Anyone have a recipe for home made fire starters? Any ideas? I'm taking the five year old this year and I don't want him to see me use the Boy Scout water.

I realize I could just buy them, but what fun is that?

sawdust and parafin wax.

Make them in a paper egg carton. Fill each hole about 3/4 of sawdust and fill them up with melted parafin wax.

Most grocery stores have parafin wax in their canning supplies, melt with a double boiler on the range.

cotton balls and Vaseline, Sawdust and Vaseline, sawdust and paraffin wax in a paper egg carton.

I'm a woodworker so I often use some sawdust and just mix it in with a bit of Vaseline to make a paste. I put the goop in a baggy and just pull out a little chunk as needed (though I seldom need it, it's nice to have a little help sometimes) More often these days I spend a few minutes shredding some birch bark into lots of little strings and use that.

Both of the above methods work well. I did charby's recipe last year and it burns about 15 minutes per cube - enough to get a fire going. Both are inexpensive and can easily be done at home.

I use the cardboard egg cartons stuffed with dryer lint and then candle wax melted over it. Actual a plain ol' candle stub works well, too.

Dryer lint, paraffin wax, paper egg carton

Cotton Balls and Vaseline.

flatulence and a bic.

seriously...vaseline/cotton balls.

Vasoline and cotton balls are great!! I saw Kiporby use them last May and one strike from a fire steel and you have fire. Put in a 35 mm film can or a small bottle. They really work great!

i was fooling around over the winter and came up with these.i had a cheap block of beeswax from a yard sale and some old Xmas candles.
what makes them a bit different is using lamp wick,i sort of went overboard and put a REI flamer next to the wick to help light it.some are too big and the red one with the rabbit ear flamers is too fragile but the others are solid enough. i got the idea of the lamp wick from the old road flare,also from a yard sale,it's just a big candle with a large wick.

the big ones on the end have the huge match-fire starter in them

CAUTION: If you melt wax do it in a double boiler, as charby said. And make 100% certain that there is NO moisture in the container with the wax. Any water will go to the bottom and explode. Then you can discover for yourself what it's like to clean wax off the kitchen ceiling.

Koda, it sounds like you have some personal experience with exploding wax. Inquiring minds (with cabin fever) want to hear more details.

lolololololol!! Reminds me of Home Improvement w/ Tim "The Tool-Man" Taylor...

quote Koda: "CAUTION: If you melt wax do it in a double boiler, as charby said. And make 100% certain that there is NO moisture in the container with the wax. Any water will go to the bottom and explode. Then you can discover for yourself what it's like to clean wax off the kitchen ceiling."

Very true.

A few years ago Southern Cooking or some magazine like that had a recipe where one puts Crisco and water into a pot then brng it to a boil, they prompty put out a warning on the recipe after multiple explosions had occured.

I use a small paper dixie cup with sawdust and wax in it. Then collect all the dryer lint from cotton loads only. Put a small piece of dryer lint under the cup. One strike from the firesteel fire starter and the dryer lint starts and then the dixie cup. The paper cup soaks through with the wax so it is like a wick. I have a flame for 25 min.

Actually, Fritos Corn Chips work pretty well. They'd probably work better with Vaseline, but it ruins the taste.

oldgentleman, now you tell me.

I like cotton balls with vaseline.

They have the especially good feature of lighting very easily with sparks from a flint and steel

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like I have everything I need at home. Plenty of egg cartons and sawdust from woodworking. Also the wax from waxing machines and jigs for woodworking.

I should get a funny look from my wife when I ask her to start saving dryer lint. I love doing things like that, the look I get is priceless. I save the explanation for later....

Sounds like Vaseline and cotton balls is popular also.

A couple years ago at Canoecopia some one was giving away those little wax cup fire starters, can't remember who. They were pleated paper shot size cups with what looked like leaves and wax in it.

I carried it around for two years before needing it, on that day, it had been raining hard for several days, we were cold, tired and wet and I tried everything except dumping stove fuel on the fire I was trying to start.

Then, all I did was nestle the little wax cup under my articulately stacked fire wood pile and hide under the tarp. The smoke and steam that came out increased for about 20 minutes till the whole thing went a blaze, and never went out till I put it out the following day.

I like the dryer lint and paper egg carton. You can use old crayons, candles, etc.. Hold it in the wax a while so it soaks in. I also cut the individual starters in half or fourths so they are smaller to pack. You really don't need a full one.

I just got done making 3 dozen fire starters....amazing timing for this post.

My recipe:(borrowed from youtube and google searches)

McDonalds Ketchup cups (free-ooooops)
Paraffin Wax or old household candles.
Dryer lint laced with magnesium shavings.
Rodent wood chips (hamster cage material)$2.00 bag from walmart would make 5,000
Jute twine for a Wick.

