WAmadou is a spongy material derived from Fomes fomentarius and similar fungi that grow on the bark of coniferous and angiosperm trees, and have the appearance of a horse's hoof. It is also known as the "tinder fungus" and is useful for starting slow-burning fires. The fungus must be removed from the tree, the hard outer layer scraped off, and then thin strips of the inner spongy layer cut for use as tinder.
WBatoning is the technique of cutting or splitting wood by using a baton-sized stick or mallet to repeatedly strike the spine of a sturdy knife, chisel or blade in order to drive it through wood, similar to how a froe is used. The batoning method can be used to make kindling or desired forms such as boards, slats or notches. The practice is most useful for obtaining dry wood from the inside of logs for the purpose of fire making.
WChar cloth, also called char paper, is a material that is used as tinder when lighting a fire and is the main component in a tinderbox. It is a small swatch of fabric made from a natural fibre, such as linen, cotton or jute, that has been converted through the method of pyrolysis into a slow-burning fuel of very low ignition temperature. Pyrolysis is defined as "a thermochemical decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen”. Although this material is usually made from swatches of organic fabrics, campers and outdoor enthusiasts have also discovered that a similar tinder can be made in the same way using cotton balls or tampons. This material when properly prepared will ignite with the slightest spark, making it very popular with campers, especially in harsh weather conditions when lighting a fire is more difficult as it has a very low auto ignition temperature of 349 °C - 455 °C. Applying the same principle that has been used throughout history by indigenous peoples, char cloth can help start a fire with only the help of flint and steel, it is then placed in a tinder bundle and blown into flames. It is easily made on a small scale making it accessible and popular in the domestic sphere and while cooking on campfires.
WA feather stick is a length of wood which has been shaved to produce a cluster of thin curls protruding from the wood. It allows damp wood to be used to start a fire when dry tinder is hard to find.
WA firelighter is a small, solid fuel tablet for fire making. Firelighters marketed as consumer products may be used to start a wood or coal fire in a fireplace, wood-burning stove, or solid-fuel portable stove.
WScheitholz is a German term for any log sections that have been split lengthways with an axe or log splitter and that are primarily used for firewood or the manufacture of wood shingles. The individual pieces of timber are called Holzscheite, derived from the Old High German word scît = "piece". Scheitholz boilers are used to burn quantities of Scheithölzer. The expression "auf Scheitholz knien" was a disciplinary measure used in times when corporal punishment in schools was still permitted.
WTinder is easily combustible material used to start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder until it bursts into flame. The flaming tinder is used to ignite kindling, which in turn is used to ignite the bulk material, to produce a fire.