I like your videos because they are short and informative. A lot of other RUclips videos take 20+ minutes to describe what could be done in 3-4 minutes and filled with dumb junk filler that is either boring or that the RUclipsr thinks is funny, but is not funny to others. Yours gets right to the point.
Here's a fun bit of information about cotton: Pulverised cotton is used in furniture laquers. The cotton powder is so reactive that it has to be kept wet under oil or water to stop it from spontaneously combusting. In lacquer applications, it has to be kept in a seperate, rated building. The force of an explosion in such a building is designed to go straight up to minimise damage to nearby buildings and people. A rep from one company I used to deal with told me that if the cotton exploded, the roof of the structure was expected to land anywhere within a 4km radius.
Holly cow, I just tried it and it worked!!! It took a couple tries but it worked! Super cool and I can't wait to show the kids next time we go camping! Thanks!!
That was awesome! I didn't even know you could unroll a cotton ball! You should talk to scientists to get them to explain how it works, that would be really interesting to know for these videos.
Cotton is very combustible. When it is rolled, it breaks into tiny particles which act like tinder. The ash provides additional friction. The pressure of rolling it increases the temperature until the combustion temperature of cotton is reached. No, the ash is not unburnt fuel. It is a byproduct of combustion. Its only purpose here is to increase friction.
Shawn, Like many of the previous comments, I've not previously seen this method. It seems to have a lot really important advantages - the materials needed are compact, cheap, and easily protected. The effort required is very limited, Doesn't need sun. The smoking cotton seems to be much more durable than the tiny embers produced by other means. What is not to like? -will be trying it this morning when lighting my wood stove in Scotland. Thanks for the tip
This is so cool Shawn, I saw this method one other time when a friend of mine that makes fire pistons showed me how he did this. Who would think that this would work, great demo my friend.
I keep a zip lock bag of cotton balls soaked/smothered in vaseline in my backpack and a light at all times. I timed them they burn for like 10 mins rain/damp or not. this is sweet too...when u have nothing
I'm amazed at what you know Shawn. Tell me do you read up and search out stuff to get info on all the things you know about as you are very knowledgeable? What I love about you is that you don't come across as 'a know it all' but just a genuinely lovely person who loves sharing his knowledge. I've learned so much from you already, thank you Shawn xx Jean from Scotland.
Wow, that is amazing how easily that lights up. I've been casually subscribed to a few bushcraft channels for a while and this is the first I've heard of this method.
Shawn, that was amazing! I've been into this since we called it "survivalism" back in the day, and I've never even heard of this method before! Doesn't even require charcloth like most other primitive firestarting methods! Outstanding, sir!
Thanks...that looks easy...must add to my fire bucket...then grab the grandkids and give it a try...love mouse trap Monday's and " FIRED UP FRIDAY'S ...Great job Shawn...
I didn't even finish the video before I had to go try it. It worked great 👍 and my fist fire by friction. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm putting cotton balls in all my emergency gear now
i wonder how many other materials this would work with and why this works.... very interesting method that seems like a really reliable method, all you'd need to keep on hand is cotton balls and a couple pieces of 2x4 and a small vial of ahses, keep it in the trunk or whatever
Yeah I wonder this as well. What's the chemical reaction that's happening, cause I've seen it work with rust, ash and I think sand. Totally different chemical makeup for each, is the ash just for friction?
@@usern4metak3ns I was thinking friction too. On a side note, I once collected a quantity of those tiny stones used in poppers, thinking they might be flint and able to create a spark when rubbed together. But, I never got them to spark. Then I found out that the explosive in poppers goes off by itself when struck, and those little stones are there just to bang against each other. Still, I want to see if one could get sand made of flint (maybe with stell grit) to spark.
@@usern4metak3ns I think the pieces of wood create the friction, which causes heat and a spark. If sand works too, that's basically glass, I wonder if fiber optic strands would work, or fiberglass in place of the ashes?
I've never seen this before! I know about matches, lighters, magnesium and Flint strikers, fire piston, magnifying glass, bag of water, but never ever before seen this method.
Rust works well too. Scrape a rusty tool and collect the scale, and use the rust in place of the ash. I recently saw another video on RUclips using jute and rust.
That is incredible!!! I have to wonder if that would work without ashes, if a substitute such as dirt, coarse sand, silt, saw dust, or what else could be used. Even, could a strip of cotton t-shirt do the same? That could legitimately be a life saver!
@@recoveringsoul755 After commenting, I saw that too. Rust in fact is flammable, but only with a much higher oxadizing agent, most commonly used is aluminum to combine the two into thermite. My hypothesis however was that the added material did not have to be flammable and instead acted as grit for friction to induce combustion of the cotton.
