How to make a Finnish candle: three simple ways for lovers of outdoor recreation. Finnish candle: a safe, long-lasting fire

How to light a fire on vacation when there is a shortage of firewood. A log fire can perform more than one function, for example, lighting, heating, cooking, repelling animals and insects. In addition, this type of fire, such as a wood-burning primus (other names: Indian, Swedish, Finnish candle) replaces a tripod for a cauldron.

You can’t dry things by such a fire, but you can cook both the first and second courses, as they say, on “one fuse.”

How to light a fire

Before making a primus from a log, prepare a saw, wire and log.

Find a dry log with a diameter of 10 - 40 cm without knots. The tree can be anything, just keep in mind that each type has its own characteristics. For example, spruce and pine sparkle when burned, so it is better not to use them for heating. You need to be careful with birch, because it burns very strongly, you can get burned, and it smokes a little due to the tar in the bark. Best option- well-dried aspen. When burning, its flame is even and colorless.

Trim the log depending on its purpose (15 - 40 cm). If you will be lighting a fire for cooking, use a log that is thick and short so that you can place the dishes directly on it. The candle will be stable. For lighting, on the contrary, a long and thin candle that can be carried if necessary will be convenient. And for heating you need a thick and long one so that for a long time burn.

Split a dry log into four pieces. These will later be used to make a fire.

In each part, remove the middle so that when assembling the log you get a hole with a diameter of 5 - 7 cm, and make small notches. Perfect option, if you find a hollow tree. After cutting or splitting, you will need to scrape out the rotten middle of the hollow.

Fold 4 logs into a single log, wrapping them with wire, trying to leave as few gaps as possible. This will prevent them from falling apart and quickly burning through large gaps.

So you should be able to solid log with an empty middle.

Place the sawdust that remains after cutting off the middle or birch bark into the opening for kindling. The filling of a wooden kerosene stove and its location affects the degree of combustion. Located at the top of the hole, birch bark will burn for a long time, only weakly. This candle is more suitable for warming up food or for heating. Well, if you put the birch bark on the bottom, the fire will be very strong, which is good for cooking or lighting, but the candle will not last long. The best option is its location in the middle. Also make sure that there is draft for combustion. To do this, place the candle on stones or logs.

Now you can use the fire, which will be very convenient for cooking. Convenience lies in the ability to adjust the strength of the flame by blocking the access of air from below with a lid, earth, etc.

Food will cook in hot smoke because the fire will smolder from the inside rather than burn.

Also, blocking the air (bottom and top) serves to extinguish the candle if it is no longer needed, and then reuse it if necessary. Basically, a candle is enough for several meal preparations.

We hope these tips on how to start a fire help you.

Many tourists, hunters and fishermen, in order to boil water at a rest stop, had to decide how to light a fire in windy weather. More than once or twice they thought about how to make it so that they did not have to constantly adapt to the changing wind, placing firewood with the right side, or moving a stick with a pot hanging on it. And the way out of this situation is not difficult. It is enough to light a “Finnish candle”.

This memorable name hides a whole group of wood structures that allow you to warm up and cook food in hiking conditions with sufficient comfort. The ability to make a Finnish candle, both among tourists and among hunters, fishermen and simply lovers of outdoor recreation, is not common. Let's try to fix this. So, let's start.

Today there are many names for this method of making a fire:

• Finnish candle;
• Swedish candle;
• Indian candle;
• hunting candle;
• wooden primus stove.

Underneath them are hidden fires that are fundamentally similar in design, built inside a specially prepared chock or between several combined chocks standing vertically.

Application area

Such options are suitable for both cooking and heating.

Moreover, a full-fledged fire can be lit even with a lack of fuel, sometimes making do with just one log.

This long-lasting fire withstands windy weather well, it is quite compact, economical, does not require the installation of additional devices for cooking and can withstand precipitation quite well. Since even heavy rain, with the pot on the fire, will not be able to extinguish it.

During its use, many changes were made to the design, depending on the conditions of use. Classic bonfire " Finnish candle"originally consisted of a log, split into two halves, then fastened in places where they were chipped one to another using wire, rope or other available materials. Over time, for better combustion, the lump was no longer split into two halves, but into more parts. Then, instead of splitting, they began to make cuts and even assemble a fire from several logs pressed vertically against each other.

