Cheap firestarter

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Backwoods Savage said:
par0thead151 said:
I am sold on the propane plumbers torch.
i can get a fire lit in a minute or two max.
leave the door open a crack, and go put together my lunch for the day(kitchen has a view of the fireplace) and by the time lunch is packed, i close the door, with air on high. then i shut down the air to low before leaving for work.
takes no time at all.
i cant imagine starting the fire with kindling, pine cones,expensive fire starters, etc.
i used one 1# container of propane last season, and they come in a 4 pack for 4-5$
the time i save with the torch would make it worth using even if it was 20$ a 1# jug.

Let's check that expensive stuff.

Each propane bottle cost $1.25 plus tax.

We use about 6 super cedars in that same time span and this gives us 24 fire starts. Cost is less than $.17 for each fire we start that way. So 24 fires @ .17 = so our cost is about a dollar.

Which is more "expensive?"

so mine is 25 cents more expensive.
how long does it take you to start a fire with the super cedar?

edited to add:
its also a lot of fun to play with the torch :)

i can also refill the 1# jugs from a 25# tank. so the cost of each refill goes down to whatever refilling a 25# tank costs.
 
It takes very little time.

1. I place 2 splits on the bottom.
2. Add 1/4 super cedar
3. Add kindling.
4. light super cedar with match
5. Add a couple small splits on top.
6. Shut door.
7. End of fire start.

So, it actually probably take a shorter time than with the torch although both are very fast.

My point is that neither is expensive.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
It takes very little time.

1. I place 2 splits on the bottom.
2. Add 1/4 super cedar
3. Add kindling.
4. light super cedar with match
5. Add a couple small splits on top.
6. Shut door.
7. End of fire start.

So, it actually probably take a shorter time than with the torch although both are very fast.

My point is that neither is expensive.

fair enough.
i tried a fire once with drier lint, candle wax, and news papers.
i said to hell with it after 2 attempts and no results

i can start a very nice fire when camping though, just need more space for paper/leaves, and a tall TP style setup of kindling, paper, and wood
 
Maybe we can make believe we are camping. lol I like the TP setup too as it works really nice.

I used newspapers for many, many moons but now that I use the super cedars it really does make things much easier and also my wife now can start a fire. That had always been her weak point but now I can relax and know if she needs a fire and I'm not there she can do it.
 
jebatty said:
That is cheap, compared to other purchased firestarters, and it's clean and easy. Great idea. Perhaps I'm a greater tightwad, though. After splitting wood, I gather up the inevitable scraps, errant splits, break-offs, branch trimmings missed earlier, and some small rounds for pieces cut too big, and I throw them all on the floor in an old shed. They dry quickly. A small handful of this stuff, with two sheets of rolled and knotted newspaper, top-down method, a match, and instant fire. Cost: $0.00.

I'm just as cheap . . . I do the same thing -- splitter trash, wood scraps from projects, pine cones, dead branches, some old boards I salvaged from my old camp and I'll take dead softwood trees and split them up . . . figure I can never have too much kindling.
 
Battenkiller said:
Backwoods Savage said:
I didn't know what a top-down fire was either but found that I've almost always used sort of a version of it. If there are no coals, I like to put two splits on the bottom so they are fairly tight together. Then I place a super cedar. On this I put kindling (made from soft maple). Then the super cedar is touched off with a match and two more small splits are laid on top of the kindling. The door gets closed and all is well.

Cool. So you've invented a hybrid firestarting method. Should work great in the new hybrid Woodstock. ;-)

And we shall call this "The Backwoods Method" of fire starting. ;) :)
 
Backwoods Savage said:
Maybe we can make believe we are camping. lol I like the TP setup too as it works really nice.

Ya know, I've been using the top-down method for campfires as well. Gets you to a bed of cooking coals twice as fast as a teepee fire and three times as fast as a log cabin fire. Never collapses on you, either, and always gives a clean burn. Does your hybrid method burn clean right from the get-go.?

I know, I know... I'm being obnoxious. Nobody preaches more than the recently converted. You push those beautiful Woodstocks, I'll push the top-down method.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
par0thead151 said:
I am sold on the propane plumbers torch.
i can get a fire lit in a minute or two max.
leave the door open a crack, and go put together my lunch for the day(kitchen has a view of the fireplace) and by the time lunch is packed, i close the door, with air on high. then i shut down the air to low before leaving for work.
takes no time at all.
i cant imagine starting the fire with kindling, pine cones,expensive fire starters, etc.
i used one 1# container of propane last season, and they come in a 4 pack for 4-5$
the time i save with the torch would make it worth using even if it was 20$ a 1# jug.

Let's check that expensive stuff.

Each propane bottle cost $1.25 plus tax.

We use about 6 super cedars in that same time span and this gives us 24 fire starts. Cost is less than $.17 for each fire we start that way. So 24 fires @ .17 = so our cost is about a dollar.

Which is more "expensive?"

24 fires @ .17 = $4.08
 
Yes there is a shipping charge. For a box of 100 it was just under $80 all said and done.

