With my hut completed, next I needed fire
For fire sticks I used a fast growing softwood (Abroma mollis)
The spindle and baseboard came from the same branch
Scrapping bark off with a stone flake
The sticks were left to dry on a sunny rock to dry out
Candle nut leaves were used for tinder
Drilling holes in the baseboard with a stone blade
Carving a notch from the hole to let the hot wood powder (punk) to fall out
The base board is placed on the tinder with a stick separating them so more air can get to the punk
The spindle is put in place and spun between the hands
Use speed, not force to avoid blisters
Smoke is a good sign
Stop when the punk smokes by itself
Gently blow the smoking to make it glow and ignite the tinder
Cover the tinder with small dry twigs (kindling)
While I had a fire going I made a small pot to test the clay from the doorstep of the hut
This was dried next to the fire
It was placed amongst the coals and a fire was built over top
A simple campfire can reach temperatures hot enough to fire clay
If the pot glows at least red hot it will not turn back to clay when wet
The crudely made pot shows that clay from the hut site can indeed be used to make pottery
Fire sticks are the simplest method for making fire from scratch. The parts are minimal, easy to make and portable. Keep them in your hut out of the weather. This method can be difficult to learn but with it you can make fire just about anywhere.