Primitive Fuel: Pine Resin, Charcoal & Poop

It is amazing how the most simple materials of nature can be utilized in very useful ways. Fire was so important to ancient man and ultimately led to so many new technologies. I am sure that the ability to transport fire was very important in ancient times. In this video I experiment with very simple ingredients to create a slow burning fuel for a clay torch. I am among tall pine trees at an elevation of about 7,800 feet (2,400 meters) and I collect pine tree resin from damaged trees and melt it in a clay cup in the fire. Next I mix in equal parts of dry ground wild animal feces and ground charcoal. I allow it to cool enough to handle then I light the torch. It quickly took the flame and burned for almost an hour. I occasionally had to stir the contents to keep the flame burning. I will have to experiment with other combinations and ratios in the future.

Surprisingly the scent of the burning torch is very pleasant. It does not smell like feces. The sweet scent of the pine resin totally overpowers any other odor. Please let me know in the comments if you have experimented with similar fuels.

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Camera: Nikon D7200
Sound: Zoom H4N
Editing: Final Cut Pro X on MacBook Air
Location: California, USA

Music credits:

Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400021
Artist: http://incompetech.com/