DIY Firestarters - What's your favorite?

[planner steve]

Good old brown paper grocery bags, usually I use a half a bag.

Living in North Idaho, we do a lot of online shopping and consequently get a lot of brown and white packing paper. Saved a bunch over the summer to use this winter. Nothing more demoralizing that stuffing a bunch of brown paper in the stove and not being able to get the fire to light. Figured out that they treat this packing paper with fire retardant chemicals so it is very hard to get it burning.

 

[Sawset]

In the past I would do the egg cartons with sawdust and wax. This year I skipped the sawdust part, just wax and cartons- easier and they work better. Also we got some different cheapo lighters, "crocs" is the name on them. They have a refill port and fit the "ronson" butane refill tubes. So we're good - easier, better, for longer.

 

[Todd]

In the past I would do the egg cartons with sawdust and wax. This year I skipped the sawdust part, just wax and cartons- easier and they work better. Also we got some different cheapo lighters, "crocs" is the name on them. They have a refill port and fit the "ronson" butane refill tubes. So we're good - easier, better, for longer.

Interesting, how much wax do you put in each egg slot?

 

[Max W]

Two or three sheets of newspaper and three pieces of cedar, 1“x1” or thin edging from a not too far away saw mill, then a small split or two and a good draft.

 

[Sawset]

Interesting, how much wax do you put in each egg slot?

1/4 full or so. Get the carton part wet a little too so it starts up like a candle. In the past the sawdust created a barrier - wax would just sit on top. The wax is the fuel. Ends up they burn the same without the hassle.

 

[Poindexter]

I just pick small pieces off my splits as I need them. It helps that I burn all spruce and usually have plenty of twisty splits with loose ends available. If I had all straight splits with nothing to pick off I would grab an egg carton or two, whatever dryer lint and sawdust I could find and go with it. Planer shavings if you have them. In extremis I have been known to vise up a scrap of 2x4 and take some shavings off it with a plane.

FWIW you can mix crisco vegetable shortening about 50/50 with bees wax and have a mix that will still set up firmly when it cools to room temperature. Local to me crisco is a tenth the price of beeswax. Also, we do have a small trash can next to the dryer for lint. I usually empty it on the back lawn in spring time for song bird nesting material, there is commonly plenty available by autumn.

If you have a catalytic stove do not engage the combustor until the beeswax and crisco are long gone.

 

[Osage]

This year I replaced some split rail fencing. Cut all of the old in 8" pieces and split them into smaller pieces. They can be started with a match. I set out in the sun and split them on a stump. Filled a mineral tub full which lasts all season.

 

[EbS-P]

Also Pine Cones from White Pine Tree are working well for me.

Our long leaf pines have cones 6-10” long. I pick the ones off the drive way that have been run over.

 

[Durieu]

Is it safe to burn cardboard in your wood stove?
For example, amazon delivery boxes.

 

[begreen]

Is it safe to burn cardboard in your wood stove?
For example, amazon delivery boxes.

Not really. That can get too intense in a short period of time and will create a lot of fly ash which can land on leaves outside while still hot. If there is a screen in the chimney cap, it's a quick way to plug it.

 

[peakbagger]

Brown cardboard is great fire starter but definitely not a substitute for firewood. If you have some wax to get rid of, dipping one end of a square of cardboard in wax makes a nice firestarter. I generally do not recomend white cardboard as there are fillers mixed in with the pulp to make it white. The fillers do not burn and just slow down the burning and end up as ash or in rare occasions could impact a Cat combustor.

 

[Split]

I gotta ask, is it safe to put paraffin wax in a wood stove? Does it fully combust? I'd be worried it would stick around in there.

 

[ratsrepus]

No, not in a BK anyway or any cat stove for that matter

 

[stoveliker]

It's best to just burn cord wood -as every manual says.

 

[ratsrepus]

Rutland firestarters. 140 squares $20 amazon

 

[Smithtdes]

I've recently been using Egg Carton and cooking oil and White pine pine cones if i'm short on kindling and to just try different things. What's your go to if you use DIY starters?

Here's a short on how i do the egg carton starter.

With all the excess alcohol hand sanitizer, I save my wine corks (only real cork ones) and soak them in a large mason jar in the alcohol and then put a few under the kindling. Works well.