Fire starter idea

[Thomas Linton]

There is place by me that makes fire starters with paraffin wax and wood shavings in a little paper cup. A Dixie cup or the little ketchup cups at McDonalds.

The classic is to do this with paper egg cartons. And yes, the paper ones still appear on occasion.

 

[mtangent]

If it gets warm enough, wax will melt & make a horrible useless mess.

 

[Thomas Linton]

When I have carried one of the egg carton section fire-starters, I had just enough foresight to carry it in a ziplok. I recalled what a candle stub did to my pack on one 100+ day in the desert.

 

[gadgetgeek]

There shouldn't be much wax to melt out of them though, its only what the cloth will hold when its at high temp. But it is a good thought, I've had a couple days in near that temp. And then there is today. 75F and 1.25 inches of rain. But it let up enough to go canoeing with some grade 3 kids (stack them 4 to a boat, and they can actually get one moving!) Funny how that can really set a chill into you.

 

[B34NS]

I can potentially use enough of it that I wouldn't want to drop that kind of money. But I've used those as well, and they do work very well, as well as tinderquik tabs. Even buying in bulk, I've got better things to spend money on. Unfortunately despite all the other invasive species here in Australia, birch isn't one of them. There are some trees that do have useful bark, but we have a strict ground-deadfall only policy, otherwise every tree would have all the branches below six feet ripped off. But a dozen or more kids picking up every twig that's fallen gets a good size pile of wood in pretty short order, and they think its fun.
In the past I've used everything from a dixie cup full of metholated spirits (very cool delayed ignition, so you kind of "magic" up a fire), to an 80,000 BTU roofing torch to get a fire going, it all depends on the circumstances, and tools at hand, and the overall goal. Also, as I get more experience teaching groups, I'll be much more able to tailor the overall experience to their interest and skill level. I think with some of the older groups, things like steel wool would be good, and sometimes I'll be able to do one-match challenges and the like. It all comes down to the time allotted and this is just one more tool in my kit that I can use.

Don't forget about eucalyptus oil. Natural napalm. Easy to make in similar process to birch oil, and can be stabilized with a multitude of natural elements, campfire ash, etc.

 

[druid189]

200 Jumbo Cotton balls: http://www.amazon.com/White-Cloud-C...sr_1_8?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1427944304&sr=1-8

24 oz petroleum jelly: http://www.amazon.com/White-Rose-Pe...d=1427944435&sr=8-44&keywords=petroleum+jelly

....makes a crap-ton of fire starters.

 

[fishiker]

I still prefer PJ and cotton balls. For a few dollars I can make a good supply. My favorite method of storage is the small ziploc pouches designed for pills. It takes some effort but I made some starters using waterproof strike anywhere matches, PJ, cotton, and jute. I saturated the jute with petroleum jelly then spun the cotton on like I was making fly dubbing. I wrapped this around the stem of the match. I can't remember burn times but it was adequate for my needs.

 

[taldesta]

Did I mention that I am a lazy camper?

This forum has been so informative in the area of fire starting. I am always drawn to methods where you don't run out of take-in materials over a lengthy stay. Here, birch bark, pine twigs, leaves, grasses, milkweed, fungus and lots of other tinders are so abundant, as is firewood, that I would use naturally available tinder if time and circumstance permitted. But, I have often found that dry tinder or starters are simple gold to have in hand. Sometimes I am just in a hurry to have a nice fire.

There is one simple method I have been trying over winter which is working nicely for me. It helps with the loss of dexterity in my left hand and allows me to move the starter to the tinder after sparking. I am able to get some good traction with a small blade scraping the rod on a solid surface nearby without disturbing carefully stacked tinder. I can easily add a second starter to the first if the tinder is stubborn.

It comes together in a snap and is not affected by heat. I need to see how compression in a match-case over time will degrade it, though. Cotton rounds are usually available alongside cotton balls. Duct tape as accelerant ... quite easy and effective. It has always been a part of my camp kit regardless.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Cotton fluffs up pretty well. Drier lint, on the other paw, can be hard to get to fluff up due to the smaller size of the strands.

 

[upnorth]

A proper containers solves the vaseline in 'da heat problem. 35mm film containers are headed for museums but other possibilities abound.

This discussion almost feels nostalgic. I remember reading this stuff on this site even before I joined, or at least back in the beginning. I do remember Codger being here then. My first experiments were with a melted parafin wax/vaseline cotton ball mix. And I actually DID find some of those old film canisters, but I believe that they were plastic then, just before they disappeared. I got away from all this for years then found a renewed interest. These days I practice with and seek out indigenous natural materials. And for an added twist I have tried using these materials in really bad weather conditions. Sometimes I have failed, but overall I have gotten much better at all of this. And to be perfectly honest, other than as a back up now, I could care less about fero rods. They are no longer the challenge for me that they once were. And I do not feel that I have much to prove to myself with them anymore. It is just faster and more convenient to carry a couple of lighters as my primaries, with the fero as a back up. But it is often fun to use a fero rod, and practice makes better. I occasionally do the extreme conditions fero fire lighting just for practice and pleasure now. The challenge itself can be fun. But as I said previously, the harder the challenge, the higher my chances of a failure. I keep learning as I walk this journey.