1. Melt wax in an old soup can placed in boiling water.
2. Drip some wax in bottom of cup to "waterproof"
3. Fold 2 - 2" jute twine "wicks" into wet wax so they stick over the top of the cup.
4. Fill 1/3 full with wood chips, then drip a little more wax on top.
5. Add dryer lint and drip with wax. (takes up another 1/3 of cup)
6. Overfill cup with wood chips to form a little dome and drip well with wax to seal.

I tested these and they go to a 5" high flame and the width of the cup. They burned strong for 20 minutes which was enough to catch a small wrist size set of logs with no kindling.

Nothing but birch bark here. I pick up good looking pieces on the ground (don't pull off the trees!) as I walk back on portages, on the way checking out the latrine, etc. so always seem to have some in my pocket come fire time. One less thing to pack and bring.

great point gutmon...i forgot about natures fireworks.

quote OBX2Kayak: "Koda, it sounds like you have some personal experience with exploding wax. Inquiring minds (with cabin fever) want to hear more details. "

OK, you asked ... It was in the early '70s - that's the 1970s - AD - and this non-hippie decided his studio apartment would be enhanced by the presence of candles. Lots of candles of different varieties, made from many kinds of molds including glass, cardboard and sand. Over a period of a year or two I bought quite a few 11-pound blocks of paraffin and a lot of food coloring.

I don't know how much of the first block ended up where it didn't belong, nor do I know how much time I spent scraping it off the ceiling, walls, appliances, furniture, my glasses, and my body. But I remember quite well the sight and sound of the eruption of a quart of liquid wax. It's an experience not to be forgotten, nor repeated. Except I repeated it more than once before I figured out what was happening. Or rather, my buddy the chemist reminded me about things like specific gravity and the qualities of solids, liquids and gases.

Those were the days. I should have spent less time in the kitchen and more time pursuing my hot neighbor.

Vaseline & Cotton balls & dryer lint/vaseline/egg carton

Vaseline/cotton balls

and

a Swedish Fire steel

Open the ball to expose the lint...... Strike a spark with the Fire Steel and you will be king of the mountain to that 5 year old :)

Same as bapabear - Dryer lint, paraffin wax, paper egg carton. Todd

Saw dust and melted parafin mixed together, stuffed in (empty)toilet paper or paper towel rolls. Cut to prefered size.

Sounds like your all firebugs!!!
SunCatcher

PS Koda, I never used firestarters...I pursued the "Hot Neighbor Gal"
SunCatcher

I make them with just dryer lint and wax. Take a golf ball sized wad of lint and drip candle wax on it until well saturated then form it into a teardrop shape with a long wick. I make them in several sizes for different conditions. They will burn for an average of 15 minutes which is plenty of time to dry out wet kindling.

The advantage of this style is that it is clean, dry and completely waterproof. You can float them in water, wipe them on your shirtsleeve and light them.

SE

Like gutmon - birch bark scraps you can find all over the BWCA. They'll even light up when wet. No packing but a couple of lighters.

while looking thru my photos for another post i came across this so i thought i would mention why i went to a big candle rather than the wax and wood chip method.first the egg carton starter i found.
i pulled into a good sized,well used camp last year after a long damp day on the water.i cooked dinner on the stove but later in the evening wanted a fire to warm up and dry off a bit.tucked under a rock by the fireplace i found this fire lighter and as i want a big,fast hot fire thought i would use it.i had not found or used one before so i just lit the edge with my Bic and piled wood around it.not much luck there,it just semi burned with a small flame and i had to look around for birch bark to really get things going.maybe it was damp from being outside for who knows how long or i should have bashed it up a bit to expose more wax and wood chips?.whoever made it put in lots of wax so that was not the problem.i'll give this a try with one of the big lamp wicks i have and test it out.
this is a photo of one my new ones with a flamer to light the wick that i used at a nature center where i was cooking up a pot of wild rice.yes,i added more kindeling once i had the photo.

Design inspiration...
Take a triple large cotton ball, completely coat the outside in in Vaseline, then roll the whole thing in sawdust to form a complete shell, and then dip it in hot wax to seal it.
Put a string on it for a fuse or crack it open to spark the cotton fibers.
We'll call it what it looks like - A glazed nut covered doughnut hole fire starter!
Not sure if it will work, but Burn Baby Burn.
(Yes I have cabin fever... H)

Humdinger, I really like that idea...
it would basically be a waterproof cotton ball...

we use all the old dryer lint from our dryer it doesnt weight anything and burns rather hot and lights easy works great

Resurrecting an old thread…

From my experience the best fire starter I’ve made and used is cotton balls soaked in lamp oil. I prefer the lamp oil over Vaseline because it’s easier to dump oil on rather than melt in Vaseline and when winter camping the treated cotton balls don’t freeze rock hard, making them easier to light in sub zero temps. They may burn faster than Vaseline(?) but I’ve tested them by lighting one and letting it burn down into hard pack snow and it burns a long time. At home I don’t even bother with kindling when lighting my wood stove. They’re super cheap and you can make as many as you could ever use in just a few minutes.