@@BloodAsp yeah, someone also mentioned that sand works. Sand is basically glass, so I was wondering if fiber optic strands would work, or fiberglass. Ashes don't seem very gritty, like rust and sand. I was shocked how fast this was
@@recoveringsoul755 hmm, I'd venture a guess that fiber optic cables would reduce the friction akin to how logs could have been used in building the pyramids due to their smooth cylindrical exterior.
That was great as are most of your videos, maybe you could try use cattail fluff in place of the cotton and rust scapped from old metal as the friction element.
This is an awesome method. You could carry a bunch of pre-rolled ash-cotton rolls and just need somewhere to roll it on. I wonder how well it works when rolled on uneven surfaces, say between two branches or something.
I'm impress to the POW who come up with this fire starter technique. Other methods I know is required time to making the tool or need specialize tool like lens that you probably didn't have.
Came across this trick online as well, and if I remember correctly, it also works with rust instead of ashes. Ashes are probably much easier to come by, though.
Wow that is a fast way to start a fire. Shawn if you were lost in the woods and desperate would a piece of your t-shirt substitute for the cotton ball?
Hi Shawn, absolutely brilliant technique!!! I must be simple tho!! I tried it and the cotton roll definitely started to heat up but wouldn’t ignite…?? Perhaps I need to put more pressure down whilst rolling ?? I’ll try again, was probably just my lack of patience!!!!!!
Will it work with cotton right out of a natural cotton boll or is the processing that made it into a cotton ball required? Curious to know… with or without seeds removed.
@@connorperrett9559 Yeah. I’m mostly wondering if it would’ve been possible to do with something you could find/grow in nature before modern cotton balls existed. ;)
@@emmettturner9452 The seeds in a cotton boll will create problems for rolling the cotton into strips. The seeds will likely be damp sort of not letting the cotton catch fire. This might be one of the reasons why cotton bales catch fire sometimes.
I wonder if that would work with a cotton shirt. You might not have cotton balls on your person. This is a very useful tip thankyou so much. Keep up the great work.
another youtuber would've milked this for 30 minutes. thank you for making great videos that are all content and no filler.
Wow! Sometimes you think you are smart... And then you see this... Brilliantly quick and looks simple. Thank you Shawn!
I like your videos because they are short and informative. A lot of other RUclips videos take 20+ minutes to describe what could be done in 3-4 minutes and filled with dumb junk filler that is either boring or that the RUclipsr thinks is funny, but is not funny to others. Yours gets right to the point.
That is amazing!!! I have never heard of that way. So simple and fast! I love this series Shawn! Keep them coming please.👍🙂
Here's a fun bit of information about cotton: Pulverised cotton is used in furniture laquers. The cotton powder is so reactive that it has to be kept wet under oil or water to stop it from spontaneously combusting. In lacquer applications, it has to be kept in a seperate, rated building. The force of an explosion in such a building is designed to go straight up to minimise damage to nearby buildings and people. A rep from one company I used to deal with told me that if the cotton exploded, the roof of the structure was expected to land anywhere within a 4km radius.
Holly cow, I just tried it and it worked!!! It took a couple tries but it worked! Super cool and I can't wait to show the kids next time we go camping! Thanks!!
One survival skill I'll probably never forget. Thank you for this
That was awesome! I didn't even know you could unroll a cotton ball! You should talk to scientists to get them to explain how it works, that would be really interesting to know for these videos.
Yes, I want to know how it works as well.
Ditto!
The cotton that comes in pill bottles like aspirin.
Cotton is very combustible. When it is rolled, it breaks into tiny particles which act like tinder. The ash provides additional friction. The pressure of rolling it increases the temperature until the combustion temperature of cotton is reached. No, the ash is not unburnt fuel. It is a byproduct of combustion. Its only purpose here is to increase friction.
In that case it should work also with sand or dirt, anyone care to try?
Shawn, Like many of the previous comments, I've not previously seen this method. It seems to have a lot really important advantages - the materials needed are compact, cheap, and easily protected. The effort required is very limited, Doesn't need sun. The smoking cotton seems to be much more durable than the tiny embers produced by other means. What is not to like? -will be trying it this morning when lighting my wood stove in Scotland. Thanks for the tip
This is so cool Shawn, I saw this method one other time when a friend of mine that makes fire pistons showed me how he did this. Who would think that this would work, great demo my friend.
I have never heard of this method before, it's like magic.
I keep a zip lock bag of cotton balls soaked/smothered in vaseline in my backpack and a light at all times. I timed them they burn for like 10 mins rain/damp or not. this is sweet too...when u have nothing
Wow, I'm truly impressed by how easy and quick that was! 👏
I'm amazed at what you know Shawn. Tell me do you read up and search out stuff to get info on all the things you know about as you are very knowledgeable?