How to make a Finnish candle

First of all, you need to decide on the design. This depends on several factors:

• the presence of thick logs at the resting place and good tools;
• the presence of wire for tying thin logs and split logs;
• soil composition;
• number of people in the group;
• the need to dry things.

Almost all options are divided into two groups according to manufacturing method:

• from one fairly thick piece of wood;
• from several logs with a smaller diameter.

Now let's proceed directly to manufacturing.

Solid block with cuts

To do this, take a piece of wood with a diameter of 20 cm. We make cuts in it so that we get several lobes. Usually their number ranges from two to eight. Then, in the center of the log, using wood chips and available materials, a fire is lit. To do this, you can lightly chop off the central parts of the lobes.

Gradually the fire spreads down the cuts. The fewer cuts, the longer burning, the more there are, the hotter the fire. The cuts are made to a depth of up to 3/4 of the height. Oxygen penetrates through the cuts to the combustion site. Over time, this version of the Finnish candle burns out top part middle, and the open fire turns into smoldering. After this, cooking will be quite difficult, but for heating it will be quite suitable.

Split Wood

This option is very similar to the first. In it, all parts of the initially chopped lump are tightly connected with wire to each other. First, the central parts of the lobes are slightly planed. This will provide enough wood chips for ignition and create channels for air draft. After this, the parts of the chock are tightly tied together with wire, starting from the middle.

You need to tighten the bottom especially carefully, otherwise your fire will fall apart as it burns out. You can also use rope instead of wire, but this option is less reliable. Please note one nuance: unlike sawn wood, the chips are pressed very tightly. There is practically no fire coming through the sides, so this option cannot be used as a heater. But it burns longer without disintegrating, it can be moved quite easily from place to place if necessary, and it has a fairly strongly directed flame.

Chock with two holes

As the name suggests, a couple of holes are made in a vertically standing block. One from top to bottom, to the same length as the cuts in the first option, at 3/4 of the height. The other is at right angles to the first at a height of 1/4 from the bottom of the block, so that the holes are connected.

You can ignite both through the top hole and through the bottom. This method is the most effective for cooking, but also the most difficult to manufacture due to the need to use additional tools.

Assembly of thin logs

This option Suitable if you don't have any tools. In this case, three to five logs are placed on their ends and tied in a vertical position.

Such a stove is easier to manufacture and ignites much easier, which is important if you have insufficient experience.

The first three options require a log with a diameter of 20 to 30 centimeters. Large diameters it is inappropriate to use. The height should be approximately twice the diameter. With this ratio of diameter and height, your hearth will be the most stable.

Now let’s take a closer look at perhaps the most important issue. How to light a fire, which is described above. Even for experienced tourists, this problem will arise during their first attempts. How can you make a Finnish candle burn faster? Yes, very simple. It is enough to remember the elementary laws of nature:

• the flame burns only if there is a sufficient supply of oxygen;
• heated air always tends upward.

Therefore, for successful combustion it is necessary to ensure that these two conditions are met. Namely, there must be at least a small gap between the parts of the chopped wood so that the flame moves freely upward, and there must be a free flow of air from below. This can be achieved in the following ways:

• slightly cut off the central parts of the chopped logs with a knife or an ax;
• using available means (for example, stones or a pair of thin sticks) raise the fire above the ground;
• chop off the lower parts of at least two adjacent parts so that a small channel for air flow is formed into the center of the fire.

The second option is not very successful, since a fire lit in this way will not be stable enough.

Cooking

Finally, let's move on to the most “delicious” part. How to cook on a Finnish candle? It turns out that it’s also nothing complicated. Any cookware that can withstand cooking over a fire will do.

But we must not forget that the fire must be provided with a way out. If you place a saucepan or kettle directly on the chock, the fire will stop burning normally and the water will not boil. This issue can be resolved as follows:

• place a stand on top of the log in the form of two freshly cut sticks up to 5 cm thick;
• When assembling, two or three parts of your candle should be higher than the rest by the same distance.

In the second case, this can be achieved different ways. If we assemble a candle from several thin logs, then in advance, when cutting, two of them are made longer than the others. When placed vertically, they will provide the necessary gap between the dishes and the surface. Or, when assembling, you can move two logs slightly upward compared to the rest. You can do the same in the case of chopped logs. This method allows you to simultaneously provide two channels for air supply from below. And the fire will burn more steadily and hotter.

