Uploaded February 2010 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
String burn fire building challenge. Basic rule, suspend a string 18" over starting a fire using a method other than a lighter or matches (ie. Firesteel, fint & steel, magnafying glass, Bowdrill, etc...). Man-made tinder is allowed (ie. Cottonballs & Petroleum Jelly, Jute, etc...), but only what you'd typically carry with you (every-day-carry items).
The goal is to burn the string in half in 30 minutes or less using dry natural material or 1-hour or less if using wet materials (wet conditions).
In my case, I used a multi-tool, a mini-firesteel, and natural tinder (scrapings from a Palmetto branch) to start this fire and burn the string. I think it took under 30 minutes. I forgot to clock my wood foraging time. It was 11 minutes from placing tinder under the string til it burned in half. I don't think I took more than 15 minutes to collect the wood I used for this fire. I got caught up in the video-making aspects rather than worry about my time.
Also, it was fairly windy today so had some issues with frequent changes in wind direction.
This was a challenge presented on the survival web-forum survivaltopics.com (burn a string in two).
String burn fire building challenge. Basic rule, suspend a string 18" over starting a fire using a method other than a lighter or matches (ie. Firesteel, fint & steel, magnafying glass, Bowdrill, etc...). Man-made tinder is allowed (ie. Cottonballs & Petroleum Jelly, Jute, etc...), but only what you'd typically carry with you (every-day-carry items).
The goal is to burn the string in half in 30 minutes or less using dry natural material or 1-hour or less if using wet materials (wet conditions).
In my case, I used a multi-tool, a mini-firesteel, and natural tinder (scrapings from a Palmetto branch) to start this fire and burn the string. I think it took under 30 minutes. I forgot to clock my wood foraging time. It was 11 minutes from placing tinder under the string til it burned in half. I don't think I took more than 15 minutes to collect the wood I used for this fire. I got caught up in the video-making aspects rather than worry about my time.
Also, it was fairly windy today so had some issues with frequent changes in wind direction.
This was a challenge presented on the survival web-forum survivaltopics.com (burn a string in two).
