Ok to use fatwood or strike-a-fire starters in EPA stove?

[Fuut Master]

Would it be OK to use these type of starters in my new wood stove? It is a Hearthstone Mansfield. I have access to newspaper if it would be smarter to use. I have a lot of the commercial fatwood and strike-a-fire sticks left. I would like to use them if they are ok? Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Yes, no problem. SuperCedars are great and much less smoky than fatwood, but it's ok if that is what you have and you want to use them up. Newspaper works fine too.

 

[Fuut Master]

Thanks Begreen for the quick response. I'll use up the fatwood and then use newspaper. I have enough papers to last many years I'm sure.

 

[Highbeam]

For many years I would buy wax firestarter logs from walmart and chop them up into golf ball sized chunks and use those to start the kindling. The wax blacks can be started with a lighter.

I finally got smarter (A tiny bit) last year and use a propane torch. Just the little push button ignition deals on a coleman propane bottle. Use it to ignite kindling and quickly establish a draft. The propane is like one penny per startup and it is very fast.

http://www.bernzomatic.com/Products/Hand-Torches/Instant-On-Off/TS4000

Plus if you have an emergency crème brulee to caramelize or some soldering to do then you're all set!

 

[xman23]

So what exactly is fat wood? And where do yo find it?

 

[Fuut Master]

That is a great idea highbeam. I have several of the propane bottles from were we camp a lot. I will snatch one of those igniters up tonight online. Thanks for the advice. Might toast some marshmallows with it too

 

[Fuut Master]

Fat wood is resin impregnated pine. The stuff I have Is store bought and looks like small pieces of kindling.

 

[Highbeam]

So what exactly is fat wood? And where do yo find it?

It is naturally occurring, in evergreens, a concentration of sap/pitch/tar in the wood near the stump. I find large pockets of fatwood so I save them since a) it might be fun and b) not sure I want a gallon of pitch burning off at once unexpectedly.

Here is a photo of last year's pile of fatwood harvested in the course of regular firewood processing. I still have it. Now that the torch is so fast and clean I'm not sure what to do with it.

 

[begreen]

Thanks Begreen for the quick response. I'll use up the fatwood and then use newspaper. I have enough papers to last many years I'm sure.

With good dry wood and kindling a little newspaper is all you need. As soon as it gets cold this is a moot point for many of us as we are burning 24/7.

 

[Fuut Master]

This will be my first year with the Mansfield. I purchased it earlier this year and had enough cool weather to do the break in process. That was about it. I have been using an OWF for several years now and it was a 24/7 burn. Didn't really matter as much how I started the fires in it though. I am looking forward to cooler weather to see what the new wood stove will do.

 

[begreen]

The Mansfield is a beautiful hunk of rock.

 

[jetsam]

Kindling isn't even an option?

Are you fancy-firestarter people laughing at my handfuls of twigs?

 

[jetsam]

I finally got smarter (A tiny bit) last year and use a propane torch. Just the little push button ignition deals on a coleman propane bottle. Use it to ignite kindling and quickly establish a draft. The propane is like one penny per startup and it is very fast.

http://www.bernzomatic.com/Products/Hand-Torches/Instant-On-Off/TS4000

Plus if you have an emergency crème brulee to caramelize or some soldering to do then you're all set!

A regular benzomatic MAPP torch burns propane just fine. Put on the yellow bottle for soldering, green bottle for stove and kitchen stuff!

On a related tangent... anyone know what the difference is between the green "camping gas" propane cylinders and the blue propane cylinders?

 

[edyit]

I'm fairly certain the only difference between the blue and green bottles is the manufacturer. It's the same gas (propane) just in a different package.

 

[armanidog]

Here in the southern US, some of us call fat wood "lighter". You look for an old pine stump that is half rotted away. Take an ax and hit it a few times, the rotten stuff should fall away and the hard stuff is what you want.
I usually use a sledge hammer to knock pieces off the stump.
It will light with a match. It does make black smoke.
I rarely use it for my stove since I have coals to re-light the fire each morning.