Happy travels!

Finnish candle - simple and effective for boiling water and cooking in the field.

Its essence lies in the fact that two longitudinal cuts are made in the log, perpendicular to each other, as a result of which an X-shaped crosshair is formed at the end. The depth and number of cuts depends on the desired time and intensity of combustion. The positive of this configuration is also that you can independently choose the total length of the log and the depth of the cuts, thanks to which you have the opportunity to raise the burning part of the log above the surface or snow to the required height if you do not want your fire to fall into the snow, or left noticeable scorch marks on the ground. Commercial and field representatives of this configuration are often cut with a chainsaw, the chain of which is wide enough so that such a Finnish spark plug can be easily ignited later.

However, my attempts to make it using a folding camp saw were not successful, and I see the reasons for this as follows:

• The thickness of the saw is small, which is why the existing cuts do not provide the proper air flow to ignite the insides of the log.
• Inability to influence the processes occurring inside the log. A log with cuts is a kind of monolith that cannot be moved apart or looked inside. Everything that falls back into the cut is unlikely to be removed, again due to their small width. If you make a mistake, there is no way to correct it and, most likely, you will have to break the existing one or cut another log.
• Smooth cuts of wood inside the cuts, which is why it burns poorly. The flame emitted by the kindling in the early stages of combustion is not sufficient for tangential ignition, and the combustion temperature is not yet sufficient to burn the fibers deep.
• When the cuts are densely filled with kindling (sawdust, leaves, bark fragments, etc.), the air flow is further blocked, thereby disturbing the balance.

In addition to attempting primary ignition (by igniting kindling inside the cuts), I also tried secondary ignition (using coals from another fire), but although success increases, such a Finnish candle requires another fire, as well as an impressive amount of time for burning and fanning. Not that this is a pleasant and 100% reliable option.

In general, I consider this configuration not the best. If you have a chainsaw - yes, but only with a camping saw - it is better to use other configurations. Wider holes can theoretically be obtained by making not one, but two cuts on each side at a distance of about a centimeter from each other, with further removal of the wood between them. But in this case, I consider the labor costs too significant and ineffective to even start doing this. In addition, for this configuration you generally need to have a saw with you, otherwise it is not at all possible to make longitudinal cuts in the log.

Finnish candle - configuration 2

This configuration eliminates most of the problems with narrow cuts and the need for a saw, because To create it, you can get by with an ax, or even just a knife if you don’t have any other tools. Moreover, for this configuration, not only a smoothly sawn log will be suitable, but also its severed counterpart, which will not have such a smooth surface.

With an ax or knife using and/or, the log is split into quarters. If they are not completely even, it’s not critical, because... We are interested, first of all, in the possibility of installing dishes on top of a Finnish candle, and not in appearance.

Next, on the inner surfaces of each quarter, using the same ax or knife, many notches should be made, peeling off part of the wood in the form of splinters and feathers. Their direction should be opposite to the direction of fire movement, i.e. the fire inside the log should flare up not along the chips, but “against the grain.” This wood chips will subsequently play the role of kindling for the Finnish candle, significantly accelerating and simplifying its ignition.

The next step is to cover the treated quarters with soil and tie them with wire or rope at the bottom, which provides the necessary support and stability when placing the utensils on top of the log. After fixing, the spaces between the quarters are filled with kindling and small combustible materials (sawdust, leaves, pine needles, bark fragments, etc.)

The significant advantage of this configuration over the previous one is the following positive aspects:

• The ability to influence the width of the gap between the quarters of the log. They filled too much kindling and blocked the flow of air - the quarters can always be moved apart and some of the materials removed, after which the soil can be compacted again and one step back. This Finnish candle forgives some mistakes that the previous configuration does not allow.
• Notches on the inner surface of the quarters flare up much faster and easier than the smooth walls from the previous configuration due to the increased contact surface. Thanks to this, less external kindling is required.

