Maya Dust = Dog poop

[Ben Coulter]

Hi, this is my review of Maya dust if you can call it that, I have loads of other reviews of bushcraft and survival gear on my YouTube channel, check them out, and please feel free to comment, subscribe and like (if you do) !!
Thanks,
Ben.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9gTP9BxkEg

[BJ]

Hi Ben,
interesting video, I have had the same result with Maya dust byt thought it was me. You would not want to rely on it if it was critical.
thanks for sharing.
BJ:)

[ian c]

I tried a free sample and gave up on it so glad i did not buy it.

[AL...]

Yup I got that wee free sample too ... It wouldent light for me eather I wont be buying it eather .
Maybe it was the sweepings off the warehouse floor!! lol

Cheers
AL

[Adam Savage]

The trouble with maya dust is, it dries out too quickly. If you buy maya stick and use a small pocket saw to produce dust, as and when you need it, it works a lot better :)

[David_JAFO]

hello,
i posted details on alternative to this product -
http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?4394-Cheap-Tinder
works just as well & at a fraction of the cost. Might be worth adding, I carry both
cooker fuel (meths) as well as Lighter Petrol the latter comes in it's own tin with
nozzle, a small measure of either to the wood shavings will ignite no problem
match or flint sparks.
Regards
David

[Silverback]

I'm really into char cloth, especially now I'm using flint and steel rather than ferro rod. I like birch bark as a tinder too.

[Ben Casey]

I gave up on it ages ago and settled for meths :)

[David_JAFO]

hello,
Silver Birch Bark, I was out collecting this earlier as the trees are shedding
it around where I live. Great tinder as you say. I'm using Flint & Steel when I
can resource Flint, I have a small supply thanks to Si :wink:
A mate brought over a roll of Jute Cord another good tinder.
Quick lesson in use -
1.Untwist one piece of Jute Tinder Cord into its constituent fibres.
2.Fluff the fibres up and roll into a loose ball to make a small Tinder Bundle.
3.Place a glowing ember into the Jute Cord Tinder Bundle *(Use for Char Cloth).
4.Gently wrap the fibres around the ember.
5.Wave the Tinder Bundle in the air, or gently blow on it until it starts to produce a
thick greenish smoke.
6.Give it a few hard short puffs of air and it will burst into flames.
7.Place the now burning Tinder Bundle into a previously prepared Fire Lay.
8.You have a fire! :innocent:
Regards
David

I'm really into char cloth, especially now I'm using flint and steel
rather than ferro rod. I like birch bark as a tinder too.

[Adam Savage]

hello,
Silver Birch Bark, I was out collecting this earlier as the trees are shedding
it around where I live. Great tinder as you say. I'm using Flint & Steel when I
can resource Flint, I have a small supply thanks to Si :wink:
A mate brought over a roll of Jute Cord another good tinder.
Quick lesson in use -
1.Untwist one piece of Jute Tinder Cord into its constituent fibres.
2.Fluff the fibres up and roll into a loose ball to make a small Tinder Bundle.
3.Place a glowing ember into the Jute Cord Tinder Bundle *(Use for Char Cloth).
4.Gently wrap the fibres around the ember.
5.Wave the Tinder Bundle in the air, or gently blow on it until it starts to produce a
thick greenish smoke.
6.Give it a few hard short puffs of air and it will burst into flames.
7.Place the now burning Tinder Bundle into a previously prepared Fire Lay.
8.You have a fire! :innocent:
Regards
David


It works really well if you soak it in wax (the kind found in tea lights). Just open up the fibres on one end and use as you mention, then the unravelled part will burn like a wick :)

[FishyFolk]

hello,
Silver Birch Bark, I was out collecting this earlier as the trees are shedding
it around where I live. Great tinder as you say. I'm using Flint & Steel when I
can resource Flint, I have a small supply thanks to Si :wink:
A mate brought over a roll of Jute Cord another good tinder.
Quick lesson in use -
1.Untwist one piece of Jute Tinder Cord into its constituent fibres.
2.Fluff the fibres up and roll into a loose ball to make a small Tinder Bundle.
3.Place a glowing ember into the Jute Cord Tinder Bundle *(Use for Char Cloth).
4.Gently wrap the fibres around the ember.
5.Wave the Tinder Bundle in the air, or gently blow on it until it starts to produce a
thick greenish smoke.
6.Give it a few hard short puffs of air and it will burst into flames.
7.Place the now burning Tinder Bundle into a previously prepared Fire Lay.
8.You have a fire! :innocent:
Regards
David


Never seen jute twine here, but we do have hemp. So I have made myself a fire twine. Basically I pushed a meter of it into a tin of petroleum jelly (vaseline), and let it soak in for a while (I forgot about it so it sat there for several weeks. Use the leftover vaseline for cotton disk fire starters. I'll explain those shortly.

Anyway this vaseline thread you can either leave in the tin. Just punch a hole in it letting one end stick out. So it's easy to pull out what you need. Or put it in a small zip lock bag.

