thanks for the replies, scouts.
urban, i took your cue from the picture on the wiki of your “hang loose” spindle length. since you’re “nasty, brutish and short” and i’m “tall, bald and gangly”, my hang loose is probably a little longer than yours.
i was actually able to find a good rock yesterday. i lubed it and the spindle with vaseline, and got no smoke from the socket end of the spindle.
i didn’t think of soap, penny. that probably would have been less messy than the vaseline. i’ll try that next time. i figured in a primitive situation i’d use my big greasy nose or some tallow.
i was able to get smoke and a lot of black powder but no coal. the powder changed texture as i went, too–probably from the amount of pressure i was putting on it? it went from really powdery light brown to really powdery black to flaky black. also, my spindle tip looks kind of glossy now.
the willow smoke smelled wonderful. kind of like roasting marshmallows. i still have the memory of it in my nostrils this morning.
questions:
[ul][li]do i have to resharpen my spindle each time i go for a new coal, or is the spindle tip “self sharpening”[/li]
[li]do i need to sand the glossiness off my spindle tip (it is just a slight sheen–not sure if it’s typical or if it’s a real glaze that’s going to defeat friction)[/li]
[li]are my speed and pressure what’s affecting the look of the powder[/li]
[li]what does ideal powder look like[/li]
[li]how much powder should there be[/li]
[li]how long does it need to smoke before there’s a coal[/li]
[li]how do i know when there’s an actual coal down there[/li]
[li]so what’s the “perfect form”[/li][/ul]