Fire by friction is a testament to human ingenuity, contributing to the development of early technology and a later understanding of physics, chemistry and heat transfer.
I’m an engineering professor, avid outdoorsman and Minisino Firecrafter who’s been studying and practicing fire by friction for many years. It’s a great way to explore key science concepts while engaging in a practice that humans have been performing for millennia.
Ember, flame, fire
Fire by friction relies on the conversion of mechanical energy into thermal energy through friction. Friction is the force of resistance between two surfaces when they slide, or attempt to slide, past one another.
There are many ways to create fire by friction, but the most common and easiest to learn uses a bow drill set.
A bow drill set consists of a thin spindle, a hearth board, a lightly curved bow, to which a bow cord is attached, and a “thunderhead” or bearing block, which is a stone or block of hard wood with a natural or carved divot used to press down on the top of the spindle.
Fire by friction is a testament to human ingenuity, contributing to the development of early technology and a later understanding of physics, chemistry and heat transfer.
I’m an engineering professor, avid outdoorsman and Minisino Firecrafter who’s been studying and practicing fire by friction for many years. It’s a great way to explore key science concepts while engaging in a practice that humans have been performing for millennia.
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