A few tips: you only need enough oil to make them damp, any more isn’t necessary and it can get messy. My test is if you squeeze a fire starter only a couple drops should come out. For use at home in the wood stove I make them in a mason jar. Put a fistful of balls in the jar, dump some oil in and use something to squash them to the bottom. The oil rises to the top but when you let the cotton balls up they soak up all the liquid evenly. Add more oil or cotton until you get the desired consistency.
When I use them for camping I usually just put a handful in snack sized ziplock bags. I keep some in my pack, my parka, snowmachine, you name it. They’ve never failed me and I don’t go anywhere outdoors without them.

If you make them in mason jars to use at home colored oil can add a nice decorative touch.

907Tundra: "Resurrecting an old thread…


From my experience the best fire starter I’ve made and used is cotton balls soaked in lamp oil... and it can get messy.."

Between leaks, fumes, and fuel on my fingers I'd have my whole tent afire. For me "can get messy" means it will.

Fill a muffin cup about ½ full of cotton. Add one teaspoon gun powder. The gun powder will work its way down into the cotton. Use a teaspoon to add melted wax to the top of the muffin cup. When lighting light the bottom of the muffin cup. Burns for about 5 minutes.

bobbernumber3: "

907Tundra: "Resurrecting an old thread…



From my experience the best fire starter I’ve made and used is cotton balls soaked in lamp oil... and it can get messy.."

Between leaks, fumes, and fuel on my fingers I'd have my whole tent afire. For me "can get messy" means it will."

I should have been more clear. When you follow the directions the cotton balls should barely be damp, thus no leaks or mess and why I’m able to keep a stash in my down parka in a small ziplock without concern. I also failed to explain the lamp oil should be the type you use in Aladdin or other oil lamps, it’s advertised to be odorless, spotless and smokeless. No muss, no fuss…Enjoy!

MagicPaddler: "Fill a muffin cup about ½ full of cotton. Add one teaspoon gun powder. The gun powder will work its way down into the cotton. Use a teaspoon to add melted wax to the top of the muffin cup. When lighting light the bottom of the muffin cup. Burns for about 5 minutes. "

Secret ingredient is the gunpowder....it really puts the 'magic' in MagicPaddler Firestarters! I can vouch through personal experience....thanks LD!!!

pd

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bapabear: "Dryer lint, paraffin wax, paper egg carton"

Don't use dryer lint if you have a lap dog that sheds a lot--- the smell of burning dog hair is something special.

I do the cotton ball/ vasoline method stuck into a 2” cut piece of straw and melted on boths ends by using pliers to become waterproof. A&W’s orange drink straws work great.

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merlyn: "bapabear: "Dryer lint, paraffin wax, paper egg carton"

Don't use dryer lint if you have a lap dog that sheds a lot--- the smell of burning dog hair is something special.
"

Thank you!

Yooper Fire Starters

kanoes: "flatulence and a bic.


seriously...vaseline/cotton balls."

Don’t you miss Kanoes? This old resurrected thread and his response made my day!!!

TomP: "

kanoes: "flatulence and a bic.



seriously...vaseline/cotton balls."

Don’t you miss Kanoes? This old resurrected thread and his response made my day!!!"

Yes

I prolly use the egg carton, sawdust, parafin one the most for a longer burn time but here is another one I don't remember who I got it from, but it was from this group. Find some strike anywhere wooden matches. (Ace Hardware is the only source I can find them in my town). Roll the wooden shaft with a strip the width of the length of the wooden shaft and about 6 inches long of paper towel, but leaving the match head exposed. Dip the match head end in melted wax, let it cool a bit, and then dip the other end in the wax and keep the rolled part tight. Let it dry and harden. You now have a waterproof match that will burn for over a minute. You can fit about 10 of these in a pill container.

Birch bark.

I have used all of these techniques...even a fire piston.

Then I discovered fatwood. And laziness. Then wood wool and more laziness.

I consider any of cheating as soon as I flick that bic.

Pinetree: "

TomP: "

kanoes: "flatulence and a bic.
seriously...vaseline/cotton balls."

Don’t you miss Kanoes? This old resurrected thread and his response made my day!!!"

Yes"

+1 - Miss him

I use fatwood cut into small pieces. It works really well and is not messy at all. I used to hunt for it in the woods...this last time, I bought it on Amazon (very unnecessary, but easy)

Makeup remover pads cut in quarters, then dipped in candle wax. I leave a small portion without wax to accept a spark. Each one burn for around 2 minutes.

Boy Scout water haha that's good! Dryer lint + petroleum jelly works well enough.