Home made fire starters?

[ATVriderINmass]

Hey everyone, Does anyone make there own fire starters? I heard of people making there own out of dryer lint,old candles and egg cartons. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make your own fire starters? I was thinking on making some out of stuff i just throw away instead of spending money on the ones at the store..
Frank

 

[Joey Jones]

Eggcrate, sawdust and wax ...makes 12 fire starters as you breakoff one section at a time

 

[fossil]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/23404/

 

[Cazimere]

If you eat shelled peanuts, save the shells in something (5 gallon bucket with a lid). When winter comes,
a hand full under your kindling works wonderful. The oil in the shells makes them burn nicely : )
I also throw in a couple pine cones for good measure.

 

[sbohlen]

I have been using the egg carton method JoeyJ wrote about and I love them. 1 of them is all I ever need to get a fire going. Fill them with sawdust and it reduces the amount of wax you need. I never need paper or kindling.

 

[savageactor7]

A cereal box loosely stuffed with newspapers...DONE!

 

[RedRanger]

I have been using the egg carton method JoeyJ wrote about and I love them. 1 of them is all I ever need to get a fire going. Fill them with sawdust and it reduces the amount of wax you need. I never need paper or kindling.

Yes, those egg cartons are the best of the best, hands down. Only thing is-"I do feel somewhat guilty about not recycling them back to the people we buy our freerun eggs from" :red:

 

[elmoleaf]

One sheet of newspaper loosely rolled and knotted into a pretzel shape. Done in 15 seconds.
Two will usually start a fire.

 

[Chettt]

In August I start saving toilet paper/paper towel cardboard tubes. Fill these with laundry lint and popsicle sticks and a bit of petroleum jelly smeared on the lint. When these run out I just use the store bought variety.

 

[acesover]

a freind of mine says he splits cedar into kindling and seasons, couple pieces of news paper and some cedar and she starts right up. im in the process of seasoning cedar now for this purpose.

 

[K31Scout]

Not home made but home modified are those fire place logs you can buy by the case. I cut them (on my table saw) into hamburger thick slices. We also save all our cardboard to burn and it gets things burning fast. During most of the winter up here I don't need too much starter stuff because we do a 24/7 burn and always have a few coals to start things. A bellows can bring a few coals and some dry wood to life fast.

 

[bigoak9745]

I have two questions about the eggcarton method:

1. do you use the styrofaom type or only use the cardboard /paper types?

2. I dont have access to sawdust, but I have a 50 gal. bag of cherry shavings from a wood worker. These should work the same??

Iwould like to try this, so appreciate any suggestions.


Thanks, Dave

 

[sapratt]

I saved all the sawdust from the chainsaw. Like others said I use egg carton and wax. Seems to work well with the fire pit.

 

[bgoodwithwood]

Sawdust placed in muffin papers in a old muffin pan does it for me. Pour a little gulfwax in there and let 'em cool. I heat the wax in a old can on my gas grill in a cast iron skillet with water in it so the heat is indirect. For a bigger thinner round one, substitue the muffin tin for some tuna cans.

 

[sapratt]

Never thought of muffin papers. I'll have to try that.

 

[johnsopi]

Where does everyone get the bulk wax was from?

 

[astrodon]

In August I start saving toilet paper/paper towel cardboard tubes. Fill these with laundry lint and popsicle sticks and a bit of petroleum jelly smeared on the lint. When these run out I just use the store bought variety.

Yeah, I do something similar. I take the empty tp rolls (I have 5 kids, and LOTS of rolls) and put one paper towel inside with a capfull or two of some kind of vegetable oil. I use the cheapest paper towels and oil that I can find on sale and use one of these mixed in with the kindling in a top downer when I think it might need the extra boost. A few newspaper pretzel-rolls on top always start things off.

 

[Ken45]

If someone is looking for sawdust, "horse bedding" or shavings can be bought at many feed stores for about $5/bail (compressed). I think some places have cedar shavings too.

My only concern about using sawdust from the chain saw is that it may have a high moisture content, especially if you are cutting green wood.

Ken

 

[fossil]

...My only concern about using sawdust from the chain saw is that it may have a high moisture content, especially if you are cutting green wood.

Bar & chain oil in them, too. Rick

 

[Joey Jones]

You can buy it at the grocery in the baking section. 4 -1/4# slabs of gulf wax for cheap ...they are used for making candy or save any old candles

 

[Joey Jones]

You can buy Gulf wax at the grocery in the baking section. 4 -1/4# slabs of gulf wax for cheap ...they are used for making candy or save any old candles

 

[zionadams]

My husband's grandfather used to fill lunch sacks with pitch (tar from downed trees), pine needles, a broken candle and chips. He'd tie them up and have them near the stove. I love the idea of using the muffin liners and sawdust instead. What an economical idea that sounds much easier to pull off!

 

[cmonSTART]

Wow, I'm glad I just saw this thread again. I'm doing my Hunters Education course right now and last night one of the things covered was survival and being lost. The guy teaching the survival section made the coolest firestarters. He very tightly rolled up a newspaper, so he had a tight roll about an inch in diameter. Then, he tied a piece of twine every couple inches or so and cut between the twine, making little newspaper rolls about an inch in diameter by 2 inches long, each with a bit of twine around them. Force a match into the center of each leaving just the head poking out and dip each in paraffin a few times and you have some very neat fire starters for whatever. Camping, wood stove, anything. He says they give him about a half hour of steady flame to get anything burning. I really want to try to make some.