Sometimes I’m amazed at how a skill I take for granted is completely missing in other people, even those who profess proficiency in outdoor skills.

I grew up around fire. I was starting bonfires for weekend campouts with my family years before I joined the boy scouts. I mean real fires, not just lighting cheater fluid. It’s almost second nature to me, I hardly ever think about it. I just go out, and do what I need to do to start a fire. This is why it never occurred to me that others might be lacking in the whole “fire” concept.

Last night, my room mates and I took part in a ceremonial book burning to celebrate the end of the semester. I had lit the tinder in a grill out in the courtyard, and was just starting to feed it, when my roommate began stacking thick text books in the grill. Needless to say, it completely smothered the fire. After smothering it, my roommates attempted to relight it by holding a match up to a book laying flat. I don’t know if you’ve tried burning books before, but this is not the way to do it.

Holding a match to a book is only slightly better than holding the match up to a log. Unless the fire is already hot enough to burn fuel sized pieces, you’re never going to ignite a book as is. You need to tear the book up into smaller kindling size pieces or at least place the book upright and feather the pages so they burn separately. Other wise you just get a lot of surface burn without igniting the book itself.


My roommates couldn’t seem to understand that fires shouldn’t be completely smothered by fuel, that if you are using fuel, you need to build the fire up before it will ignite, and that big, thick, dense materials don’t ignite instantly. They seemed to have no familiarity with fire at all.

I’m wary of fire. I know if mistreated it can be quite dangerous, even deadly. But I’m no more afraid of it than I am of a fork, knife, or bathroom tub. I like fire. I enjoy its company. It just seems like a lot of people are just downright scared of fire, and don’t like the idea of being anywhere near it, if they don’t need to be.

I agree with those last statements...if you doubt peoples fear, just go camping with a bunch of girl scouts. I went with my daughter one time...wife was busy and I swear it takes an act of congress for them to learn how to use a match. The leaders all start the fires and then scream and yell for the kids to stay away from the fire...don't go near the fire...watch out for the fire...HEY! there's a fire in the fire ring be careful...good grief. I can appreciate the need for safety, I really do understand that...but the fear of injury would have prevented some of the most important advancements in human history.

The Wright brothers obviously weren't to concerned with their safety and neither was the fellow that started trying mushrooms to figure out those that were poisonous. Oh yeah...then there's the person who looked at the rotting,clumpy milk and thought it might go good with peaches and salad.

That's the problem today..FEAR. I understand with the girl scouts, it fear of a lawsuit should one idiot kid be goofing off and fall in the fire..or fear that they might burn themselves lighting the match...I say they should be teaching respect instead of fear.
I'm stepping down off the soapbox now. Sorry for the rant.

You must practice fire. You must commune with the fire. Get to know it. Think like the fire. Love the fire. Nurture it. Grab the wrong end of a burning stick and BE the fire.

Use not lighter fluid or gasoline nor any other unnatural thing to make the fire. Add that later (see "be the fire" above).

Regards,
The Fire King

Whoa, who is The Fire King?

-Blast, who had a hard day and has 3L of liquid oxygen...

Actually, I have a very well unknown penchant for burning and blowing things up.
Of course, I cheated on the blowing up dept by using a Dahlgren 3".50cal, a Singer 40mm Grenade Launcher (Mk19 & Mk20), The Hughs Aircraft 25mm auto-cannon, and the world renowned...5".38cal Dahlgren... but it is Sooooooo satisfying to see the flash and smoke, and then,,,,,,seconds later, the boom arrives to make your smile much bigger!!!!!!!

"...ceremonial book burning to celebrate the end of the semester..."

Must be nice to be rich, I always tried to sell my books back, I needed the coin. I celebrated, if I passed, by not retaking the class...

You mean after the ceremonial beer or three, right?

The whole lot of books for the semester only sell back for for about $4. Plus, not all of the books we buy can be sold back, because the teachers require the newest edition. For some of the more hated classes, there seemed to be much more value in torching them.

Ice Age II has been out on DVD for a while now and as far as I know, no one here has claimed the Fire King title. I think that means I have dibs fair and square.

If you want to step outside and settle this like gentlemen, we can hold a Blast-off. Even if you win, its 1000 years bad juju.

Now, if only I could learn to spot those naturally occurring mischmetal rocks.

Makes sense I guess, but it sure seems like a waste. Of trees if nothing else. But if you need to torch them, maybe you could use them for ballistic tests or something. How many pages will a .38spl+p+ from a 2" go thru at 15 ft type thing...