Home made fire starters

[mark cline]

I have a fun project to do with your kids or grand kids. Today my grand daughter and I made some cheap fire starters for a school project .
First the disclaimer: This project involves melting and pouring wax. The wax when heated is highly flammable if heated over a high flame. A double boiler is recommended or a very low flame and constant adult supervision.
Supplies :
empty cardboard or fiberboard egg cartons
Old candle pieces or paraffin wax from the canning isle of your supermarket.
an old pot (double boiler ) or coffee can bent into a spout to put into the water bath
Put candle pieces and or paraffin wax into pot and double boiler , start to heat to melt the wax , only heat enough to melt the wax , if it smokes , ITS TOO HOT AND HIGHLY FLAMMABLE
dryer lint (save over time so you will have some on hand ,when needed)
First fill the egg carton cavities with the dryer lint (about a golf ball size wad ) pushed into the cavity.
After all the cavities are filled you are now ready to cover the lint with the melted wax (an adult is needed at this stage)
Allow to cool and when needed , just tear off a cavity section and put under kindling and light.
I have used Super Cedars in the past and I don't knock the product at all .They are a great product, this was just a project to help my grand daughter.

 

[SCOTT S.]

We used these for years, they work well. Once we got our cat stove we can no longer use these. I must have given away 20 of them.

 

[AmbDrvr253]

We make these with the Boy Scout troop. Except instead of dryer lint we use saw dust or chainsaw chippings. Personally I use newspaper.....LOL No other starter needed.

 

[xman23]

My latest fire starter is paper towel or toilet paper tubes. One tube burns long enough to light 3 pieces of kindling and splits,

 

[jetsam]

We be simple folk.

 

[heavy hammer]

Cedar pole splits seasoned fifty or more years they start with just a match.

 

[CincyBurner]

My dad would make fire starters on the band saw out of cellulose board or ceiling tiles pouring melted paraffin from church candles stubs into an old aluminum pastry tray to saturate. Good reuse for two waste items. They made great fire starters for our boy scout camping trips and for wood stoves.
Quick, easy and cheap. I haven't seen or used Supercedars, but seems fairly similar.

 

[SCOTT S.]

My dad would make fire starters on the band saw out of cellulose board or ceiling tiles pouring melted paraffin from church candles stubs into an old aluminum pastry tray to saturate. Good reuse for two waste items. They made great fire starters for our boy scout camping trips and for wood stoves.
Quick, easy and cheap. I haven't seen or used Supercedars, but seems fairly similar.

These work good but Super Ceders take it to a whole different level, they take off hot and stay hot for along time. I bought a box of 100 two years ago and still have half left,that is after giving away 20 or so and every one I gave them to ordered their own box they are that good. Another tip for making the egg carton ones is to put candle ends in a mason jar and place on a candle warmer to liquifiy.