 

[taldesta]

Second ... naturally available materials when inclined. upnorth, you sound like you are in a comfortable place. I wouldn't want to imagine a day where there is not something useful to learn. It is fascinating to watch these wild bouquets bloom before my eyes over winter. In late fall I always collect some - here fireweed, milkweed and bee balm (bee balm does not spark up well but can be added for body after start - nice aroma). Caution, not to be placed near the ceiling fan or on low surface in home of dog with table-duster tail

 

[knoefz]

I make 'm from cotton makeup remover pads dipped in melted candle wax from leftover burned candles.
Never dunked them in water before but I can try over the weekend if you like.

The making of: melted the wax in a jar, inside a pan of boiling hot water

Rought them up to catch a spark:

Insert burning cotton inside your kindling stack on a (semi)dry platform (piece of bark):

 

[Thomas Linton]

Please plant the seeds from that Milk Weed. The Monarchs need Milk Weed to survive Homo Sapiens.

I have found that there is a regular plastic pill container that is scarcely larger in volume than the old 35mm film containers. Watch for those.

 

[Shotgun]

For my usage, straws are too labor intensive. I'm sure they work great, but I was able to make a large altoid tin full of tinder patches in a few minutes. There is also a minor aspect of burning plastic while preaching LNT.... probably makes no difference, but who's to say?

Just sit down and do one big batch. It really doesn't take too long. In all honesty it sounds like you're spending more time making your brand of fire starters. After mixing the pj and cotton balls(use gloves) I tear them into pea size bits and then I use a q-tip "ram rod" to shove the bit in the straw. Then seal end with a pair of pliers and a bic. The reason I say make one big batch is that I'm still using the same fire straws that I made over 5 years ago. I lit one about a month ago and it performed the same as the others I used on day one. They're no mess, no fuss and compact. Oh and they work.

Leave no trace is a myth. You're causing more pollution driving to the trail.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Leave No Trace is an attitude. Simply put, do as little damage to the wild as you can.

Having said that, I see no problem with using plastic containers for man-made or other tinder. If burning plastic is not necessary, don't burn it. If you cut off both ends of a tinder straw, the contents can be rammed out with the reamer on my SAK or any one of thousands of twigs I see around.

I can make tinder straws while watching TV or while on the net. As Shotgun intimates, it's not a task that requires intense attention. I fold the end of the length of straw and clip it in a cheap electric hair curler. In a few minutes on the lowest setting, it's melted shut. Ram some greased cotton in - for me with a chopstick. Fold over open end and stick in the curler. Remove after a couple of minutes and repeat. I did eleven while watching Chicago PD.

I see tinder straws mostly as an item for small survival kits. I still have a bushel ( as in four pecks) of 35mm film containers I was given by a Walmart guy when they stopped developing film. Those are my usual containers for slathered cotton.

 

[taldesta]

Please plant the seeds from that Milk Weed. The Monarchs need Milk Weed to survive Homo Sapiens.

Out of the 614 seeds started this year in my south facing window (my living room is a greenhouse), milkweed (vernalized ie. cold treated) number 28. I have a gang of natural growth preserved from cutting at all costs as they occur on my property and last year I photographed the monarch caterpillar with so much satisfaction that is, unfortunately, rare to enjoy here - but all locals here are working hard to reverse the downward trend.

Last year the local hospice freed monarchs as memorial fundraisers and the same day I saw one dart swiftly through my milkweed. I watched and waited and a month or so later was finally able to photograph a caterpillar.

The bouquet seeds shown above would not have a good germination rate until vernalized (cold treated). I have many more in the works with great prospects ... and you, sir, are preaching to the choir. I wish you loud voice and much action, in special and shared regard, Susan

PS - I have spent over an hour and a half to upload my monarch caterpillar pic to photobucket and access the image codes ... but dialup may prevent pics but please know that we speak the same language re: monarchs My whole community would speak much as I do.

S

 

[Thomas Linton]

A local Boy Scout is planting a one acre garden of Milk Weed as his Eagle Project.

 

[taldesta]

Hey! Please add my accolades to the enterprise. From Muskoka, Ontario, Canada - thanks for saving the monarch butterfly. Thanks for being conservationists.

 

[Riz!]

I like cotton ball and Vaseline twisted up with fingers and push it into a large plastic drinking straw. Cut straw ends and melt them. You have a fire starter ready to go in a waterproof/leakproof container. Works great!

I was going to suggest this. I saw a video on it once. I think on knivesshipfree.com

 

[gadgetgeek]

all true. More than one way to skin a cat, as it were.
another good film can alternative is the 1 and 2 oz nalgene pill bottles. if you can find them in-store, they are usually around the .50 mark. they seal up well, and last a very long time. Sure you have a shoulder which a 35mm can does not have, (the straight wall 2oz jars are a bit more pricey, but not much)