ok so how do YOU guys start your fires

[Mroverkill]

what do you guys use to start your fires in your stoves i know there a re a few diff things i saw the super cedar fire starters the fire starter logs etc etc


just trying to see whats out there im thinking of something easy to use for my wife once the stove is installed (next tuesday) when i am out of town or something




thanks all

 

[blujacket]

Once you go Super Cedars, you never go back. ;-)

 

[thewoodlands]

what do you guys use to start your fires in your stoves i know there a re a few diff things i saw the super cedar fire starters the fire starter logs etc etc


just trying to see whats out there im thinking of something easy to use for my wife once the stove is installed (next tuesday) when i am out of town or something




thanks all

I used Super Cedars and they are good (depends on how much you want to spend) this year I'm going with these, they work well.

http://www.rutland.com/productinfo.php?product_id=13

zap

 

[Flatbedford]

Crumpled newspaper, scraps from splitting, and matches.

 

[ckarotka]

Scraps from splitting and a torch.

 

[jeff_t]

I make firestarters from melted candle wax and shavings from my neighbor planer. Mix it up and put it in cardboard egg cartons. One or two is all it takes. My wife picks up candles from the 'free' box at all the garage sales she goes to. I also use the for campfires in the summer and for lighting charcoal in a charcoal chimney. Free and easy.

 

[Mroverkill]

with the super cedars do you guys use a whole disk or is half more then enough ??? if i buy the 100 pack i thnk it will last me a LONG time

 

[Pagey]

with the super cedars do you guys use a whole disk or is half more then enough ??? if i buy the 100 pack i thnk it will last me a LONG time

I use half to a quarter, depending on what wood I am using to start the fire. With pine, a quarter does the trick. With oak or hickory, I use a half.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Load stove right up with dry splits. Place birch bark up front and light it. I sometimes use splitter waste as well.

 

[vvvv]

with the super cedars do you guys use a whole disk or is half more then enough ??? if i buy the 100 pack i thnk it will last me a LONG time

ask the wife?

 

[BrowningBAR]

with the super cedars do you guys use a whole disk or is half more then enough ??? if i buy the 100 pack i thnk it will last me a LONG time

I split mine in half. Some split them into quarters. I went through a lot in October/November/March due to warmer temps and restarting the stove more often.

 

[op_man1]

I use Timberlite firestarters (product review below). Or newspaper. Or cardboard.


https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/49719/

 

[Adios Pantalones]

By the way- if you have not used plain birch bark... give it a try. Amazing stuff, and good in survival situations because it lights even when wet.

 

[formula_pilot]

Scraps from splitting and a torch.

I did that with the fire pit a few weeks ago and it was "instant campfire", really worked great. I thought it would be great for starting the stove, but I am concerned about temperatures climbing too quickly for cast iron stove.

 

[ckarotka]

Scraps from splitting and a torch.

I did that with the fire pit a few weeks ago and it was "instant campfire", really worked great. I thought it would be great for starting the stove, but I am concerned about temperatures climbing too quickly for cast iron stove.

I just monitor the amount of super dry stuff I use. A decent handful and then a few smaller spits to get a good coal base before loading her up.

 

[Mroverkill]

Timberlite firestarters arnt priced bad either

 

[ANeat]

Ive used crumpled up newspaper, gonna try and see with the Super Cedar free sample.

Really with some dry kindling and a few pieces of crumpled up newspaper (top down) its a pretty painless process

 

[grommal]

I build a top-down fire for starting my Oslo (I was converted last season!). A few medium splits on the bottom. A few small splits on top of them. A handful of very fine splits or other kindling on top. Then I use half of a Super Cedar, broken into two quarters. Lay those on the kindling about a foot apart E-W, and light 'em up. Close up the stove and open the primary air all the way. 30 minutes later there's a 400F and climbing stovetop, secondaries getting going, all with zero intervention. Reduce primary air as needed.

No paper used. No cracking stove doors open. Almost no smoke from the chimney. It works so smoothly it's almost worth letting the stove go cold just to start it again.

Almost.

 

[hardwood715]

Half of Super Cedar does the trick!

 

[latitude45]

reclaimed cedar fence kindling atop newspaper and two small splits..

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We’ve tried various fire starters including our sample of supercedars and fire starters you can buy in camping supply areas of larger stores or camping stores. In the past we’ve even used fatwood. In the end, most of the time we’ve used newspaper on the bottom followed by soft maple kindling on top of that and a couple small splits on top of that.

The simplest are the various fire starters; the cheapest is the newspaper.

 

[Nixon]

I put in two pieces of wood that are split fairly small in the north- south direction ,then fill the fire box east -west . I use splitter trash under it as kindling . It's always a one match start .

 

[Slow1]

1/4 or less of a super cedar does the trick for me - I've found that the more dry my splits the less kindling etc I need.

Also, like others here, once into the serious burning season I only needed whatever leftover coals there were from last load so I went weeks or months between re-lights from external flames. However during shoulder season it was good to have some kindling and such around.

Top down worked well for me but as my kindling supply dwindled I took to just using smaller splits and putting a larger (1/4?) chunk of SC in the middle of them (near top 1/3 of the pile) and going with that.

This fall I expect to have a lot of kindling to burn as I've been stacking sticks and 'splitter trash' all year. So I suppose I don't have on single way of lighting up a cold stove. However I'm betting that I could load up with full size splits and put 1/2 a SC in there and expect it to fire right up if needed (assuming dry wood of course - but I wonder if a whole SC could dry out the wood too... heh).

 

[firefighterjake]

Relighting . . . I use just about everything imaginable for kindling -- splitter trash, slabs split up into kindling, softwood (especially cedar) split into kindling, left over dimensional lumber scraps and wood left over from my camp tear down. My wife, who is far more patient than me, simply puts a few small splits on the coals in the morning, opens up the air control and waits . . . vs. me who wants the fire then and now.

But to answer the question first asked . . . how do I light my fires? If it's a reload in the morning after the fire has gone all night long I put some kindling on the coals and on top of that some small splits . . . whereas my wife uses small splits without the kindling.

To start the fire from scratch I have been a convert to the top down method . . . I put large-medium splits on the base, smaller splits on top of this, kindling on top of this followed by a piece of cardboard and some newspaper bows (or balls) . . . open up the air, keep the side door ajar and in a few minutes we're off to the races.

If you're looking for simple and easy . . . as many folks here have said . . . Super Cedars seem to be the must-have item to use.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

My wife can start the fire by giving it "The look".

I use super cedars.

Matt