Need a little help this am

[tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down]

I have had a hard time with my nemesis this morning. I have a small bed of coals....hardly any kinling and some medium to ENOURMOUS sized logs.....ran out of fire starting bricks. It is cold out and the wind is howling in the flue. It seems if I keep the damper open the small fire that I do get tends to get even smaller. If I close it, smoke builds up and seems to choke it. How can I get this hotter so it will catch on better? Thanks in advance!

 

[karri0n]

Crack the front door of the stove about an inch.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I have had a hard time with my nemesis this morning. I have a small bed of coals....hardly any kinling and some medium to ENOURMOUS sized logs.....ran out of fire starting bricks. It is cold out and the wind is howling in the flue. It seems if I keep the damper open the small fire that I do get tends to get even smaller. If I close it, smoke builds up and seems to choke it. How can I get this hotter so it will catch on better? Thanks in advance!

Split some kindling. Throw it in front. Leave the door cracked open a bit to get it roaring and a good draft established.

If you have any pine/softwood- use it. If you have any birch bark- it's amazing firestarter.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Or a very dry piece of furniture?

 

[tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down]

With the damper open or closed?

 

[Jags]

Crumple up a few pieces of newspaper and throw it on top of the small fire. Will help in getting a stronger draft. Then take a couple of logs and split them smaller, and get them rolling before you start adding anything bigger.

 

[tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down]

Crumple up a few pieces of newspaper and throw it on top of the small fire. Will help in getting a stronger draft. Then take a couple of logs and split them smaller, and get them rolling before you start adding anything bigger.

Out of newspaper on to the kid's coloring books. Small children and can't leave them alone to long to go and cut some kindling. I also tried to cut a few of them and the ax just bounces off them. AUGH!!

 

[tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down]

With the damper open or closed?

DEFINATELY NEED TO KNOW THIS.

 

[karri0n]

open.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Open full.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Take pages with extra crayon on them already. Wax is extra good firestarter

 

[schortie]

You can use a hammer along with your axe or hatchet if you're having difficulty splitting the large pieces. Set the axe on the split and start banging away on the back of the axe. Sometimes this makes things easier.

 

[Jags]

Crumple up a few pieces of newspaper and throw it on top of the small fire. Will help in getting a stronger draft. Then take a couple of logs and split them smaller, and get them rolling before you start adding anything bigger.

Out of newspaper on to the kid's coloring books. Small children and can't leave them alone to long to go and cut some kindling. I also tried to cut a few of them and the ax just bounces off them. AUGH!!

Cardboard boxes, shoe boxes, cereal boxes, paper towel tubes, etc.

 

[karri0n]

Your mouse will burn. Plenty of petrol in the plastic. Use the arrow keys and tab button for page navigation on Hearth.com

 

[tryin.not.to.burn.the.house.down]

Thanks guys. I think I got it going pretty good now. I actually took a graham cracker box and filled it with wood chips. McGuiver would be proud don't you think?

 

[jadm]

Glad you got things going.

Just read a great quote that fits your situation. Can't resist passing it on. "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted."

Also the old stand by: "Necessity is the mother of invention."

You learned some good tricks to add to your wood burning knowledge. :coolsmile:

 

[moondoggy]

mcguiver is nice enough to pat you on the back, but in order to impress, you would have had to soaked the box in flamable solution you made from the crackers and some spit, then created all those wood chips by using 2 toothpicks and dental floss.

glad your relit!

 

[firefighterjake]

Crumple up a few pieces of newspaper and throw it on top of the small fire. Will help in getting a stronger draft. Then take a couple of logs and split them smaller, and get them rolling before you start adding anything bigger.

Out of newspaper on to the kid's coloring books. Small children and can't leave them alone to long to go and cut some kindling. I also tried to cut a few of them and the ax just bounces off them. AUGH!!

Cardboard boxes, shoe boxes, cereal boxes, paper towel tubes, etc.

Every year in the Spring folks here try to burn piles of branches and other debris that has come down on their lawn over the Winter . . . and every year some folks get hurt by trying to get the fire going with gasoline . . . I've always suggested that a liberal use of cardboard is much safer and can often get a brush pile going pretty easily . . . a fact which can often work for the woodburner as well so what I'm trying to say is that I agree with Jags.