Trick to get paper to burn longer

[Jags]

Gents - it simply is not that big of deal. There is a difference between coating your cast iron skillet with fat and then seasoning it...or a few drops of oil on paper getting burned (or wax). What about the resins in fatwood? Or the pitch in a pine split? Burn the stove at the proper temps. Inspect. Sweep as needed. No worries.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The problem with the plain paper is it burns up so damn fast that it doest have time to bring the wood to combustion. Sometimes it takes a crap load of paper just to burn long enough to get the wood going. That creates a ton of ash, you know, as if you're burning a crap load of paper.

This post simply says one thing; if you can't get that wood started like you state, you are not burning very good wood. Time to stockpile some wood and give it time to dry before trying to burn it.

 

[gmule]

I use this on some twigs.
(broken image removed)

 

[bmblank]

This post simply says one thing; if you can't get that wood started like you state, you are not burning very good wood. Time to stockpile some wood and give it time to dry before trying to burn it.

Scraps from solid oak flooring isn't good wood? Around 6-8% moisture, split to 1/2-1 inch splits...

 

[downeast]

Gees: whatever happened to plain ole fire starting -- i.e starter, kindling, small splits, big splits.

Here's a free greenie tip: take a good sharp pocket knife ( or machete if you're up for it ), start cutting slices from a piece of softwood leaving the slices hanging from the wood ( scrap 2x4 will do fine) to make a starter "tree".
Light said "tree" starter, then slowly placing successively larger splits onto said burning bush. Ergo: fire. Slow and sure.

Hey, you want to start a fire, think Semtex. Why not C-4 ?

You need MAPP, Canola oil, diesel, wax ? Whew. FYI save the wax for your legs boys.

Where are the real firestarters we knew from Boy Scouts ?

I am perplexed.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Is that flooring unfinished? But there should be no problem getting that stuff to light and I have no idea why you would have a problem with paper.

 

[bmblank]

Yes, unfinished. It lites well, but sometimes the paper burns away so fast it won't have time to lite. We're talking 10-15 seconds and its all ash and unlit, slightly warmer wood. To much paper (to prolong the starting burn) and it starts to inhibit the operation/efficiency of the furnace.

 

[downeast]

Yes, unfinished. It lites well, but sometimes the paper burns away so fast it won't have time to lite. We're talking 10-15 seconds and its all ash and unlit, slightly warmer wood. To much paper (to prolong the starting burn) and it starts to inhibit the operation/efficiency of the furnace.

1. Take said unfinished flooring strips in hand.
2. Place strip on end onto butt of any wood species > 12" DBH placed on end.
3. With small hatchet in hand, raise hatchet in air above strip of flooring.
4. Lower hatchet carefully into end of said flooring to split it.
5. Repeat until the flooring in in small pieces i.e. kindling.
6. Place kindling onto wrinkled or rolled paper ( we use The Wall Street Journal, preferred although the NYT is a good second. YMMV ).

Therefore no "...inhibit the operation/efficiency of the furnace". No unlit, warm wood. Will work for wood stoves also.

This is serious, no ?

 

[bmblank]

Thanks for that. I've never lived in a house that burned exclusively wood for both heat and domestic hot water for my whole life. Wait a minute... Yes i have.
Anyway, i can see nothing is gonna change, so, peace, I'm out.

 

[OldLumberKid]

Once I discovered that me and the saw both liked noodling the occasional knobby
I saved a bunch of noodles and am experimenting with wrapping them in paper (on the suggestion of someone here, and cos I have a lot of noodles! — I guess technically the noodles are not seasoned, but they burn up quick enough.

Mostly though I use kindling — I have some great stuff that does the job real well ... I'll see if I can get the brand. I also use dry scraps from splitting around the woodpile.

 

[downeast]

Thanks for that. I've never lived in a house that burned exclusively wood for both heat and domestic hot water for my whole life. Wait a minute... Yes i have.
Anyway, i can see nothing is gonna change, so, peace, I'm out.

