Fire starters

[sixman]

When I picked up my new Lopi Endeavor I found a "free sample" of the fire starter called Lightning Nuggets. It is basically about the size of a golf ball sliced in half and made of pitch wood not wax. Anyone have any experience with these to know if they work well and what are you guys using when not burning 24/7 in like in spring and fall.

 

[BrowningBAR]

When I picked up my new Lopi Endeavor I found a "free sample" of the fire starter called Lightning Nuggets. It is basically about the size of a golf ball sliced in half and made of pitch wood not wax. Anyone have any experience with these to know if they work well and what are you guys using when not burning 24/7 in like in spring and fall.

I use Super Ceders, they work really well.

But right now I have a hell of a stack of ceder shingles that I am using since I got a new roof. So, I'm kind of set for a while. The ceder shingles should last about two seasons, if not longer.

 

[NH_Wood]

Never heard of that brand of starter. I use peels of birch bark as firestarter - the natural resins in the bark catch quick and the bark burns long enough to catch the kindling well. I gather birch bark whenever I can - and build up a good supply by the time winter comes around. Plus, it's free! Cheers!

 

[oldspark]

When I picked up my new Lopi Endeavor I found a "free sample" of the fire starter called Lightning Nuggets. It is basically about the size of a golf ball sliced in half and made of pitch wood not wax. Anyone have any experience with these to know if they work well and what are you guys using when not burning 24/7 in like in spring and fall.

I bought a box of them, they are OK but since have bought some super cedars (mainlyfor the wife) and they are much better IMHO.

 

[BrotherBart]

I haven't heard of them and up until this season had never used fire starters. This year I used Super Cedars and anything that works better than them would probably have an octane rating.

 

[fire_N_ice]

burn them and tell us

 

[sixman]

They only sent one starter and stove in not in place yet but maybe this weekend, weather permitting, it will be in. Seems to be the general concensus that the cedar starters are the way to go.

 

[Fsappo]

They work fine, just use it. Theres tons of different fire starters. I use SureStart by Meeco, simply because thats what we sell here. A $4 package lights about 10 fires for me. I break off 2 squares, wedge them into the ash so they are standing on end, light the end sticking up, place a split on either side and a split on top and the fire always lights. I know Super Cedars are a sponser of this forum and folks have a lot of good things to say about them. I just never needed to use them.

 

[woodhound]

If ya have white pines in your area just go and cut a 6-8 incher down split it in fours and stack. Best fire starter and its free if available. 1 tree and limbs will last me the shoulder season since I burn 24/7 in winter. I also take the kids wagon for a walk down one of the trails in the woods and fill it full of sticks and throw them in the copper bucket in the basement so I have some starter if I need it.

 

[oldspark]

They work fine, just use it. Theres tons of different fire starters. I use SureStart by Meeco, simply because thats what we sell here. A $4 package lights about 10 fires for me. I break off 2 squares, wedge them into the ash so they are standing on end, light the end sticking up, place a split on either side and a split on top and the fire always lights. I know Super Cedars are a sponser of this forum and folks have a lot of good things to say about them. I just never needed to use them.

Not trying to start any thing but they start off slow and the flame is not as good a super cedars, I have not used but those two and I thought it was night and day, mabe some other people can chime in with some others and how they compare to super cedars.

 

[Battenkiller]

mabe some other people can chime in with some others and how they compare to super cedars.

I always made my own by putting some cedar or pine shavings (animal bedding) inside a cardboard egg carton and pouring hot wax over them. I put the wax in a tin can and place it a used aluminum pie pan and place it on the stove to melt. Takes ten minutes all told and they work great. Tried the SC starters this year and they work just as good. Problem is, I never use them except for camping, and even then I prefer birch bark (octane rating - 129). 24/7 for the entire heating season for me. I need to keep the masonry mass temp up there to warm up the entire house. If I snooze, I lose.

A neat trick I came up with for birch bark is to harvest it from a fallen log and cut it into 2" strips, then roll them up tight and tie a string around the roll. Sometimes I start the roll around a "strike-anywhere" match and kill two birds with one stone. When they are dry, they provide a long-lasting and intense little starter that is not messy (like splitting SC starters into quarters) and only takes up a container the size of a coffee can to hold about a gross of them.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Battenkiller, that sounds like a great idea. I may have to try that as we have lots of birch here.

 

[Battenkiller]

Battenkiller, that sounds like a great idea. I may have to try that as we have lots of birch here.

I dug a couple out of my camping gear to show what they look like.

 

[CrawfordCentury]

The A section from yesterday's newspaper and a bunch of dead twigs that fell off from an ash tree in my yard did the trick last night.

 

[CrawfordCentury]

Battenkiller, that sounds like a great idea. I may have to try that as we have lots of birch here.

I dug a couple out of my camping gear to show what they look like.

Those look...well...delicious. Kinda like finger food or some horsed'overs.

Gotta admit, nothing like birch bark for getten a campfire going.

 

[webbie]

I've used lightning nuggets...I think they also sold it in a flake form, which I liked as well or better. It was just shavings coated with wax.

Of course, now I only use Super Cedars because frankly they are the only starter which appeals to all five senses........
(an inside joke)......and, since I have a chitload of them with Hearth.com written on them, what else am I supposed to use?

 

[Battenkiller]

I've used lightning nuggets...I think they also sold it in a flake form, which I liked as well or better. It was just shavings coated with wax.

Now that I've become a convert to top-down fires, I can picture what a fistful of those would do when sprinkled on top of the kindling. A sea of flame in minutes, I imagine. And no need for tying the damn bows.

 

[firefighterjake]

Battenkiller, that sounds like a great idea. I may have to try that as we have lots of birch here.

I dug a couple out of my camping gear to show what they look like.

Those look...well...delicious. Kinda like finger food or some horsed'overs.

Gotta admit, nothing like birch bark for getten a campfire going.

I'm glad I'm not the only one here with a mind always thinking of food . . . I thought they looked a bit like "pigs in a blanket".

Oh yeah, for the record I still light my fires old school -- cedar or pine kindling with some newspaper . . . maybe a small piece or two of cardboard (the arsonist's secret weapon.)

 

[sixman]

Where is a good place to find wax for making your own starters?

 

[Battenkiller]

Where is a good place to find wax for making your own starters?

At the market, where they keep canning supplies. It is used to top off jars of hot jams and jellies. I have a lifetime supply that I found in the barn when my MIL passed a couple years ago. She was big into her preserves. There were about 20 one-pound boxes the size of butter cartons, with four 1/2" slabs in each box. You can also use cheap candles from the dollar store. Just don't use candle wax for your preserves, it's got perfume in it. ;-)

 

[oldspark]

I also light my fires the old fashioned way with kindling and paper, the super cedars are for the wife as she needs all the help she can get and that still aint enough. :roll:

 

[op_man1]

I use Timberlite firestarters - for $20 you get 144 squares ~ about 72 starts (about 0.27$ per start). Not sure if it's availabe in the US. I reviewed the product a while back, if you're interested. Traditional lighting method is also good.

 

[laynes69]

I'm lucky. I get paraffin wax by the 5 gallon buckets for free. It comes off our processors at work. I mix dry shavings and ground pine cones with the wax and they burn long and hot. I need to make some more.

 

[jeff_t]

My wife spends a lot of time picking through garage sales, and brings home tons of candles, always from the 'free' box.

 

[Cluttermagnet]

Where is a good place to find wax for making your own starters?

I agree with jeff_t. Yard sales are the ticket. Grab all those cheap or free candles and melt 'em down for the wax.

Bonus: Sometimes you get scented firestarters. :lol: