A Conversation for How to Make Firestarters

Lint and egg cartons

Post 1

AEndr, The Mad Hatter

[guider's trick]

If you have just a single pot for melting wax in (again from the old candles etc) then a simple effect firelighter can be made from egg cartons and tumble dryer lint.

First of all, you need the grey cardboard egg cartons, not the plasticy ones. You can either use trays of the egg cup bit or the bottom half of a half-dozen or dozen box. Cut the lid off, but leave the tray together because they stand up much better that way.

Get some lint from your tumble dryer or by asking for some in your local laundrette (best if done while in Guider or Scouter uniform as you get fewer funny looks.) You need quite a bit of lint for enough firestarters for a week's camp with 4 patrol fires per meal, so collect it up. Lint is dried out and generally pretty flammable, so don't store it anywhere silly.

Pack the lint not too tightly, not too loosely into the egg cups, to about 2/3 the way up. Pour over the melted wax, to cover the lint - not all the way up. Allow to cool. You can then take the firestarters to camp in the sheets and dole out a few (by cutting or tearing) as needed.


Lint and egg cartons

Post 2

Lady Scott

Yes, that would work too, although since you're adding the wax to the lint already in the cups, you'd likely need a lot more wax than you would using the sawdust mixed with wax method. But whatever works!


Lint and egg cartons

Post 3

Batty_ACE

I just use a birthday candle or something that I can light both ends and put it on a flat, dry piece of wood. If I have a big pillar candle going (which is often) I'll pour the excess wax puddled in the candle over a couple of the logs I have in the fireplace and light after a couple minutes.


Lint and egg cartons

Post 4

Lady Scott

Good idea!smiley - ok

Does it work if the logs are damp? Or just plain wet?


Lint and egg cartons

Post 5

Batty_ACE

probably not.. I always bought seasoned wood and kept it in a protected area. I would generally pick a dry log that has plenty of splinters from splitting to do this with - once that has caught then the wet ones will be fine.

Another thing you can do if you don't have access to the sawdust (or you're just plain lazy) is buy one of those preformed logs - preferrably a soft one - and cut it into blocks with a sharp knife. They're basically made of wax and wood pulp.


Lint and egg cartons

Post 6

Lady Scott

I have plenty of sawdust and wax on hand, but cutting up one of those preformed logs would sure be an easier way to do it. I wonder how many firestarters I could get out of one log?


Lint and egg cartons

Post 7

Batty_ACE

Depends on how big the firestarters are that you use. I got this idea (and the candle one) when I bought a bag of firestarters and realized they were essentially mini prefab logs. I never bought another bag of firestarters.

I would cut them into 1-1.5" cubes and use two or three if my logs didn't look dry enough. Or you can try rolling the cubes into little mini logs (think breadsticks) and in theory one might do it since it has more surface area.


Lint and egg cartons

Post 8

Lady Scott

The firestarters I make are just little bathroom dixie cups filled with the sawdust and wax. There's not much wax - just enough to dampen the sawdust. I can tell when all the sawdust has darkened that I have enough wax in the mixture. When it cools in the little dixie cups, it hardens just like it would if it had loads more wax.

I saw some commercially made firestarters one time that were solid wax and sawdust - There's no way I need that much wax.

Anyhow, I usually only use one firestarter, and most of the time I don't really need to even use any kindling, unless the wood is especially green or wet.


Lint and egg cartons

Post 9

Batty_ACE

If you're using green or wet wood try to add 1 dry/seasoned log to it. That log should catch quickly off a firestarter and in turn catch the others.

I did find it works really well if placed under the wood grate. I put an old brick under the grate to raise the firestarter to just under it.

It's all kind of fuzzy. We have gas logs here. smiley - erm Not even remotely on par with a real wood fire.


Lint and egg cartons

Post 10

Lady Scott

I don't have an actual grate, since we have a fireplace insert. The "grate" in this thing consists of two strips of steel maybe 1/2 inch high running from back to front on the bottom of the firebox, with little things that poke up maybe 2 inches on the front to keep the log from rolling into the doors of the fireplace insert.

I place the firestarter on the bottom of the firebox, strategically positioning it so that the flames will come up between the logs. I can usually only fit 3 logs in there at one time, so the flame goes up between the two bottom ones, and lights all three at once.

Green or wet wood usually starts ok if I'm adding it to an established fire.

Gas logs would be *so* much easier than lugging all that wood all the time!


Lint and egg cartons

Post 11

Batty_ACE

yeah but you trade the sounds of fire for the hiss of a gas line.. it's something like making a turkey in a microwave.. smiley - winkeye


Lint and egg cartons

Post 12

Lady Scott

smiley - laugh

We can't hear the fire crackling anyway... We keep the doors closed on the insert so that we don't lose *all* our heat up the chimney, and the insert also has a fan on it to distribute the heat that positively *roars*.

This is how we heat the majority of the house, and since it's fully inside the fireplace, we wouldn't get much heat from it otherwise.

(I can't believe I'm talking about heating the house in *this* weather! smiley - rofl)


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