Backwoods Savage said:
Nate, I don't believe there is a shipping charge for the Super Cedars and Tom was giving a 10% off to hearth.com members. That might have ended Oct. 1 but I'd have to look that up to be sure. There was a code to enter to get the 10% off. With that and no shipping and no sales tax, it made the deal quite low in cost.
 
2 cuts??

I said I cut the log in 1/2 and then cut it in ~1" pucks. That is more than 2 cuts.

albertj03 said:
NATE379 said:
So I bought a box of firelogs for $26.

Open the bag off the logs, run through the table saw to cut in 1/2 and then again to make ~1" pucks and boom I have about 230 of them. Total cost per, just over $0.10

I don't get it, maybe because I've never seen a fire log before, but how do you get 230 of these by making 2 cuts?? I must be missing something.
 
Blade on my saw is not that thick and no way I'd spend time cutting with a hacksaw. I can afford to "loose" puck or two for the 20 mins time it too me to make all of them.

Bubbavh said:
I would think a band saw or recip. saw or even hack saw would waste much less log. You lose 1/8" per cut so every 8 cuts and you lose a puck with the table saw!
 
Will have to watch that one at work, internet is not fast enough here at home.

Battenkiller said:
NATE379 said:
Newspaper only doesn't work.. it doesn't get hot long enough to get the wood going. I don't know if with the flue cold there isn't enough draft or what... really hard to say.

Nate, I don't know what to say about that. Here's a video I made last month of me getting a fire going it my outdoor chiminea. It only has a 3' tall chimney, and it was cold to start. Warm outside as well.

Arrange wood as shown, put newspaper bows on top, light and walk away. Look at the top of the stack at time elapsed 4:39. Not a hint of smoke to be seen. Fire burned for almost two hours in this open burner with only about 12 pounds of wood. Never saw smoke from the chimney at any time during the burn. They basically always burn that way in my experience.

 
latitude45 said:
I make 2x3in chunks of Cardboard and soak them in old candle wax.

I use wax box from the produce at thesuper market
 
NATE379 said:
Blade on my saw is not that thick and no way I'd spend time cutting with a hacksaw. I can afford to "loose" puck or two for the 20 mins time it too me to make all of them.

Bubbavh said:
I would think a band saw or recip. saw or even hack saw would waste much less log. You lose 1/8" per cut so every 8 cuts and you lose a puck with the table saw!
if held together by wax, try softening with microwave & use a knife?
 
Sandwich Method. One match. Lights every time. Never misses.

1-Lay two thick splits North-South on the bottom of the stove.
2-Two or three crumpled sheets of newspaper in between the splits
3-lay kindling East-West on the thick splits (above the newspaper).
4- Cris-cross kindling with slightly larger kindling on top N-S.
5-Thick splits on top of the castle.

Lights every time.
 
There is NO way I would remotely chance ruining a $450 microwave over something like that!

~*~vvv~*~ said:
NATE379 said:
Blade on my saw is not that thick and no way I'd spend time cutting with a hacksaw. I can afford to "loose" puck or two for the 20 mins time it too me to make all of them.

Bubbavh said:
I would think a band saw or recip. saw or even hack saw would waste much less log. You lose 1/8" per cut so every 8 cuts and you lose a puck with the table saw!
if held together by wax, try softening with microwave & use a knife?
 
vmandi said:
Backwoods Savage said:
par0thead151 said:
I am sold on the propane plumbers torch.
i can get a fire lit in a minute or two max.
leave the door open a crack, and go put together my lunch for the day(kitchen has a view of the fireplace) and by the time lunch is packed, i close the door, with air on high. then i shut down the air to low before leaving for work.
takes no time at all.
i cant imagine starting the fire with kindling, pine cones,expensive fire starters, etc.
i used one 1# container of propane last season, and they come in a 4 pack for 4-5$
the time i save with the torch would make it worth using even if it was 20$ a 1# jug.

Let's check that expensive stuff.

Each propane bottle cost $1.25 plus tax.

We use about 6 super cedars in that same time span and this gives us 24 fire starts. Cost is less than $.17 for each fire we start that way. So 24 fires @ .17 = so our cost is about a dollar.

Which is more "expensive?"

24 fires @ .17 = $4.08



Perhaps I worded that wrongly. Rather than .17 for each fire, it was .17 for each super cedar.


24 fires do not cost $4.08!!!!!!!


24 fires cost just a tad over a dollar. That is because only 6 super cedars are used for those 24 fires.
 
NATE379 said:
There is NO way I would remotely chance ruining a $450 microwave over something like that!

~*~vvv~*~ said:
NATE379 said:
Blade on my saw is not that thick and no way I'd spend time cutting with a hacksaw. I can afford to "loose" puck or two for the 20 mins time it too me to make all of them.

Bubbavh said:
I would think a band saw or recip. saw or even hack saw would waste much less log. You lose 1/8" per cut so every 8 cuts and you lose a puck with the table saw!
if held together by wax, try softening with microwave & use a knife?
lol works in my cheapo microwave- 1 time i tried it to test
 
Battenkiller said:
Ya know, I've been using the top-down method for campfires as well. Gets you to a bed of cooking coals twice as fast as a teepee fire and three times as fast as a log cabin fire. Never collapses on you, either, and always gives a clean burn. Does your hybrid method burn clean right from the get-go.?

