Jonc epars / allume-feu / chandelle

[Pierr]

Le jonc epars (soft rush) est une plante courante en terrain humide. Sa tige est creuse et remplie d'une matière spongieuse blanche.

Cette moelle a longtemps été utilisée par les classes pauvres pour faire des bougies (cf http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougie) en la trempant dans de la graisse. J'ai essayé avec du beurre et de l'huile d'olive pour un résultat assez médiocre (flamme assez lumineuse mais fragile). A l'occasion j'essayerai avec du gras de porc. Pour l'anecdote, l'expression "brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts" viendrait de l'utilisation de ces joncs - moins performants que les bougies de cire mais faisables en abondance et parfois allumés aux deux bouts.

A défaut de les transformer en chandelles, ils sont utilisables en allume-feu. Avec un séchage de deux-trois jours ils prennent le firesteel très facilement et avec une flamme vive mais brève. Frais ils se consument mais peuvent aider à prolonger une braise. La plante est abondante et sa collecte et préparation facile, on peut se faire une bonne réserver en quelques dizaines de minute.

La plante, ici dans un fossé. La tige est ronde et pointue.


Remarquez la fleur - maintenant séchée - qui pousse aux environs des deux tiers de la tige.


Détail de la fleur


L'astuce pour extraire la moelle: fendre sur un petit bout, pincer et tirer entre le doigt et l'ongle.





On obtient facilement un joli bout de moelle:


Et très vite un tas suffisant


Frais il se consume:


Mas séché il brûle au premier coup de firesteel

[Gros Calou]

Quand j'étais gamin, nous prenions les tiges séchées, pas aussi verte, nous allions chez le boucher qui nous récupérait du gras de mouton, nous lions un fagot (un bon fagot) autour d'un fagot de bois que nous faisions trempé dans le gras fondu (qq jours) et nous avions de superbes torches pour les retraites aux flambeaux.

Merci Pierr pour ce fil qui réveille d'excellents souvenirs 

[guillaume]

Excellent (tout comme ton post sur la scie) .

Je pense que la technique peu être étendu aux autres jonc (aggloméré par exemple), non ?

a+

[Gros Calou]

(aggloméré par exemple), non ?

Excellent d'autant plus que la cueillette est aisée, maintenant un additif d'enfer à choisir, cire, cire à cacheter etc...

 

[Pierr]

Je verrai si je trouve d'autre joncs avec une texture intérieure proche.

A priori ce jonc devrait aussi faire un bon isolant au sol; il pousse en quantité et est rempli d'air ...

[Berhthramm]

Je verrai si je trouve d'autre joncs avec une texture intérieure proche.

A priori ce jonc devrait aussi faire un bon isolant au sol; il pousse en quantité et est rempli d'air ...

de là le terme joncher.



c'était a priori ce qu'on mettait par terre (de façon préférentielle) dans les baraques au MA.

[gmaz87]

bsr,
un peu HS mais qui donne une autre utilisation de la moelle de jonc, ça flotte et traversé par une aiguille et un fil de pêche sur une longueur de 3/4cm ça fait un flotteur de pêche de dépannage (déjà testé en situation)
a+
Gérard

[Pierr]

Voici une source sur l'utilisation du jonc epars comme chandelle, dans l'Histoire Naturelle de Selborne
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1408

Points essentiels:
- collecte idéale au mois d'août mais OK jusqu'en automne
- si on "n'épluche" pas tout de suite, conserver dans l'eau
- utilisation des résidus gras du bacon
- 6 livres de gras pour une livre de jonc (1600 joncs!)
- l'addition de cire ou de suif de mouton (cf Berhthramm) améliore la consistance, le rendement et la durée
- un jonc de 65cm brûle 57 minutes  --> la livre de joncs donne 800 heures de lumière

To The Honourable Daines Barrington

Selborne, Nov. 1, 1775.

