How to Build the Star Fire

The Star Fire or Indian Fire is as its name implies, it is a traditional fire design used most notably by the Indians of the Wild West. This type of fire is fuel efficient and best suited for survival and primitive situations. Fuel for this fire can be of varying lengths and thicknesses requiring little to no alteration, thusly rendering the need for cutting tools and excess expenditure of energy unnecessary. Check out this tutorial on how to build and over some of the finer points of the Star Fire.

The Star Fire is a radial construct of 4+ fuel sized pieces of wood. The basic concept is that each of the pieces of fuel are brought to a central point where a fire can consume each of the ends equally. A depression can be dug in the center so that each of the ends overhangs an inch or so, this allows for increased oxygen flow when starting and sustaining the fire.

Note: Be sure to leave a slight gap between each of the fuel logs around the center so that air can adequately. flow and supply the fire.

Tinder is the most flammable and important component to getting a fire started. Tinder can be made out of a variety of materials. Most often Tinder is made from small pieces of highly flammable material in a form that allows for maximum surface area and air flow. In this environment, I've used a bundle of dried weeds and grass to get the fire going, though other materials at hand could work equally well.

The Tinder is placed into the center of the Star Fire making sure to stack the bundle more vertically than horizontally. Make sure that you have a means of access to the underside of the tinder so that it can be lit. Do not compress the bundle to the point that oxygen cannot flow, thus causing a smothering sputtering fire.

Kindling is the next step up from Tinder. Slightly larger twigs are usually used as Kindling that then supply's the fire with larger flammable material. Kindling's purpose is to stabilize a fire so that is can gain the energy needed to ignite progressively larger pieces of fuel.

Using your preferred or available lighting method, apply fire to the underside of the Tinder bundle. You can temporarily pull one of the fuel logs away in order to access the tinder. As the fire begins to build, actively place additional Kindling to the hottest portions in order to ensure your fire catches. If you pulled one of the fuel logs back in order to light the fire, once going the log can be replaced.

As the star Fire begins to burn, minor adjustments will be necessary. The logs will be consumed and at intervals they can be pushed further into the flames.

Note: The fuel logs can be pulled away from the center in order to reduce the fire size resulting flames/heat.

Not a step, but if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video ought to be worth at least a thousand
pictures.

Click on the video above to see how it's done. Check out my YouTube Channel to see more Videos like this one: HorseBackBob https://www.youtube.com/user/horsebackbob