Making fire hardened tools is a relatively simple process. Initially our minds raced to movies where teams of warriors worked together in a blacksmith type environment to craft out these spears. But apparently we get a bit ahead of ourselves with out imagination, because it's not like that at all.

Pick The Right Stick

Wood species selection is a major concern for wood workers, especially if you’re relying on that wooden object as a mode of defense or dinner collection. Select hardwood species for this project, such as oak, hickory, ash, locust, maple, osage, or anything else that’s dense and locally available. Since there’s not much sense in whittling down a mighty tree into a skinny rod, start with a sapling that is growing in dense, shady conditions, which will result in a staff of dense wood with tight growth rings. The ready-to-go size will also save you a ton of carving work. Choose live wood or a recently deceased sapling for your spear.

Point And Bake

It’s literally that easy to make a fire-hardened spear. Carve a point on one end (or both ends), making it as sharp as possible. Rotate the carved area just above the flames of a small fire to dry out the wood. Once it starts to get a “toasted” look, you’re done. For a point of reference, pretend that you’re trying to toast the perfect marshmallow over those flames. It should be golden brown, with little to no black char. Once you’re done over the flames, rub plant or animal oil on the spear point, which should be sharpened again after hardening. You could peel the bark from the shaft, or leave it in place for grip.

Did you find this process helpful? We did. In the past we've made fire hardened tools with wood but didn't realize getting them burnt was a problem. We love how the people at Outdoor Living explained this using the marshmallow technique. Now it should be pretty easy to re-create this spear the proper way.