Fire starting dates back to the art of rubbing two sticks together, but it works best under opportune conditions. Flint and steel were common in the kit of colonial Americans and popular trade items to native peoples in the interior. In more remote areas, chert could be substituted for flint, so long as it was the sort of rock that can strike sparks. But just as vital to the fire starting kit is the fine tinder used to take a flame. Many woodsmen carried tinderboxes filled with charred cloth. The problem with charred cloth is that it is very much a chicken before the egg sort of tinder. You have to make the charred cloth on a fire ahead of time. Anthony of the Deerskin Diary channel demonstrates and dives into the historiography of using punk wood as tinder. This way, common with Southeastern tribes during the colonial era, is an excellent fuel, provided you know where to find it.

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