P.S. Tarms are yes wood "furnaces", extremely efficient BTW. The basics of lighting a wood fire are the same, furnace or wood stove or outdoor boiler.
Firebox filled with wood to ignite.
What is the difficulty ?
I am perplexed.

 

[rideau]

Once I discovered that me and the saw both liked noodling the occasional knobby
I saved a bunch of noodles and am experimenting with wrapping them in paper — I guess technically the noodles are not seasoned, but they burn up quick enough.

I pick up dry twigs/branches during walks with the dog, break them into 16-18 inch lengths and drop in an outdoor trash paper bag. Fill one every year. When I do a cold start, unless I use a supercedar, I wrap a handful of the trigs in a piece of newspaper, and place in the bottom of the firebox. Repeat five or six times, so I have about six pieces of paper wrapped around twigs. Then I load my entire load of wood, light the paper and close the door. Fire never fails to take off, and the newsprint is at the bottom of the stove, so I don't get flyash from it.

 

[WarmGuy]

From another post:
I have a super-simple, cheap system that works perfectly. I've used it for over 10 years. It's safe, effective, and clean.

1. Place 2-3 TBS of vegetable oil in a Dixie cup. I buy big containers of the cheapest oil at CostCo.
2. Wad up a half of a paper towel, and put it in the cup.
3. Place this on the floor of the woodstove, put two medium-sized logs on each side of the cup, and light the paper towel.
4. Add a roof to the "house"

You don't need small pieces. If your wood is very dry, you can use large pieces of wood. I never bother with kindling. It does not burn fast like lighter fluid, but it burns long enough to get things started.

 

[begreen]

I roll up a crumpled used paper towel so it looks like a blunt, lay it in between and under a few splits and spray with diesel fuel form one of the atomizer bottles. DONE!

Started doing it that way after the temperate winter of 2 years ago requiring so many restarts from a cold box.

From Quad manual:

 

[ArsenalDon]

It does work great for starting charcoal on the BBQ, but super dry kindling works just as well with just a bit of paper as do super cedars which are da bomb

 

[downeast]

From another post:
I have a super-simple, cheap system that works perfectly. I've used it for over 10 years. It's safe, effective, and clean.

1. Place 2-3 TBS of vegetable oil in a Dixie cup. I buy big containers of the cheapest oil at CostCo.
2. Wad up a half of a paper towel, and put it in the cup.
3. Place this on the floor of the woodstove, put two medium-sized logs on each side of the cup, and light the paper towel.
4. Add a roof to the "house"

You don't need small pieces. If your wood is very dry, you can use large pieces of wood. I never bother with kindling. It does not burn fast like lighter fluid, but it burns long enough to get things started.

Better K.I.S.S. system needing nothing but your brain, common sense, and very little effort.
1. Take a walk in woods with tree litter ( i.e. debris, twigs, droppings from woodpeckers). Or, split rounds or butts of firewood. From this effort you get wood scraps.
2. Bend over, pick up sticks, scraps. Repeat: bend over.
3. Place scraps, debris,litter ( ergo: KINDLING ) into a bucket.
4. Following the reading of your local or national paper ( not Playboy or such please; the shiny varnish color paper is not good for stove and flue ), save for starting fire.
5. No oil, no fossil fuel, no paper towels, no Dixie tm cups, no C-4. Just the ole Boy Scout firestarting. That paper manual is available as an app.

"....and the intelligent are full of doubt."
I am a voice crying in the wilderness.

 

[osagebow]

Taking an Idea from another post on here, I have the boys gather pine cones. A huge white pine where our scout meetings are held produces tons on a nice lawn. Then I make THEM lay and light the fire if they are up and I have the time to wait.

 

[OldLumberKid]

Better K.I.S.S. system needing nothing but your brain, common sense, and very little effort.
....
2. Bend over, pick up sticks, scraps. Repeat: bend over.
3. Place scraps, debris,litter ( ergo: KINDLING ) into a bucket.
4. Following the reading of your local or national paper
...

