Fire starters questions

[Welderman85]

Has anyone ever tried zips fire starters. I was given a box for my birthday. The work great but you can smell the kerosene in them. The bax says there safe for stoves bit I want to make sure. I have a thin wall flex liner on my insert and don't want to ruin it. What do you guys use?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I wouldn’t run them in a cat stove.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I wouldn’t run them in a cat stove.

I use a piece of super cedar.

 

[Eman85]

I use a little newspaper, a half of a paper egg carton and a few pieces of kindling from a cabinet shop and a match. I tear the newspaper into ribbons, don't wad up sheets so it doesn't take much.

 

[velvetfoot]

I love the little Rutland squares.
A box has, like 144 squares, which will last you quite a while, especially since coals are mostly used in the depth of winter.

 

[Wildflush]

I use free pinecones and have a box of fatwood left over from last year.

 

[Dix]

Dead fall & newspaper for a cold start, some times added by Super Cedar 1/4's.

As mentioned above, in the depth of winter, firing off of coals. Easy Peasy.

Other wise, as @BrotherBart would have said, wood burners hell

 

[TheJeff]

I shave down kindling with my pocket knife and use the little shavings to start progressively bigger peices.

 

[bcar]

I've gone through a box or two of them. My wife usually just picks up whatever random brand wallmart is clearancing out at the end of the season.

 

[barnaclebob]

i doubt a small firestarter is going to cause any issues with a cat stove. I dont think cats are too picky about the hydrocarbons they burn.

But for starting my stove its a 4 to 6 pieces of kindling, preferably fatwood, and blasting it with a propane torch.

 

[Wildflush]

My kindling is basicly dead sticks from my woods. I don’t like to use more than1x pinecone and 1x fatwood since they both have sap.

 

[BillBurns]

I use kindling cut from wood from a cabinet maker. I use my hatchet, shave it down, use a few shreds and off ya go.

 

[blades]

i use half rotted wood ( The stuff that loks like it shoud weigh a good bit but feather light.)soaked in some diesel or used oil cut with some diesel. I make little chunks about 1/2-3/4" by 1.5" long mixed with diesel . let soak for a while . stuff is like a sponge. Tansfer it to another bucket to let any excess drain off . I keep some handy by the stove in a coffee can lid on. Works great for me. That little bit of petro isn't going to hurt anything. about like useing fat wood.

 

[joop]

stick of dynamite,fire everywhere

 

[Douglas3Stoves]

I never found it necessary to purchase dedicated fire starting material. Just kindling and a propane torch.

 

[stoveliker]

Splitter trash and noodles if I have them, or my son's math workbook (recycled unbleached paper, black ink and pencil).

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Our two dogs bring up lots of "sticks" varying in size from pencil to ball bat onto the porch. We toss them in a box, and use them on top of a 1/4 super ceder for most cold starts. We bought a hundred pack of SC's years ago, still working our way through them, will buy another when needed.

 

[BillBurns]

Im not sure about the oil soaked wood, but Ive seen worse.

 

[begreen]

Im not sure about the oil soaked wood, but Ive seen worse.

There's often a worse way to do things, we see plenty of them, but that is not what this site is about.

 

[BillBurns]

Thats what I meant....NOT safe at all.

 

[Northern NH Mike]

Our two dogs bring up lots of "sticks" varying in size from pencil to ball bat onto the porch. We toss them in a box, and use them on top of a 1/4 super ceder for most cold starts. We bought a hundred pack of SC's years ago, still working our way through them, will buy another when needed.

This made me laugh. When I was younger and we were camping my dad gave us the job of rounding up kindling in the woods everyday for the evening firepit. It was our contrinution to the communal event. Hoping young dogs enjoy laying by the warm stove that they helped run. All the best.