Homemade fire starters

[Iwritecode]

Had some time this weekend to sit down and make these. I've had the material all summer long but just never got around to doing it.

Paper egg cartons, sawdust, wax.

Break them apart into 12 individual pieces, throw one in and light it.


*Not actually my picture but one I found from a google search.

My wife has a ton of those scented wax warmer things so I have a pretty good supply of wax and I have 2 grocery paper bags full of sawdust.

Made 2 and a half cartons of them over the weekend.

[rsdata]

nice tip
thanks

[IsleDog]

we use the wax melts and when they are done use them for fire starters. cotton balls soaked in wax will burn for about 10 minutes. i will have to start using my sawdust instead! its free after all!

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by IsleDog

i will have to start using my sawdust instead! its free after all!

Dryer lint works too.

[itat]

We use those too but we buy them from a candle maker. They have a really nice scent that permeates the cupboard they’re stored in. If you’re using scented wax you’ll have the same benefit. They do work great although they can’t overcome when the Provincial Park’s wood is not dry!

[D W]

When we're allowed to have campfires, which hasn't been that often in the past 3 years, we use these:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Zip-Fires...ntent=In-store

6 bucks for a 12 pack. No fuss, no muss!

If we have a torrential down pour, which happens every now and then, a road flare will get the wet wood going in a hurry!

[Kcoulter]

A quick, easy fire starter can be made with a paper towel and some cooking oil.

Just pour about a tablespoon on the towel, making sure to keep at least one corner dry.

Light the dry part of the towel and it will wick oil from the rest to keep a good steady flame.

[5picker]

Nice job Iwritecode!
If you have the means then using the free stuff is a good way to go.

A friend of mine buys the $1.99 fire logs at Big Lots or Ollies and uses his band saw to cut them into about 1" thick discs. I think he told me he gets 10 from a log. He throws the discs into a plastic container with a lid. 1 disc works well to start a fire.

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

Dryer lint works too.

We use a mix of dryer lint & sawdust together with the wax in an egg carton. Who would have thought dryer lint has a good use?

But we also stumbled on an easier (and more fun) fire starter. Wine corks soaked in a jar of rubbing alcohol. Works great - just avoid the 'plastic' corks used in some wine bottles now.

[ependydad]

I did dryer lint, cedar wood chips from a giant bag of pet bedding, and bought the cheapest candles I could find at yard sales and thrift shops.

I haven't thought about this article in ages!

https://learntorv.com/how-to-make-yo...fire-starters/

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I did dryer lint, cedar wood chips from a giant bag of pet bedding, and bought the cheapest candles I could find at yard sales and thrift shops.

I haven't thought about this article in ages!

https://learntorv.com/how-to-make-yo...fire-starters/

All the above plus:

A cotton ball smeared with Vaseline.

I've also used BBQ lighter fluid just squirted into a small puddle at the bottom of the fire pit. The ashes it soaks int act as a wick.

[Reverse_snowbird]

And while you're melting the wax, dip a few matches into the wax to make waterproof matches.

[Webefine]

This is my fire starter, works every time!

[Guspech750]

There are some great ideas.

I use one of those fire starting logs. I just cut a small chunk and use my blow torch to start our campfires. I will use about two logs in a season of camping. Two to three small trips a month and if we throw in a big trip. Easy peasy and fires right up.

[dblr]

My wife would make these also and put six each in the goodie bags we would hand out at The Brass Ring Rally

[fipntdot]

I guess I am a gluten for punishment or a nostalgic purist. I still love the challenge of starting the fire like we did in boy scouts by simply preparing the kindling and seeing how few matches I can use.

[Livintall]

I've used shredder paper also👍🏻

[DLorenzen]

OK, make it easy with stuff you have. Grab a handful of those grease covered potato chips.

[Dirthawg_]

Those are all nice ideas above. They sound like a lot of work to me and I'm lazy and prefer to take the easy route.

I use a weed burner and a 20lb propane bottle. The propane bottle doubles as a back-up in case we run out of propane on the trailer. This actually saved a friend of mine on a cold trip in early spring. He arrived with 2 tanks but only had 1/2 a tank of usable propane and didn't realize it until night number 2. It was after hours when he ran out of propane and it was going to be near freezing that night. I gave him the weed burner bottle to get through the night until we could head to town and refill his tanks.

Image is for those that don't know what a weed burner is.

[richp]

I've used starters with various fillers in paraffin saturated egg cartons. I've used pine cones -- both saturated with wax and on their own. I've used Pringles potato chips, (which actually work very well, but don't burn for very long).

And yes, there are times when I revert to my old boy Scout days and use naturally available materials just for fun, and to show I still have the right stuff.