Finding Fat Lighter - Fatwood Firestarter

It is funny I guess growing up here in Mississippi and one of my chores every day in the winter was to chop lighhterd and bring in firewood. I guess you just assume everyone knows this as the stuff was everywhere, just don't realize it is not everywhere., still chop lighterd and bring in wood at 59

 

Wow, looking at those lighterd stumps reminds me of one about eight feet tall that was on our place when I was growing up, saw a big owl on it skimmed up and found three owl chicks, watched it for several years same thing finally went to see it and it had fallen, don't know why but it made me sad. Just had to put that in, I found that dead cedar splinterd up works well if you don't have any fat lightered

 

I would love to see a video of pine knots burning underwater! Love fatwood.

 

Thanks for the OP, I have a good idea what to look for.

 

Some are rich enough to almost burn under water.

 

Be careful, Even when cutting it up in small logs with a chainsaw it will fire up!

 

True

 

Back in the 50’s they hauled rich pine to the mills to make turpentine to the point there’s not much left. I can remember seeing loaded truck and trailer loads coming by our place. Last summer I found a piece of rich lightard pine about four foot long in one of our creeks,enough to last awhile. It is getting very scarce that we don’t give it away no more.

 

Yes sir, I spotted another standing log about 12' high the other day!!!
Also spotted one by the RR Tracks,I should have enough to last.

 

Have you tried making char material with the punky wood?

 

If the tree died slowly after a fire, like the one I had, it'll have a core of fat lighter that goes way up the core of the trunk. This was a long leaf pine, and when it fell it was so rotten it exploded and exposed the fat lighter core. It was the nice red, petrified looking fat lighter. That makes kicking old rotten pine logs that are already down worthwhile too.

 

I picked up some lighter pine the other day after ramming an old rotting pine with the tractor several times...brought most of it home !

 

Get out my way on a tractor ! I didn't install a Piranha saw-tooth blade on the bucket for nothing !

 

Here BXpanded Piranha Toothbar

 

Here in the low country SC fat lighter is usually found in long leaf pines, been using it for years. Way back when they used to cut the bark and collect the tree sap and make turpentine from it. I worked briefly for the Forest service and companies would collect the old stumps (rip out of the ground) and process them into turpentine. I have several old stumps on the property (cut long before my time) I dig up and use light wood start the fireplace---great stuff. Seen it for sale in LL Bean they want a fortune for a little bundle.

 

wow this is so amazing place for crossbow hunting. kindly tell whats the place name