Among other things, this configuration ignites equally well using primary (ignition with tinder and kindling) and secondary ignition (with coals from another fire). So, in the photo above, several coals were simply thrown into the Finnish candle, and then everything happened by itself. There was no need to inflate anything, because... To control the air flow, simply move the quarters apart to the required width. The notches inside the log quickly raise the flame above its surface, and the Finnish candle goes into its working mode.

Finnish candle - configuration 3

This configuration requires the most materials to create, but it also has the highest efficiency and run time in my experience.

For the third configuration of the Finnish candle, you will need as many as three logs of approximately the same length. Fortunately, it is almost always possible to cut them from one tree trunk. The length and diameter of the logs are selected based on the desired operating time and the duration of cooking of certain dishes.

Try to choose a log without bark, or additionally debark it before proceeding. Bark - natural protection wood from many negative factors, including fire, because logs with bark, due to their increased density, flare up much worse. On the outside side of three from six halves of logs you will need to make notches that are already familiar to you from the previous configuration. They, as in the previous case, will act as kindling and help spread the flame to large area inside the future Finnish candle.

After the notches are made, place the halves with them in the shape of a triangle, with the notches inward. Remember also that the flame inside the Finnish candle should go against the “wool” formed by the notches. With the remaining three halves, prop up the notched halves as shown in the photo above.

Next, the channel inside the three halves should be filled with tinder and kindling and ignited. Until the moment when the logs themselves ignite, you will get some kind of semblance inside the logs, therefore in the early stages you will observe mainly a large number of smoke coming out of the bowels of a Finnish candle.

But as the temperature rises and the coal base accumulates, the logs themselves will light up, and your Finnish candle will go into its operating mode, accompanied by a high flame. This design resembles an eternal flame, with long tongues of flame and a clearly distinguishable roar during operation. But this configuration is good not only, and not so much as the ability to replace logs as they burn out. This is not a monolith (like configuration 1), there are no connected or twisted elements (like in configuration 2), so you can replace any of the burnt-out internal logs with one of the spacer halves at almost any time. All that is necessary for this is to lift the dishes from the Finnish candle, take one of the supports, place it in place with the burnt inner log and lower the pot or frying pan back. The place of the support can be taken by the next half, prepared for the next replacement of logs.

In terms of labor costs, efficiency, success and flexibility of the organization, the Finnish candle in this configuration seemed to me the most effective. You do it independent choice, and feel free to share your experience of organizing a Finnish candle in the comments.

Lovers active rest in nature, as well as hunters and fishermen, know how important it is to build a fire correctly in order not only to keep warm, but also to cook camp food on it. This is especially important in winter or in slushy conditions, when you constantly need to add firewood and make sure that the fire does not go out. Give warmth and light for a long time, and also provide fire safety in nature, a Finnish candle will allow, other names of which are taiga, Swedish, Indian. This fire design is easy to move without fear of burns, and it can burn all night. How to make a Finnish candle will be described in detail below.

Cooking with a Finnish candle

An effective candle for burning is a log with a diameter of 12 cm and a height of more than 18 cm. When building a fire, the type of wood used does not matter, but it is better not to use conifers due to the release of resin, which sparks and cracks. In other cases, the main thing is that the wood used is dry, but not rotten. The proportions of a Finnish candle depend on its purpose: for heating it is more convenient to use a thick and long log, for lighting it is more convenient to use a long and thin log for ease of carrying, and for cooking the candle should be thick and short.

Finnish candle for cooking

Finnish candle: how to make, video

The simplest method is the so-called camping method, or making a Finnish candle from a ready-made log, if one is found in the forest. You need to select three cuts of the same size and place them in a circle close to each other. A fire is lit in the middle. Uniform burning in all directions will be ensured the right choice chock in height, which should be two diameters of the logs in width. If you place a three-liter pot on these logs, it will boil in less than half an hour. As the logs burn out, they will need to be placed in a “hut”, and then simply add firewood.

If it is possible to use a chainsaw, a Finnish candle can be made with your own hands as follows: take a thick log at least 50 cm long and cut it crosswise in the middle to about three-quarters of its height. If the log is too wide, you can make cuts so that the log is divided into eight “slices”. If you make more of them, then the Finnish candle will burn out faster. The log needs to be well secured to the ground, supported by stones or slightly dug into an earthen depression. Sawdust, dry fuel or a mixture for ignition are placed inside the cuts.