What I love about you is that you don't come across as 'a know it all' but just a genuinely lovely person who loves sharing his knowledge.
I've learned so much from you already, thank you Shawn xx Jean from Scotland.
This is amazing!! I never heard of this method before! very cool!
I just found out about this method as well, I used rust instead of ash and it works well too
Rust??!!! Amazing. Why would that work?
Wow! I would never have thought of ever trying that. So cool.
What a great thing to know! Thanks, Shawn!!! I'm excited to see what other tricks you'll be showing us.
Shawn, you can also use things other than ashes to create the ember, such as cleanser powder, rust, or even baking soda.
Thank you we may all need these skills sooner than we think.
That was super fast and easy. Awesome Shawn! 👍 TY!
What an amazing survival skill! Thanks for sharing this!
Very useful and cool idea, especially if your in a pinch.
Very interesting, had to go try it out, got it on the second try, great method. Thanks for teaching me something new.
Great job! That is a neat and unexpected way to start a fire.
If I ever get lost in the woods hopefully I'll be able to watch Shawn Woods videos to save myself.
I really like these fire series. Thank you 👍✌️🙏🙏
Wow, that is amazing how easily that lights up. I've been casually subscribed to a few bushcraft channels for a while and this is the first I've heard of this method.
I’ve never heard of this method before. Gonna try it out next time I make a campfire.
I have never seen anyone do it with such few strokes. Really cool.
It’s crazy I use to always watch you when I was little
This was a really good one. Easy, very portable and fast.
Shawn, that was amazing! I've been into this since we called it "survivalism" back in the day, and I've never even heard of this method before! Doesn't even require charcloth like most other primitive firestarting methods! Outstanding, sir!
Wow. This is the most impressive fire making technique I have ever seen!
Thanks...that looks easy...must add to my fire bucket...then grab the grandkids and give it a try...love mouse trap Monday's and " FIRED UP FRIDAY'S ...Great job Shawn...
I didn't even finish the video before I had to go try it. It worked great 👍 and my fist fire by friction. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm putting cotton balls in all my emergency gear now
You could pre roll them with ashes in an Altoids tin
@@recoveringsoul755 oooo that's not a bad either! I like the way you think
@@recoveringsoul755 Cotton balls rolled in vaseline & ashes may also work. Be careful, vaseline is a petroleum product & combustible.
First time I've seen this method. Amazing.
Great demo of what I believe is also called the Rudiger Roll
You are amazing! I live in the city but I may need this one day
That's amazing and so simple. - Cheers!
i wonder how many other materials this would work with and why this works.... very interesting method that seems like a really reliable method, all you'd need to keep on hand is cotton balls and a couple pieces of 2x4 and a small vial of ahses, keep it in the trunk or whatever
I have the same questions. I'd like to see someone try with fine dry dirt. And, I wonder if a cotton strip could be used.
Yeah I wonder this as well. What's the chemical reaction that's happening, cause I've seen it work with rust, ash and I think sand. Totally different chemical makeup for each, is the ash just for friction?
@@usern4metak3ns I was thinking friction too. On a side note, I once collected a quantity of those tiny stones used in poppers, thinking they might be flint and able to create a spark when rubbed together. But, I never got them to spark. Then I found out that the explosive in poppers goes off by itself when struck, and those little stones are there just to bang against each other. Still, I want to see if one could get sand made of flint (maybe with stell grit) to spark.
@@usern4metak3ns I think the pieces of wood create the friction, which causes heat and a spark. If sand works too, that's basically glass, I wonder if fiber optic strands would work, or fiberglass in place of the ashes?
@@TesserId Consider using sandpaper.
I've never seen this before! I know about matches, lighters, magnesium and Flint strikers, fire piston, magnifying glass, bag of water, but never ever before seen this method.
Great work👏👏
Wow. Can’t remember the last time I gave a video a like.
Going to try this next time have a backyard fire. Thnx for the video!
Since Valentine's is around the corner, you should make a video of how to start a fire in someones heart.
WOw that's amazing. You could pre-roll a few and put them in an Altoids tin. I thought you would need a match
That's amazing, Shawn. Thanks for showing it to us.
Unbelievable.. amazing how creative desperate humans can be
Love the well done, clear and concise outdoor videos.
Rust works well too. Scrape a rusty tool and collect the scale, and use the rust in place of the ash. I recently saw another video on RUclips using jute and rust.
That is incredible!!! I have to wonder if that would work without ashes, if a substitute such as dirt, coarse sand, silt, saw dust, or what else could be used. Even, could a strip of cotton t-shirt do the same? That could legitimately be a life saver!