The reason the vaseline is there is that the twine combust and go out very fast. But with the vaseline in it it acts more like a candle, giving you more time to get your fire going. Nice if its a little damp outside.
Just fluff up the end and it should light up with an LMF type fire steel. The fluffy part will burn away in seconds, but the twine will continue to burn like a candle. When you have a fire going, just blow it out and stuff it back in the tin or case :-)

FRor the fire pads, use the type of cotton pads that the ladies use to remove make up. They are double layer. So separate the layers half way trough. Push in some vaseline, and close. Now you have a no-mess cotton pad with vaseline for longer burn time. When lighting, just separate the layers again, and it will be ready fluffed up to take a spark. And becosue the vaseline is contained between the layers, it is not so messy as the cotton ball with vaseline.

To water proof them, just dip the whole pad in candle wax. That will create a disc that is water proof. Just break it to fluff it up and light. And it will burn like a candle.

[Silverback]

It works really well if you soak it in wax (the kind found in tea lights). Just open up the fibres on one end and use as you mention, then the unravelled part will burn like a wick :)

like this idea......need a bigger striker i think too as the one i have only covers 2 of my fingers

[Adam Savage]

like this idea......need a bigger striker i think too as the one i have only covers 2 of my fingers

Most of the traditional strikers are two finger designs, but I make most of mine larger. I find it feels more comfortable to use, with less chance of catching your knuckles lol

[Silverback]

How much does one of your strikers cost Adam?

[Ashley Cawley]

Good video Ben.


The trouble with maya dust is, it dries out too quickly.Yep - I've experienced the same. I've had people say "the sap/resin wont dry-out" but I'm just going by experience, the pre-made shavings are pants; I've seen them become less effective over time whereas the maya-stick / make your own shavings when you need them work great.


I gave up on it ages ago and settled for meths :)That's ma'boy ;)

I discussed Maya-stick vs pre-made maya-dust in this video...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTF8Lw4HlDw

[mr.punch]

I have used cotton washing line in a tin too works really well and easy to make, wash the rope first in case it has fire retardent in it then get a small tin, I used an old varnish tin, put some petrolium jelly unbranded is cheaper, into the tin then rub jelly into rope and coil it into tin force as much jelly into can on top of rope as you can then pull rope through lid.

Can be used as a short burn candle (I have even blown it out and restarted the burn by blowing again) or take some out cut it and unravel the fibres a bit then start your fire.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w194/jacketch/4FF9E785-1E8D-4DCD-ACE7-5706F15E80A6-7425-00000247B0A10C5D.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w194/jacketch/CDE32AC7-DE4B-4B7B-ABE4-780767581025-7425-00000247CC1BBF1B.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w194/jacketch/24003A66-DB2E-4628-A13A-EFAFA05B4B4A-7425-00000247DA853645.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w194/jacketch/5CACDC18-6F01-46D4-9AE4-31CF179E0CE1-7425-00000247E8B928CE.jpg

Oh and I love fatwood as a fire starter as said shave it when needed.

[Adam Savage]

Great idea mr.punch. I would imagine the rope has to be made of a natural fibre, such as cotton, jute, etc.

Adam

[mr.punch]

Yes it has to be natural fibre and you have to be careful as some of it has a nylon inner core and they don't always tell you on the packet. Sash cord is the worst for having the core in it and it looks ok on the outside, sticking a flame to the end will let you know.

[HillBill]

Why would any self respecting bushcrafter buy something that is freely available in the woods anyway? Its only fat pine. Every pine tree in the world has it in it, just cut off the bottom dead branches of a scots pine. The few inches where it joins the main trunk is packed with resin. Lights with match or the shavings light with a ferro rod. :)

[Adam Savage]

Why would any self respecting bushcrafter buy something that is freely available in the woods anyway? Its only fat pine. Every pine tree in the world has it in it, just cut off the bottom dead branches of a scots pine. The few inches where it joins the main trunk is packed with resin. Lights with match or the shavings light with a ferro rod. :)

But you must remember, it is illegal to remove ANY wood from a wood/forest/copse/plantation/etc without the landowners permission.

[paulthefish2009]

Good point Adam. always use birch bark or cotton wool myself.Paul

[HillBill]

Of course :)


But you must remember, it is illegal to remove ANY wood from a wood/forest/copse/plantation/etc without the landowners permission.

[Adam Savage]

Don't want people to think we encourage illegal activities :)

[Chubbs]

It works really well if you soak it in wax (the kind found in tea lights). Just open up the fibres on one end and use as you mention, then the unravelled part will burn like a wick :)

Just wondering whether they burn as good as a wick. I have a reel of jute and loads of those tea lights so I was going to have a go at making a multi wicked candle.

Neil

[Adam Savage]

Just noticed I said the unravelled part will burn like a wick. I meant the normal part, kind of un-unravelled lol.
I'm not sure how they would burn in an actual candle, but I would imagine they would work pretty well.
I used to use jute soaked in wax as an emergency cigarette lighter. If you try and light plain jute, it will tend to go out pretty quickly, and if you pick it apart, it burns very fast. The wax helps it burn when in it's normal "string" form, but without it burning rapidly...if that makes sense.

Adam