Fatwood?

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Morgan101

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Not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, but I see a lot of You Tube videos on Fatwood. What a great fire starter it is. Where to find it? How to process it? etc. etc.

My question is does fatwood only come from Pine trees? What if you are not in a pine forest, or don't have pine forests in your area? Will the sap from other trees work, albeit, maybe not as well? Does the sap from other trees accumulate the same way fatwood does?
 
Not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, but I see a lot of You Tube videos on Fatwood. What a great fire starter it is. Where to find it? How to process it? etc. etc.

My question is does fatwood only come from Pine trees? What if you are not in a pine forest, or don't have pine forests in your area? Will the sap from other trees work, albeit, maybe not as well? Does the sap from other trees accumulate the same way fatwood does?
This is the perfect place to ask that question.
The stuff has been around since the country was built but was known by other names. When I was growing up it was called "lighter knot". It comes from very old pine trees.
Fatwood must be the new name for it.
Wikipedia said:
Fatwood, also known as "fat lighter", "lighter wood", "rich lighter", "pine knot",[1] "lighter knot", "heart pine" or "lighter'd" [sic], is derived from the heartwood of pine trees. The stump (and tap root) that is left in the ground after a tree has fallen or has been cut is the primary source of fatwood, as the resin-impregnated heartwood becomes hard and rot-resistant over time after the death of the main tree. Other locations, such as the joints where limbs intersect the trunk, can also be harvested. Although most resinous pines can produce fatwood, in the southeastern United States the wood is commonly associated with longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), which historically was highly valued for its high pitch production.
The high resin content literally drools from it when it is cut. That stuff is very flammable and burns hot and fast:
Coniferous tree sap is a viscous liquid, that contains terpene, a volatile hydrocarbon. Over time the evaporation of the terpene changes the state of the sap; it slowly gets thicker until it hardens into resin. New fatwood leaks the sticky sap, while in aged fatwood the sap has hardened and is no longer sticky.
Basically, it comes from pine trees that died of old age.
So if you are in the woods and see a huge pine (3-4' diameter at the base) that has fallen, the stump is a gold-mine. Have a bunch of young people attack it with hatchets :thumbs:.
 
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This is the perfect place to ask that question.
The stuff has been around since the country was built but was known by other names. When I was growing up it was called "lighter knot". It comes from very old pine trees.
Fatwood must be the new name for it.

The high resin content literally drools from it when it is cut. That stuff is very flammable and burns hot and fast:

Basically, it comes from pine trees that died of old age.
So if you are in the woods and see a huge pine (3-4' diameter at the base) that has fallen, the stump is a gold-mine. Have a bunch of young people attack it with hatchets :thumbs:.

I appreciate the info, but I knew all of that. Can you get it from anything but a pine tree? We don't have many of those here.
 
Well, I didn't answer your questions very well.
The real stuff only comes from old pine trees. I don't know of any other trees that have a high level of turpene and resin. The expensive stuff sold online is just kindling that is pretending to be fatwood.
>Where to find it? Visit mississippi. The whole dang state is one big pine forest!
I don't think anybody would mind you attacking an old tree stump.
>How to process it? etc. etc. Just chop it into small chunks about the size of your hand.
>Will the sap from other trees work, albeit, maybe not as well? No. Not that I know of.
>Does the sap from other trees accumulate the same way fatwood does? Yes, but it is not full of volatile hydrocarbons, and is used to make glue instead.
 
I guess I will just console myself with the fact that I know what it is, and how to find it and process it if I find myself in the right kind of forest.
 
Pine is not the only tree that produces usable sap wood. I pulled a sap soaked knot from an old cherry tree in Seattle, Washington. In the Cascades and Olympics you can collect it from Fir, Pine, Hemlock and other trees. The most common in most areas is pine but if the tree bleeds sap from a cut in its bark then it can produce sap wood.
 
I played with a piece of fatwood many years ago. It is indeed cool stuff to get a fire started with. However, with all the easier to come by things that can be used for tinder, I hardly see much need for fatwood. I guess it you were lost in the woods unprepared and desperately in need of a fire, finding the appropriate resin-filled tree stump would be good. I take my emergency gear (including fire starting materials) with me when I go outdoors, rather than relying on gathering it from nature on the fly during an emergency.
 
There aren't a lot of pines where I live, but there's a crap ton of scrubby cedar trees. I might have to investigate...

That is exactly what I was thinking Spikedriver. There is a lot of cedar around here. I wonder if that will work?

I take my emergency gear (including fire starting materials) with me when I go outdoors, rather than relying on gathering it from nature on the fly during an emergency.

Absolutely agree Haertig. I never go anywhere without a fire kit. Fatwood would be in case of a dire emergency.
 
I've recently learned that maple sap can burn - only after it has had the moisture boiled out of it.

There aren't a lot of pines where I live, but there's a crap ton of scrubby cedar trees. I might have to investigate...

burnt the sugar run ?...

if you look at essential oils you can see many come from a wide array of plants.trees etc. its just the amount needed that knocks it in the head.

if i am remembering correctly birch bark has oil in it...i wonder if all birches have a bit?
 
@Morgan101 i thought theres tons of pine in your area from vids i seen from there?

read up or look at hercules powder/dupont etc. resins,cellulose,etc was used in explosives and various items sitting in our shelves.

i use to work in a very large factory and i can tell you hardwood dust is explosive. as lots of dust is extremly flamable especially when couple with forced air. dust bins can explode for various reasons as well as coal dusts.

thread drift....one item i never see anyone mention about keeping a fire going? coal...it can be found in various places...in exposed seams.

big fires of the west...large trees in forest fires get so hot the sap starts to boil inside them and actually explode...wanna read a interesting event read about the yacolt burn...devastation !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_Inc.
Pine Resin Products
In the 1920s, Hercules entered the pine resin products business, a development which followed upon the faster clearing of forests for lumber and farmland around the time of the First World War. The clearings had left many stumps which had to be removed, often with dynamite supplied by Hercules and others. Hercules itself was a consumer of wood pulp, a key ingredient in their dynamite. The increasing surplus of wood pulp led the company to the idea of producing other things from it, namely, the various chemicals that were present in pine resin. They set up production sites such as the one in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Brunswick, Georgia for this express purpose, and added to their raw supply by offering to take or buy tree stumps from farmers.
 
Fat wood can be easily made from any porous dried wood. You can also use MDF or rolled paper. Just cut your pieces to a convenient size and boil in wax or heavy motor oil. The wax keeps better and it won't bleed when it gets warm. Small sticks light easily and burn a long time.
 
Fat wood can be easily made from any porous dried wood. You can also use MDF or rolled paper. Just cut your pieces to a convenient size and boil in wax or heavy motor oil. The wax keeps better and it won't bleed when it gets warm. Small sticks light easily and burn a long time.


candle ! most under rated fire starting tool ever. no mess no fuss and can be used over and over.

candle.....i name thee sir holder of the flame !...lol
 
 

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