Drunken firestarters

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There was a thread here last year that talked about homemade fire starters. To lazy to look. My setup: Sawdust and wax (and yes, beer was involved).
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Unsalted or salted pistachios . . . assuming if salted there is not enough salt in there to worry about.
 
Unsalted or salted pistachios . . . assuming if salted there is not enough salt in there to worry about.

They were salted, but it's a non-appreciable amount IMO.

pen
 
I used to play around with making various fire starters but my all time favorite was simply using old lathe for starting a fire. You could get one of those things burning with one match. Don't use too many as they burn fast and hot! Now I like the Super Cedars.
 
Nice jags, that's what I do. They burn pretty hot and long.
 
Paraffin is not cheap anymore!
pen

You're right, its a bit pricey. You know what else works for wax? Get the old, worn-out candles your wife pitches in the trash and melt the wax out of them. Also, I bought several packs of those little "tea lite" candles at the dollar store the other day.......i think there was like 20 in a pack for 2 bucks! Melt them down, use them instead of paraffin. Just an idea......
 
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Have a large bag of left over paraffin candles from year ago made in large tuna cans for Order of the Arrow ceremonies. Now I know what to do with them...melt and mix with sawdust,,,,
use noodles (from when you "rip" a nasty knarly round with a chainsaw). I saved a whole box of them, and around 100 toilet paper tubes. Got my tea lite candles to melt down, and I'm making some redneck firestarters. Maybe in the next week or so.....
 
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use noodles (from when you "rip" a nasty knarly round with a chainsaw). I saved a whole box of them, and around 100 toilet paper tubes. Got my tea lite candles to melt down, and I'm making some redneck firestarters. Maybe in the next week or so.....

Take the camera with ya, or it might as well never happen ;)

pen
 
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I used to play around with making various fire starters but my all time favorite was simply using old lathe for starting a fire. You could get one of those things burning with one match. Don't use too many as they burn fast and hot! Now I like the Super Cedars.
I have loads of those,i use them along with junk mail to get er goin.
 
You're right, its a bit pricey. You know what else works for wax? Get the old, worn-out candles your wife pitches in the trash and melt the wax out of them. Also, I bought several packs of those little "tea lite" candles at the dollar store the other day.......i think there was like 20 in a pack for 2 bucks! Melt them down, use them instead of paraffin. Just an idea......
I was wonderin about used cooking oil(its free),i use it to get outdoor fires goin all the time,if there is a way to make it a solid it should work along with sawdust or peanut shells or any other combustible solid(did i mention its free). Also use matchlite charcoal bricketts to start my coal stoker,might work in the woodstove as well.
 
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The fact that you can remember them is what amazes me.
I had many a revelation while under the influence of ......certain substances. Once, uh,....sober, they were gone.
Probably a good thing.
Sara Silverman did a show on that- leaving herself messages with great ideas on her answering machine while she was high. Didn't work out so well. Too funny.
 
If you have access to produce boxes- they are cardboard soaked in wax. Rip a piece off and it's off to the races.
My Woodstock manual says not to use cardboard, charcoal or coated colored papers....presume cardboard is because of the cat....treated colored paper because of cat and toxic fumes..are people using cardboard in cat stoves? Is it OK (except charcoal) if the cat isn't yet engaged?
 
Hmmm...thinking out loud, but I think the charcoal statement in your manual would be using the charcoal as a fuel (like a pile for your BBQ). I doubt that one matchlight briquette as a starter will have a negative impact. Full disclosure: I don't use this method and this is simply my opinion.
 
Hmmm...thinking out loud, but I think the charcoal statement in your manual would be using the charcoal as a fuel (like a pile for your BBQ). I doubt that one matchlight briquette as a starter will have a negative impact. Full disclosure: I don't use this method and this is simply my opinion.
The dose makes the poison.
 
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Commercial charcoal briquets are actually made from compressed sawdust, ground up coal, starch binders and limestone. There is probably a risk of the coal poisoning the catalyst.

real hardwood lump charcoal might be fine.....
 
Pen, how long do these superpistaches stay lit?
 
I'm still using my old roof as firestarters. Should have another three years worth of roof before I run out. It still creeps me out how flammable my roof was.
 
Lots of us have no "CAT" to worry about. My stove eats most anything. but junk mail and lathe boards are my starter of choice. Those lathe boards with their 100 year old dried pine tar work like a champ.
 
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