The Miracle of Fire-by-Friction, Revisited

by Dick Baugh
September 21, 2007

 
The original article, published in the Bulletin of Primitive Technology, Vol 1, # 5, 1993, pp 69-70,
included some data on the ignition temperature required for igniting the pile of wood dust
generated by twirling one stick on another. The data was very crude in that only two test
temperatures were available, approximately 700 and 800 degrees F. The results of initial
ignition temperature measurements were:

a. The significant metric is the temperature of the hottest part of the dust pile just before
ignition.

b. The ignition temperature is that minimum temperature which allows oxidation to take place
at a sufficient rate to cause the temperature to start increasing.

c. Coarse wood dust requires a higher ignition temperature than finely divided wood dust.

d. It is impossible to measure accurately the ignition temperature of the wood dust with a
thermocouple (TC) unless the TC wires are extremely fine and the TC junction is located exactly
at the hottest point in the pile. Unless these criteria are met the measured temperature will be
incorrectly low because the TC wires will conduct heat away from the location whose
temperature is being measured. As a consequence I measure the ignition temperature by
exposing dust pile to a known and controllable temperature.

The latest experiments on ignition temperature were done using a thermostatically controlled
soldering iron to provide a known constant temperature. A small pile of prepared wood dust
was placed on the tip of the iron and its temperature was raised by 25 degrees F increments
every sixty seconds. The results are summarized in this table:

Test Sample Ignition Temperature

Mule fat twirled on Mule fat, coarse charred powder: 700 degrees F
Coarse Mule fat dust, not charred: 675 degrees F
Mule fat twirled on Mule fat, fine charred powder: 650 degrees F
Birch tinder fungus (small piece): 625 degrees F
Mystery fungus (small chip): 575 degrees F
Finely powdered Mule fat charcoal: 575 degrees F

Mule fat (Baccharis viminea or Baccharis salicifolia) is a shrub of drying streambeds in the
western states. It is an excellent
fire-by-friction material. The Mystery fungus is a pale tan type I found on the base of a
Eucalyptus tree.

Radiation heating can be another source of error in measuring ignition temperature. Imagine
heating the test specimen inside an electric kitchen oven. The heating element is at a
considerably higher temperature than the air inside the oven. As a consequence radiation from
the heating element will cause the surface of the test specimen will be at a higher temperature
than the air. This effect is greatly exacerbated because the charred wood dust is an excellent
absorber of infrared radiation and it has very low heat capacity so little bit of radiation raises its
temperature greatly. A similar situation happen when you expose a thermometer to direct
sunlight. You are not measuring the air temperature, you are measuring the temperature of the
thermometer augmented by solar radiation.

Any thermometer does an excellent job of taking its own temperature. The challenge for the
experimentalist is to design a configuration wherein the thermometer temperature is equal to
the temperature of what you want to measure. When the nurse takes your temperature he/she
sticks it all the way in instead of just touching you with the probe. When, in my earlier career as
an engineer, we had to measure and control the temperature of an aluminum cylinder to within
0.01 degree we drilled a long hole in the aluminum and immersed the temperature sensor in
the hole and bonded it with thermally conduction epoxy. That way the heat flowing out the
leads would have minimal influence on the temperature of the sensor.

Other data on spontaneous ignition temperature of solid wood, for example, "Ignition of Wood,
a Review of the State of the Art"ť by Vytenis Babrauskas in Interflam 2001, span the range from
200 degrees C (392 degrees F) to 510 degrees C (950 degrees F). The wide range of
temperatures quoted is because in many of the examples cited the specimens are also heated
by radiation. I strongly believe that the most reliable and accurate method of measuring
ignition temperature of wood dust produced in friction fire operations is by placing the wood
dust on source of known temperature with no additional sources of heat.

E-mail your comments to "Richard A. Baugh" at richardbaugh@att.net

PrimitiveWays Home Page

We hope the information on the PrimitiveWays website is both instructional and enjoyable.
Understand that no warranty or guarantee is included. We expect adults to act responsibly and
children to be supervised by a responsible adult. If you use the information on this site to create
your own projects or if you try techniques described on PrimitiveWays, behave in accordance
with applicable laws, and think about the sustainability of natural resources. Using tools or
techniques described on PrimitiveWays can be dangerous with exposure to heavy, sharp or
pointed objects, fire, stone tools and hazards present in outdoor settings. Without proper care
and caution, or if done incorrectly, there is a risk of property damage, personal injury or even
death. So, be advised: Anyone using any information provided on the PrimitiveWays website
assumes responsibility for using proper care and caution to protect property, the life, health and
safety of himself or herself and all others. He or she expressly assumes all risk of harm or
damage to all persons or property proximately caused by the use of this information.

© PrimitiveWays 2013