a small stump or a cut log. It is used for cooking in a boiler, heating water. It can be a good substitute for a regular fire during evening gatherings in nature. A Finnish candle is made with your own hands in just 20 minutes, the burning time is about half an hour.
Features of the manufacture and use of Finnish candles
To prepare a Finnish (Swedish, Indian) candle, you need a small stump or block of wood. Easy to manufacture, the device can be used for lighting and even for short-term decoration of open areas. Tourists are most often used as a portable light source or for cooking. It takes a little time to create a candle, but the duration of burning and the resulting heat from it are optimal for making porridge, boiling water on a hike.
Features of harvesting a mini-bonfire
Preliminary preparation will allow you to conveniently cut the block: in its center you need to drill a hole with a diameter of about 2-3 cm.
The same procedure must be carried out with a stump or log. bigger size and weight. A stick is inserted into the hole on the main block (can be replaced with a branch). A log with large parameters is strung on an installed stick. Such a counterweight will allow you to make a candle neatly and safely. After connecting the logs and laying them on a goat for sawing firewood, work is carried out according to the following instructions:
1. The log is cross cut with an electric saw or a petrol saw. The depth of cut should be no more than 2/3 of the height of the entire block.
2. Using an ordinary lit candle, the side parts and the bottom of the cut are covered with paraffin (or wax).
3. A small strip of paper is cut off (you can use newspaper) with a length of 4-5 cm more than the depth of the cut. It folds in half, then unfolds, paraffin shavings are poured at the fold. It is important to consider that the layer should be made large, but so that the paper then easily folds, and the paraffin itself does not spill out.
4. The paraffin paper is wrapped longitudinally. And with the help of a pencil, a thick knitting needle or a screwdriver, it is pushed into a cross-shaped cut. It is important to carry out the procedure carefully so as not to damage the paper and not to scatter the paraffin. 4-5 cm of paraffin paper should remain above the log.
5. The resulting wick is fixed with molten paraffin. To do this, you need to set fire to an ordinary candle and pour a consumable composition into the junction of the wick to the tree. At this stage, the Finnish candle will be completely ready.
To get a burning log, the performer only needs to set fire to the manufactured wick. Due to the presence of paraffin inside, the log will burn through more slowly, and the temperature will be maintained. A Finnish candle is made with your own hands in just 15-20 minutes. If the performer does not have an electric or gasoline saw, then the cuts should be done manually. The made mini-bonfire can be used for hiking (it is important to take into account the weight of the candle) or for home camping.