If you don’t have a chainsaw, you can make a Finnish candle using an axe. The log splits like a regular wood splitter, only into identical logs. Then they are gathered together and tied at the bottom with wire. A thick branch is inserted into the middle of the hearth, which serves as a kind of wick for a Finnish candle. If the log is not too large, a branch can be stuck into the ground, then it will act as a leg for the fire.

If there is no tool nearby, you can assemble a Finnish candle with your own hands. Thick poles with a diameter of at least 5 cm are collected and installed around the branch in the same way as the method described above. On inside The pole located in the center needs to be scored with a knife so that it ignites faster.

You can watch the video on how to place a Finnish candle correctly.

How to make a Finnish Primus candle with your own hands for cooking

The Finnish Primus candle is used only for cooking, since its heat is not enough to heat it. Its difference from a regular Finnish candle is as follows:

• The log should have a notch inside if it is whole. If the fire is assembled from separate logs, they can be planed in the middle, then connected as described earlier, secured with rope or wire so that they fit tightly to each other, forming outside no gaps.
• The logs located opposite each other are trimmed or pushed up a little more than the others by 5-6 cm. Made in this way, they form a structure that allows the fire to be fanned by air, while the flame will be directed predominantly upward.

Thus, the fire is concentrated inside the structure, giving off heat to instant cooking food. For cooking, it is better to chop the log into four parts, not eight. If possible, it is better to place the fire on stones or logs so that there is a gap for air below. Otherwise, you can cut a small air duct from the bottom of the logs. It should be taken into account that the hearth concentrated in the upper part of the logs will burn long time, but not too intensely, and when ignited from below, the fire will be stronger, but the candle will burn faster.

Reading time ≈ 3 minutes

A Finnish candle is a kind of mini-bonfire made from a small stump or a piece of log. It is used for cooking in a boiler and heating water. It can be a good replacement for a regular fire during evening gatherings in nature. You can make a Finnish candle with your own hands in just 20 minutes; the burning time is about half an hour.

Features of the manufacture and use of Finnish candles

To prepare a Finnish (Swedish, Indian) candle you will need a small stump or block. The easy-to-make device can be used for lighting and even for short-term decoration of open areas. Tourists most often use it as a portable light source or for cooking. It takes a little time to create a candle, but the duration of burning and the heat generated from it are optimal for preparing porridge or boiling water on a hike.

Features of preparing a mini-bonfire

It will allow you to conveniently saw a block of wood preliminary preparation: in its center it is necessary to drill a hole with a diameter of about 2-3 cm.

The same procedure must be carried out with a stump or log. bigger size and weight. A stick is inserted into the hole on the main block (can be replaced with a branch). A log with large parameters is strung onto an installed stick. Such a counterweight will allow you to make a candle carefully and safely. After connecting the logs and placing them on the sawhorse for sawing firewood, work is carried out according to the following instructions:

1. The log is cut crosswise using an electric or gasoline saw. The depth of the cut should be no more than 2/3 of the height of the entire block.

2. Using a regular lit candle, cover the side parts and the bottom of the cut with paraffin (or wax).

3. Cut a small strip of paper (newspaper can be used) with a length 4-5 cm greater than the cutting depth. It is folded in half, then unfolded, and paraffin shavings are poured over the fold. It is important to take into account that the layer should be made large, but so that the paper then easily rolls up and the paraffin itself does not spill out.

4. The paper with paraffin is wrapped lengthwise. And with the help of a pencil, a thick knitting needle or a screwdriver, it is pushed into the cross-shaped cut. It is important to carry out the procedure carefully so as not to damage the paper or spill paraffin. 4-5 cm of paper with paraffin should remain above the log.

5. The resulting wick is fixed with molten paraffin. To do this, you need to light a regular candle and pour a melting compound where the wick joins the wood. At this stage, the Finnish candle will be completely ready.

To get a burning log, the performer only needs to set fire to the manufactured wick. Thanks to the presence of paraffin inside, the log will burn more slowly and the temperature will be maintained. You can make a Finnish candle with your own hands in just 15-20 minutes. If the performer does not have an electric or gasoline saw, then the cuts should be made manually. The made mini-bonfire can be used on hikes (it is important to consider the weight of the candle) or for home camping.