Another in comments said they did it with rust not ashes. Rust? Why would rust work? Wasn't aware it was flammable.
@@recoveringsoul755 Rust isn't flammable, ashes also aren't flammable. Both would just be a friction element, without actually burning.
@@recoveringsoul755 After commenting, I saw that too. Rust in fact is flammable, but only with a much higher oxadizing agent, most commonly used is aluminum to combine the two into thermite.
My hypothesis however was that the added material did not have to be flammable and instead acted as grit for friction to induce combustion of the cotton.
@@BloodAsp yeah, someone also mentioned that sand works. Sand is basically glass, so I was wondering if fiber optic strands would work, or fiberglass. Ashes don't seem very gritty, like rust and sand. I was shocked how fast this was
@@recoveringsoul755 hmm, I'd venture a guess that fiber optic cables would reduce the friction akin to how logs could have been used in building the pyramids due to their smooth cylindrical exterior.
Keep em coming Shawn! You're on FIRE!
That was great as are most of your videos, maybe you could try use cattail fluff in place of the cotton and rust scapped from old metal as the friction element.
This is an awesome method. You could carry a bunch of pre-rolled ash-cotton rolls and just need somewhere to roll it on. I wonder how well it works when rolled on uneven surfaces, say between two branches or something.
try it and then get back to us.
I'm impress to the POW who come up with this fire starter technique. Other methods I know is required time to making the tool or need specialize tool like lens that you probably didn't have.
Very cool...I have not seen this way to start a fire! Definitely must try!
another way to start a fire, nice ive never heard of it before thanks
This will be a good series👍🏼
Huh. Still learning new techniques. Very cool.
Thats amazing how fast that works...Awesome video
Wow! That's awesome, I'm going to have to try that!
Came across this trick online as well, and if I remember correctly, it also works with rust instead of ashes. Ashes are probably much easier to come by, though.
Wow Hogans Heros!
That is freaking INCREDIBLE all this time I was buy expensive fire starters for my camp outs. Bye bye WALMART...LOL
THANKS
Wow that is a fast way to start a fire. Shawn if you were lost in the woods and desperate would a piece of your t-shirt substitute for the cotton ball?
WOW that was amazing.
Good work Crawdaddy.
This is incredibly cool!
Wow this is amazing! I will have to try this one with my kids!
Thank you for seeing my commet post on the fire roll.
never seen this before, that was quick and awesome
Awesome demo - I need to try this!
That's a new one on me... Great Tutorial
Very interesting method, thanks for sharing!
That's a new one for me, thanks for sharing
Hi Shawn, absolutely brilliant technique!!! I must be simple tho!! I tried it and the cotton roll definitely started to heat up but wouldn’t ignite…?? Perhaps I need to put more pressure down whilst rolling ?? I’ll try again, was probably just my lack of patience!!!!!!
I have lit hundreds of camp fires and somehow I’ve never seen this one.
THANK YOU
That's awesome! Never heard of this way of doing it
Wow… that’s amazing!
Very cool! Thanks Mr. Woods
Wow, I've never heard of this one before! Amazing!
Excellent survival fire if prepared
That's a new one on me .... seems to work well with little effort.
This was awesome, thanks!
That was super cool 😎
Great simple stuff.
Whoah... so fast! Thanks.
You make it look so easy! I'm still trying to get it to work 😅
Will it work with cotton right out of a natural cotton boll or is the processing that made it into a cotton ball required? Curious to know… with or without seeds removed.
Good question, though for most people it is probably much easier to get a processed cotton ball than a cotton boll!
@@connorperrett9559 Yeah. I’m mostly wondering if it would’ve been possible to do with something you could find/grow in nature before modern cotton balls existed. ;)
@@emmettturner9452 The seeds in a cotton boll will create problems for rolling the cotton into strips. The seeds will likely be damp sort of not letting the cotton catch fire. This might be one of the reasons why cotton bales catch fire sometimes.
I love the technique! I still prefer a Bic lighter. The ones with a long lighter end are the best. LOL
WOW!!! Good to know !!! Thanks!!!
Shawn, can you try this with rust powder instead of ashes? Some people say that works even better.
Shawn, you sure know how to make fire, you would have been so popular with King Louie!
This was really magic thanks!!
I wonder if that would work with a cotton shirt. You might not have cotton balls on your person. This is a very useful tip thankyou so much. Keep up the great work.
Can be any natural fiber and some form of dry grit I believe. I know rust works in place of ashes. It's all about friction.
Pretty cool idea! Next time can you provide the ambient temperature and humidity when you do these starts. Thanks!
Extraordinary! Thanks!
That pretty cool 👍.