OB Approved How to make a great fire starter

[BchBum11511]

Thanks for this! I made some tonight, and they work great. I had to improvise a double boiler, and wait forever for the wax to melt. But these things burn for awhile. It seemed to take longer to catch fire that I expected. Is there a trick to starting it?

 

[jonald]

Thanks for this! I made some tonight, and they work great. I had to improvise a double boiler, and wait forever for the wax to melt. But these things burn for awhile. It seemed to take longer to catch fire that I expected. Is there a trick to starting it?

The trick is to get a good fuzz standing proud of the disk The fuzzier, the better. I works to scrape it back and forth with your blade. You'll have to scrape away some of the surface wax. Another trick is to tear it in half, or at least part way. That will expose some fuzz.

I made a couple of quick videos for lighting the disks and using cotton to light a candle.

 

[Cj13]

i have always been horrible at starting fires,gel deodorant on tp is a good one

 

[John Hallett]

We always have a supply of pine knots on hand. When the kiddos were little it would turn into a contest. We split them into small kindling and bundle them up. Stash them in the chuck box, glove box or where ever. I've started many a fire in the pouring rain with them. Just like having a stick of kerosene. I've never tried shaving them down with my knife. But that ferro rod has me thinking.

 

[Ursa Major]

Here's a sample...

I never in my wildest dreams would have thought of this! This is great, can't wait to test it out for winter fires. Thanks!

 

[GITINOVRLND EXPLRR]

Great ideas. I also use toilet paper tubes stuffed with dryer lint and a used dryer sheet. Tear it apart, spread the lint, shave some magnesium on it and light with flint. Use the toilet paper roll to build it up and add twigs. If your starter twigs are a bit damp the dryer sheet heats them up fast.
Cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol in a leak proof container works too.

 

[Lex]

Was reading through to see if any others recommended this method. I have also done the same for years. Simple. Effective.

 

[swing]

I've been using cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly for years and it hasn't ever failed me but it is a little messy. I'm going to try adding wax now and see how that compares. Thanks for the tip!

 

[uncompromise]

Thanks @Cort - i used to use dryer lint, but stopped because it’s potentially toxic; now that I live in France where people are living in the dark ages and rely on sunshine and wind to dry everything, that‘s no longer an option, even if we wanted it to be. Will be making up a batch of these for our next journey.

 

[Sputnik]

I’ve made the cotton disk and paraffin wax starters but that’s all I used. Is there a substantial benefit to adding pj?

 

[Wyatt Family]

We made a batch of the disks for our Mojave Road trip this past week. They worked great. Will definitely keep them around for future trips. Thanks for the idea.

 

[BGE021]

I love these. Been using for over a Decade and are still my go to.

 

[DharmaBum]

I know it’s been posted already, but cotton balls coated with petroleum jelly have been solid for me. Compact and effective, and they surprisingly burn for a good minute.

 

[ButcherShop]

I second the wood shavings or lint with egg cartons and wax. Im just using what would be thrown out and they burn for so long.

 

[Kao pii]

I heartily agree. We should be protecting our environment by keeping as much stuff as possible out of the landfill.