How To Make Feather Sticks Like A Pro
Knowing how to make feather sticks, or "fuzz-sticks" as some folks also call them, is one of the most useful outdoor survival skills someone of any skill level can learn and enjoy practicing! Feather sticks are an awesome way to provide a small fuel source for your fire when there are no small sticks in your area or there is less variety of wood to use around you.
Whether you're a backyard bush crafter or an avid outdoor survivalist, being able to make and use feather sticks can be a total game changer when learning to better appreciate the abundance of nature and the basic principles of outdoor wilderness survival with limited resources.
Typically all you need to get started creating your first feather stick is a quality axe or hatchet, a sharp dependable knife, and some decently dried or dead standing wood.
For axes we definitely recommend the Mini Agelsjon Hatchet or Aby Forest Axe from Hultafors.
For a knife, any of our Outdoor Knives we carry should do the trick, but you can't go wrong with the Kershaw Camp 5 Fixed Blade, Helle Folding Bleja w/ Leather Sheath, Helle Fixed-Blade Viking, or the soon to be available REQ Korpi Camp Kitchen Knife!
With any bushcraft skill, the level of success you'll have is often attributed to 2 determining factors: the quality of your tools/materials & resources, and or the application of your technique/skill.
While you can't always control what kind of materials you have to use, the ideal wood to pick when creating the best feather sticks is always going to be anything dead, and dry/standing. Nothing rotten or wet if you can help it. You want a straight grain piece of wood with next to no knots (the circular darker formation often found in wood where the branches grew through the trunk).
An appropriate piece of wood is going to make this task 1,000 times easier, so make sure you're checking these boxes when choosing what to use. Skill can only take you so far if your materials are not ideal.
You will be applying a lot of force and pressure with your axe and knife when splitting the wood into a smaller piece or carving the stick, so you need something you're comfortable with using and you know you can depend.
The sharper the knife and the better wood you have, the less pressure you'll need to assert with your knife and the greater chance of success you'll have making feather sticks.
If you don't have an axe to make the ideal sized piece of wood for a feather stick (diameter of around 2"), you can always use another well known bushcrafting skilled referred to as Batoning. When Batoning you use your fixed blade knife essentially as a replacement for an axe. We'll have another blog all about Batoning coming next!
Once you have your piece of wood chopped down to size, you're ready to begin trying the finesse focused side of this skill. Pushing the edge of your knife downward into the wood on a slight angle to shave curls or "feathers" of wood down to the base of your stick, stopping just before the curls would sever from the piece. You want to keep every curl attached to the main stick if you can.
The safest way to go about practicing this skill is having a secure stump or flat surface to rest the end or base of your stick on as you angle the top of the stick back towards yourself with your non dominant hand holding the top of the stick firmly.
You can also keep the stick standing straight up, but we find the angled position most comfortable. Do what works for you, as long as you're doing it safely and always pushing the knife away from yourself.
Using controlled downward pressure, direct the edge of your blade into the wood, feeling it "bite" in. While maintaining the slight angle of your knife, continue pushing it down, causing a sliver of wood to begin curling forward away from you and down towards the end of the stick.
Work the corners!
It's important to find a level of pressure that works with the knife and wood you're using when doing this as pressing too hard will cause the knife to be less controlled which is dangerous, and pushing too softly will often result in a stuck knife. Steady, controlled pressure is ideal for creating even curls of wood. Remember to stop carving the wood curl just before the base so the strips still remain connected to the stick. This step is the part you'll want to practice the most as it's a learning curve to get your rhythm.
As you continue this technique try to see how many resulting curls you can create and bunch up! The denser the amount of curly feathers you create the greater the success you'll enjoy with your feather stick. Plus, it's just fun to do!
Once you're satisfied with your feather stick and have a decent amount of curly shavings packed together you can get ready to move onto the next and final phase of this skill!
**Be sure to take a moment to admire your work as you continue to grow your skills!!**
The humble beginnings don't last long and feather sticks can sometimes be frustrating even when you're experience with making them, so it's important to remember the previous successes you've had as you continue to practice. Enjoy the process as much as the outcome!
The final step for creating a feather stick is to actually light this sucker up! We suggest keeping with the bushcrafting theme and practicing another handy survival skill to light your feather stick; Using a Kupilka Firesteel!
Forget a lighter - you've already come this far with your feather stick! Using a firesteel or ferro rod to start a fire is so satisfying and easy to learn. We'll have another blog about perfect techniques and tips for starting a fire with a Kupilka Firesteel linked here once it's out.
For now, the basic idea is to use the sharp edge of the included compact striker along the round spine of the black firesteel to send sparks towards the feather stick and cause it to light with fire. Once you have a small flame going, blow gently upon it to help it expand in size and light the rest of your stick ablaze and presto, YOU DID IT!
Feather stick skill has been unlocked. Gain one level in bushcraft knowledge!!
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Have fun feather stickin'!
Till next time,
Get Dirty, Get Clean!
