Do it like the Swedes: The right cut to the torch
Not every invention comes from the Swiss. No, this time it's the Swedes. During the Thirty Years' War, the clever Swedes used torches to light up their soldiers' camps. Even today, the so-called "Swedish fire" puts every outdoor event in a special light.
There are two things to consider when making a Swedish fire:
- If you want it to burn for as long as possible, the saw cuts should ideally be on the inside.
- If you want the torch to shine particularly brightly, make several cuts outwards.
For Swedish fires, fir wood is a better choice than hardwood. A fuel gel is particularly suitable for lighting Swedish fires, but commercially available firelighter cubes also work well for larger openings.
Variant 1: Swedish fire with strong luminosity
Construction instructions: Jörg uses a chainsaw to make three star-shaped cuts into a 60 cm high fir tree trunk up to 15 cm above the ground. * To increase the pulling power, you can make a cut up to the middle of the trunk at this height.
Variant 2: Swedish fire with long burning time
Our trunk, about 60 cm high and 35 cm in diameter, burned for 4 hours.
Construction instructions: A cut is sawn almost in the middle of the trunk up to approx. 15 cm above the edge of the ground. A cross-section at this height up to the middle and a half-shell is exposed. A groove is sawn in the middle of the half-shell, as well as on the lower edge of the half-shell (see illustration). The half-shell is fixed back to the trunk with nails or wire.
Recipe for children's punch from the Swedish fire
Ingredients:
500 ml children's fruit tea
250 ml apple juice, cloudy
1 lemon
1 orange
10 cloves
3 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons honey
Preparation:
>> Brew children's fruit tea and let it steep for about 10 minutes. Squeeze the lemon and orange. Add the apple juice, lemon juice, orange juice, cloves, star anise and cinnamon stick to the tea and heat, but do not let it boil. Sweeten with honey to taste. Let it steep for about 10 minutes. Then remove the spices and pour into cups.
Get Elmar's Disc for your Swedish fire:
The wooden quarters of the Swedish fire can also be easily fixed to the four logs with a nail using Elmar's FIRE&FOOD Swedish fire disc.
Once the Swedish fire has been prepared with the disc, a wood wool grill lighter is placed in the ventilation duct. Additional dry wood chips make it easier to light. After a while, the Swedish fire develops a strong flame that burns from the inside out. The ring plate gets hot and can now be used to prepare food in a pot or pan, or just as a decorative fire.