How do you start a fire without matches or lighters?

Answer 1

Simple!

Grab some wood shavings, small twigs etc.

Then:

• Use a magnifying glass on a sunny day: Angle the magnifying glass in the sun over the wood shavings so that the focal point is directly on the pile. Once it begins to smoke you can encourage the flame by blowing gently from the bottom.
• Use a 6 volt battery a steel wool. Touch the steel wool to both sides of the battery. When the wool gets hot, the wood shavings should catch fire.
• Use Friction: Place the point of a straight stick into a groove in a piece of bark or flat wood. Ideally, both of these pieces contain no sap or moisture. Rub the stick vigorously between your hands, while the point creates friction against the other piece of wood. Eventually the wood will heat until it creates a small ember which you can drop into your pile of wood shavings.

There are hundreds of ways to start a fire without matches. Swedish Firesteel or BlastMatch are very popular. However, the most reliable way to do it without tools or supplies is by using a bow drill (using the hand drill described above gets you blisters more often than an ember for a fire). You don't need a knife to make one and can use your shoelace for the bow string. It usually takes 30 mins to an hour the first time you use one. But, it can save your life if you get lost.

Answer 2

Rub 2 pieces of very dry wood together really fast for a really long time