![[image]](Scouter Stewart's Magic Campfires pgs_ 7-8_files/wrldbg1I.gif){kind=small}
Magic Campfires
Magic Campfires
Magic Campfire StartsEveryone thought that the campfire was great! It was a beautifully clear night, the fire burnt down precisely on schedule; the skits were good; the cheers were new - and appropriate. Everyone knew the words to the songs - sang in tune ( especially the adults!) How can you improve on that? Well, here are a few ideas to add to your repertoire of campfire magic. Imagine the scene at your next campfire. Everyone has walked into the campfire circle, your is inspirational but everyone is wondering why the fire isn't lit yet. You then lead off with a short story to fir the circumstances and then ask for everyone's help in calling the appropriate spirits to light the ceremonial fire. A short pause, then... FLASH!...the campfire is roaring away and yet no-one was anywhere near the fire to light it! These magic campfire starts may help you to add that touch of mystique to a potentially memorable occasion.
1. Take a 2 x 4 piece of wood, about 3 - 4 inches long. In the middle of this drill one 3/8" hole all the way through. This should be large enough to put a large nail or spike through and secure the wood to the ground. Still with this same piece of wood, drill as many 1/8" holes as you can, but not all the way through the wood. A drill press will help you get all these holes the same depth. The depth will be determined by the length of the blue tip wood matches that you should then place in these holes, leaving only the match heads slightly above the wood surface. Take a second piece of same sized wood and glue some sand paper to one side. Also secure a small "eye" screw to one end. Hold the two blocks of wood together with rubber bands (after staking the first piece of wood in the middle of your fire lay), and surround with plenty of dry kindling. Attach a wire to the eye screw and at the appropriate moment, pull. The friction of the sandpaper against the match heads will cause them to ignite, thereby setting the kindling on fire. Cody's comments: Instead of drilling the wood for the match heads, glue corrugated cardboard ( pretreat with paraffin wax for added fuel) to the piece of wood. Snip match heads off and jam/glue or wax them into the cardboard. Be sure that most of the match heads are exposed and not entirely covered with wax or glue. Remember to leave enough room in the heart of the fire so that when you "trip the wire", the block of wood doesn't take your fire down. If you are using a 6" block of wood, you only need to pull on the wire with no more than a 6" sharp tug. Warning: this device may ignite if packed improperly. When packing for camp, store the part with the match heads away from abrasives, or any hard surface that may rub on the matches.
2. The "flaming arrow" is a traditional
favourite. Drive a stake a little beyond the heart of the fire lay, as it
is being laid. From this stake run a length of nylon fishing line up to a
nearby high point and tie securely so that the line is very taught. The
angle should be sufficient to ensure a smooth and fairly rapid decent of
the arrow otherwise you run the risk of the flame burning through the
fishing line before the arrow reaches the fire. The arrow is attached to the line through two spools (so make sure you thread the spools onto the line before you tie it off!). To the head of the arrow secure a bundle of dry flammable material. At the appropriate time during the introductory story an assistant lights the arrow and releases it to slide down to set the fire alight. One of the benefits of using fishing line for the line to the fire is that once the fire is alight the fishing line will burn through and the assistant can then retrieve the line without those attending the campfire being aware of it. If you find that the fishing line does not work for you, use wire instead, but tie the wire to fishing line where it passes through the fire lay. This piece will burn away when the fire is lit, allowing you to retrieve the length of wire. Variations of the above method include tying the flammable material directly around the weighted spool and sending that down the line to create a "fire-ball" effect. (See photo below. "Fireball" made with paraffin wax treated roll of toilet paper. Paper tube sent down line on it's own built-in spool). I've also heard of firework sparklers being attached to the arrow to give quite a spectacular impression.
Cody's comments: 20 lb - 40 lb test fishing line can be tied fairly taught, without too much stretch and sag while still being quite invisible in low light. The stretch in lighter line makes it "bouncy". The campfire leader has to ensure that he has arranged the participants in such a way as to not obstruct the path of the arrow or get tripped up on the line. If the campfire leader can direct the attention away from the direction where an assistant is going to light the arrow and start it flying, there is a chance the kids may be truly surprised and mystified! Honestly though, the kids I know are much too quick. In my experience they have always spotted the fishing line and assistant lighting the arrow. Give it a try sometime and if you come up with a technique for keeping the "magic" a mystery to the group I'd love to hear about it.
3. One idea included in several Scouter
resource books is to have a candle pre-lit in the fire lay, but covered by
a #10 can. The candle is secured to a wooden base with a line attached to
it. At the appropriate moment, pull the candle out from the can and the
kindling will catch fire. |
![[image]](Scouter Stewart's Magic Campfires pgs_ 7-8_files/scoutIC.gif){kind=small}
| email: scout@codyak.net |
Last updated: December 22, 1998