The three methods above.
There's a bunch of dried scraps around the woodpile
Newspaper. (scrunched)... and some commercial kindling (it's pretty inexpensive)

 

[fbelec]

i'm surprised no one said anything about this so here goes. take a sheet of newspaper roll it up then tie in a knot. thats it. it lasts anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute to burn. if wood doesn't light in that amount of time it's not dry. get something else. i start a fresh fire everyday and my wood is placed under the paper. i use 3 to 5 knots. done. downeast's way works well also. i use left overs from the job and break wood lath not cut. i light the jagged edge of the break and don't even need paper. it depends on my mood oak floor ends take a little longer time to catch than pine but last a little longer.

frank

 

[bag of hammers]

I use the aforementioned dog's breakfast of kindling (lumber scraps, pine and cedar kindling, stuff I rake up around the wood pile, a handful of the bazillion twigs and small branches around the property courtesy of the last wind, etc) and a half page from the local newspaper. The cedar bits practically explode as soon as the flame touches them. I think the newspaper I tear bits from (stuffed in the kindling box) is probably from 2010. I'd like to try the super cedars some time but no panic - I have dry kindling out the wazoo right now...

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Gees: whatever happened to plain ole fire starting -- i.e starter, kindling, small splits, big splits.

Here's a free greenie tip: take a good sharp pocket knife ( or machete if you're up for it ), start cutting slices from a piece of softwood leaving the slices hanging from the wood ( scrap 2x4 will do fine) to make a starter "tree".
Light said "tree" starter, then slowly placing successively larger splits onto said burning bush. Ergo: fire. Slow and sure.

Hey, you want to start a fire, think Semtex. Why not C-4 ?

You need MAPP, Canola oil, diesel, wax ? Whew. FYI save the wax for your legs boys.

Where are the real firestarters we knew from Boy Scouts ?

I am perplexed.

Got that merit badge 40 years ago.Along with a LOT of others..

I have said it before, and I will say it again...

I am heating my house, not earning a merit badge. Super Cedars all the way. Load the stove to the gills with real splits, open the air, light the SC, air down when happy. Simple, clean fast, fuss free. I got about a million other things to do than prove I know small sticks from big.

 

[bag of hammers]

I must have the fire gods smiling on me - I have never had any issue getting a fire going strong with minimal effort. I load up the dog's breakfast, mix some softwood and hardwood splits on that, one match (or click on the bbq lighter), and in a minute it's turning into an inferno (sometimes I'll give the glass a quick wipe while the fire takes off). From there it's a couple air adjustments and I got a good fire rolling that I can walk away from for a couple hours or more. The next time I open the door I load it up according to conditions (e.g. cold day - pack it full of maple / yellow birch). I look at starting from cold as an opportunity to clean up the bits and tiny uglies.

 

[madison]

Try wrapping NO paper around a super cedar.... Or if you really must ... wrap one sheet of newspaper around a small hunk of super cedar.

 

[rideau]

Does anybody wrap paper around a supercedar?

I use kindling and paper, or supercedar. Never dramt of using both.

And, Bag of Hammers, it helps to be in a climate with consistently cold weather. Keeps that draft nice and strong. I never have a problem lighting off either. Except from a cold start, the fire is going before the door is closed, as long as there are a few coals. A cold start is easy with a bit of care in laying the fire, and a supercedar chunck or paper or birchbark and kindling. Quite simple.

 

[Trilifter7]

I've been using these starters this year, They are awesome! I found them at my local True Value store. Break one block off and place it on top of two splits then fill the rest of the fire box up. I leave a small space to reach the block with a long lighter and it gets the stove going every time. No mess, no hassle, no time wasted. Literally just load it up, light it and walk away. Like Dakotas Dad said, " Simple, clean, fast, fuss free. I got about a million other things to do than prove I know small sticks from big"