I know, I know... I'm being obnoxious. Nobody preaches more than the recently converted. You push those beautiful Woodstocks, I'll push the top-down method.

Your proselytizing has worked, I pledge to perfect the top-down method this season. I tried once last year, but I have the ridiculous problem of lacking any newspaper. I blame the internet and my periodic efforts to expunge myself from mailing lists...
Made some 'SuperElmers' the other day with the noodles & wax in an eggcarton method, so I'll try that in place of the bows. Not gonna be doing that all winter though.
Last years low-cost method was a couple pieces of kinlin' & fatwood from Menards. It goes on sale for $4 for 4lbs around this time of year. I use 2 or 3 sticks per fire, wife uses more like 4, so maybe 20 fires per bag or around $.20/fire. Not all that cheap i guess
 
1/2 gallon of hand sanitizer for $15.

Couple of pumps on the kindling and your good to go (no paper needed). I still have over half the bottle left from last year and I start a lot of fires because I have a small firebox
 
treehackers said:
1/2 gallon of hand sanitizer for $15.

Couple of pumps on the kindling and your good to go (no paper needed). I still have over half the bottle left from last year and I start a lot of fires because I have a small firebox

I never heard of that, but I'll give it a try. It would be the first time my hands got cleaner lighting a fire.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
vmandi said:
Backwoods Savage said:
par0thead151 said:
I am sold on the propane plumbers torch.
i can get a fire lit in a minute or two max.
leave the door open a crack, and go put together my lunch for the day(kitchen has a view of the fireplace) and by the time lunch is packed, i close the door, with air on high. then i shut down the air to low before leaving for work.
takes no time at all.
i cant imagine starting the fire with kindling, pine cones,expensive fire starters, etc.
i used one 1# container of propane last season, and they come in a 4 pack for 4-5$
the time i save with the torch would make it worth using even if it was 20$ a 1# jug.

Let's check that expensive stuff.

Each propane bottle cost $1.25 plus tax.

We use about 6 super cedars in that same time span and this gives us 24 fire starts. Cost is less than $.17 for each fire we start that way. So 24 fires @ .17 = so our cost is about a dollar.

Which is more "expensive?"

24 fires @ .17 = $4.08



Perhaps I worded that wrongly. Rather than .17 for each fire, it was .17 for each super cedar.


24 fires do not cost $4.08!!!!!!!


24 fires cost just a tad over a dollar. That is because only 6 super cedars are used for those 24 fires.

My 100 pack of Super Cedars cost $64.85 delivered = $.65 each. 6 Super Cedars costs me $3.90.

If you buy 72 Super Cedars at $53.95 or $.75 each, 6 would then cost $4.50.
 
vmandi said:
My 100 pack of Super Cedars cost $64.85 delivered = $.65 each. 6 Super Cedars costs me $3.90.

If you buy 72 Super Cedars at $53.95 or $.75 each, 6 would then cost $4.50.

Not ever messing with kindling again, priceless.

"Super Cedars. Like finding a hot coal bed in a cold stove."
 
woodjack said:
treehackers said:
1/2 gallon of hand sanitizer for $15.

Couple of pumps on the kindling and your good to go (no paper needed). I still have over half the bottle left from last year and I start a lot of fires because I have a small firebox

I never heard of that, but I'll give it a try. It would be the first time my hands got cleaner lighting a fire.
The sanitizer works ever better if you sprinkle in some salt. this reverses the gelling process & seperates out the alcohol from the ??? Can't use the pump anymore though
 
100 pack was going to be just under $80.



vmandi said:
Backwoods Savage said:
vmandi said:
Backwoods Savage said:
par0thead151 said:
I am sold on the propane plumbers torch.
i can get a fire lit in a minute or two max.
leave the door open a crack, and go put together my lunch for the day(kitchen has a view of the fireplace) and by the time lunch is packed, i close the door, with air on high. then i shut down the air to low before leaving for work.
takes no time at all.
i cant imagine starting the fire with kindling, pine cones,expensive fire starters, etc.
i used one 1# container of propane last season, and they come in a 4 pack for 4-5$
the time i save with the torch would make it worth using even if it was 20$ a 1# jug.

Let's check that expensive stuff.

Each propane bottle cost $1.25 plus tax.

We use about 6 super cedars in that same time span and this gives us 24 fire starts. Cost is less than $.17 for each fire we start that way. So 24 fires @ .17 = so our cost is about a dollar.

Which is more "expensive?"

24 fires @ .17 = $4.08



Perhaps I worded that wrongly. Rather than .17 for each fire, it was .17 for each super cedar.


24 fires do not cost $4.08!!!!!!!


24 fires cost just a tad over a dollar. That is because only 6 super cedars are used for those 24 fires.

My 100 pack of Super Cedars cost $64.85 delivered = $.65 each. 6 Super Cedars costs me $3.90.

If you buy 72 Super Cedars at $53.95 or $.75 each, 6 would then cost $4.50.
 
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