Dear Sir,

Hic … taedae pingues, hic plurimus ignis
Semper, et assidua postes fuligine nigri.
I shall make no apology for troubling you with the detail of a very simple piece of domestic Economy, being satisfied that you think nothing beneath your attention that tends to utility: the matter alluded to is the use of rushes instead of candles, which I am well aware prevails in many districts besides this; but as I know there are countries also where it does not obtain, and as I have considered the subject with some degree of exactness, I shall proceed in my humble story, and leave you to judge of the expediency.

The proper species of rush for this purpose seems to be the juncus effusus, or common soft rush, which is to be found in most moist pastures, by the sides of streams, and under hedges. These rushes are in best condition in the height of summer; but may be gathered, so as to serve the purpose well, quite on to autumn. It would be needless to add that the largest and longest are best. Decayed labourers, women, and children, make it their business to procure and prepare them. As soon as they are cut they must be flung into water, and kept there; for otherwise they will dry and shrink, and the peel will not run. At first a person would find it no easy matter to divest a rush of its peel or rind, so as to leave one regular, narrow, even rib from top to bottom that may support the pith: but this, like other feats, soon becomes familiar even to children; and we have seen an old woman, stone-blind, performing this business with great dispatch, and seldom failing to strip them with the nicest regularity. When these junci are thus far prepared, they must lie out on the grass to be bleached, and take the dew for some nights, and afterwards be dried in the sun.

Some address is required in dipping these rushes in the scalding fat or grease; but this knack also is to be attained by practice. The careful wife of an industrious Hampshire labourer obtains all her fat for nothing; for she saves the scumrnings of her bacon-pot for this use; and, if the grease abounds with salt, she causes the salt to precipitate to the bottom, by setting the scummings in a warm oven. Where hogs are not much in use, and especially by the sea- side, the coarser animal oils will come very cheap. A pound of common grease may be procured for four pence; and about six pounds of grease will dip a pound of rushes; and one pound of rushes may be bought for one shilling: so that a pound of rushes, medicated and ready for use, will cost three shillings. If men that keep bees will mix a little wax with the grease, it will give it a consistency, and render it more cleanly, and make the rushes burn longer: mutton-suet would have the same effect.

A good rush, which measured in length two feet four inches and an half, being minuted, burnt only three minutes short of an hour: and a rush still of greater length has been known to burn one hour and a quarter.

These rushes give a good clear light. Watch-lights (coated with tallow), it is true, shed a dismal one, 'darkness visible'; but then the wicks of those have two ribs of the rind, or peel, to support the pith, while the wick of the dipped rush has but one. The two ribs are intended to impede the progress of the flame, and make the candle last.

In a pound of dry rushes, avoirdupois, which I caused to be weighed and numbered, we found upwards of one thousand six hundred individuals. Now suppose each of these burns, one with another, only half an hour, then a poor man will purchase eight hundred hours of light, a time exceeding thirty-three entire days, for three shillings. According to this account each rush, before dipping, costs 1/33 of a farthing, and 1/11 afterwards. Thus a poor family will enjoy 5&1/2 hours of comfortable light for a farthing. An experienced old housekeeper assures me that one pound and a half of rushes completely supplies his family the year round, since working people burn no candle in the long days, because they rise and go to bed by daylight.

Little farmers use rushes much in the short days, both morning and evening in the dairy and kitchen; but the very poor, who are always the worst economists, and therefore must continue very poor, buy an halfpenny candle every evening, which, in their blowing open rooms, does not burn much more than two hours. Thus have they only two hours' light for their money instead of eleven.

While on the subject of rural oeconomy, it may not be improper to mention a pretty implement of housewifery that we have seen no where else; that is, little neat besoms which our foresters make from the stalk of the polytricum commune, or great golden maiden- hair, which they call silk-wood, and find plenty in the bogs. When this moss is well combed and dressed, and divested of its outer skin, it becomes of a beautiful bright chestnut colour; and, being soft and pliant, is very proper for the dusting of beds, curtains, carpets, hangings, etc. If these besoms were known to the brushmakers in town, it is probable they might come much in use for the purpose above-mentioned.* (*A besom of this sort is to be seen in Sir Ashton Lever's Museum.)

I am, etc.