Using Newspaper to start fire ?

[pete97]

I have a Blaze King Princess Insert. I wanted to know if it is ok to use newspaper and kindling wood to start fires? I have always used this method but that was when I had a non efficient stove and it wasn't a CAT stove. Will it hurt the CAT ? Thanks Pete

 

[begreen]

Should be fine. Avoid colored newsprint unless you are sure they use soybased, non-metallic inks.

 

[pete97]

Thanks, I only use black and white sections of the paper. Just didn't want to ruin the awesome stove I just got last spring. Only had a couple fires in it last spring. Pete

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I too used newspapers for many, many moons. Even with the Fireview. This year, however, I will be using the super cedars. I bust them into quarters so on super cedar will start 4 fires. Much easier than newspaper and less messy too. Besides, we aren't getting many newspapers anymore. And yes, I did avoid the colored newsprint.

 

[pete97]

Ok, I have tons of cedar kindling from some trim work I did. I guess i will use that stuff up and then get some Super Cedars next year. Pete

 

[CJRages]

Should be fine. Avoid colored newsprint unless you are sure they use soybased, non-metallic inks.

How would someone learn of this? I suppose calling the newspaper office would be the obvious answer.

I had never heard that burning color sections of newsprint/newspaper was a bad idea. Could someone help me understand what is in the color ink (what kind of metals - lead?) that is harmful? I can understand that the laminated/glossy stuff should not be burned. The reason I ask is because all the papers in my area have some color on every page. Thanks.

EDIT: According to Wikipedia - in 2004 95% of all newsprint was made with soy-ink. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_ink

 

[Battenkiller]

Should be fine. Avoid colored newsprint unless you are sure they use soybased, non-metallic inks.

I believe that the soy base is an oil, merely a vehicle for the pigment and dyes. The danger used to be from the toxicity of the coloring agents used in the ink. I think newspapers use both soy and petroleum based ink, but the black pigment is carbon black... about as harmful as the soot from your stove. I believe color ink is no longer a danger, but I stay away from the glossy stuff just because it burns crappy anyway. As far as the non-soy based oils, you are likely putting out thousands of times as many trace toxins from the petroleum-based paraffin contained in a single SuperCedar than in a year's supply of mineral oil-based newsprint ink.


Just found this from Down Under:


http://www.environment.news.com.au/html/inks.htm

Pigments

Carbon black, the pigment in black News Ink, is safe. Carbon black is also used as in liquorice, paint, rubber, plastic and in the textiles that are used in everyday life. Carbon black could be harmful if inhaled as a dust but as it has been dispersed as paste in the other components of the ink and therefore the dust hazard issue has been negated.

Pigments in Colour News Inks are:

* C.I. Diarylide yellow, which is a non-hazardous organic compound that has a very low solubility and is not expected to cause problems in the environment (ECETOC has concluded that levels of organic substances in soils below 1 mg/kg are unlikely to adversely affect plant growth).
* C.I. 57 Rubine 4B Toner, which is calcium based and not hazardous.
* C.I. 15 Phthalocyanine blue, which is copper based, not hazardous and highly insoluble

Heavy metals

Heavy metals are not a danger in News Inks. No heavy metals (as defined in Australian Standard 1647, Part 3_1982) are added to black or process colour inks. Background levels are measured in parts per million, many times less than the Australian Standards for inks used in children’s' toys and colour comics. In fact, by 1977 all newspaper inks used in Australia were modified to "low toxicity" and lead was discontinued as a pigment base. Of course, trace contaminants are present everywhere in our environment and lead is no exception. But, tests have shown that News Inks comply with the presently accepted limits for lead of 100 ppm.

Oils

The amount of vegetable oil in inks varies. The great advantage of using vegetable oil is that it is a renewable resource, but the mineral oils used are highly refined and just as safe.

The mineral oil components of News Inks are safe and are not mutanogenic, carcinogenic or teratogenic. This is because after extreme refining very little remains of the polyaromatic substances found in the original mineral oils.

There are many methods to analyse the polyaromatic content of oil. IP 346 is the method used to determine whether an oil should be labelled as mutagenic or carcinogenic in the European Union. Mineral oils at the 3% IP346 level are clearly not carcinogenic, and oils used in News Inks are below this 3% level and therefore safe.

Chronic toxicity studies of mineral oils show that they do not represent a long-term danger to the aquatic environment. The oils are short terms or degradable and they are non-toxic. No classification is needed.

Highly refined mineral oils have an LD50 in rats of <5,000 mg / kg. This means that an 80 kg human, if they reacted similarly to rats, would require about 400 gm of oil, which would be more than a soft drink can of News Ink, for a toxic LD50 dose. Put another way you would need to consume more than 100 average weekday newspapers to achieve this toxic dose - that is about 12,000 pages of newsprint.

Ink formulations can vary, but the oil base is likely to be made up of:

Compounds

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) can combine with other atmospheric pollutants to form smog. The high boiling point of New Inks, over 300 degrees, means that they release very low amounts of volatile substances. News Inks have a vapour pressure of less than 0.1 mm Hg @ 25 degrees, which means that they are more than twenty times below the threshold of 2 mm Hg required for classification as a VOC in the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI).


How much ink?

Of course very little ink is actually needed to make a newspaper. Approximately 8.2-8.5 kg of black ink and 4 kg of color ink is used per tonne of newsprint. This means that only a few grams of inks are on your average newspaper: a 300 grams newspaper might have less than 3.75 grams of ink (< 1.5%).

Hopefully, we adhere to a similar standard in the U.S.

 

[sandie]

For those who say they use the Cedar firestarters, how do you break them into 4 pieces, hard to get them in half let alone into 4 pieces. I ove them however and will reorder when I run out!

 

[vvvv]

For those who say they use the Cedar firestarters, how do you break them into 4 pieces, hard to get them in half let alone into 4 pieces. I ove them however and will reorder when I run out!

microwave + knife

 

[ckarotka]

I buy those cheap fire starters from walmart for $10 a box and break them into 1/5ths.(about the size of a 2 mini candy bars) One box is a season and half for me. Start everything off with a torch, quick and simple. What makes the super cedar that much better than the ones I use?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Super Cedars are scored to break in half. I leave them in the wrapper and break in half with my hand. Sometimes I tap them on the corner of the hearth to help get that first break. After you break in half, simply turn them and this time they will break easy making 4 pieces. What we do then is place the 4 pieces inside a plastic bag, like a Glad sandwich bag. There is enough to start your next 4 fires.

 

[Badfish740]

Doesn't anybody just use newspaper and sticks anymore? Pallet wood helps too.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Badfish, I did up to this year. Now there simply is very few newspapers around here to start a fire with. We do get a weekly pain in the ad, but I won't put colored paper in and what is left isn't worth monkeying with any longer. The super cedars just made fire starting much, much easier. For example, my wife has always had a hard time lighting fires. Already this year she has started 4 or 5 fires with no problems. Super Cedars to the rescue.

 

[Dune]

Four or five fires already, I am wearing just a pair of shorts and I am warm. Might not have our first fire till nearly november.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We too can feel warm in just a pair of shorts. It just happens to be indoors where that happens. Different areas of the country get different weather. It won't be long until we heat 24 hours per day. That's okay as we have plenty of wood.

 

[heatwise]

i gave up on the newspaper for the wood stove. it just seems to smoke and for some reason i dont think it catches well. it may be the humidity here ?. i just lay in 2 or 3 small splits and put a small piece of wax sawdust starter log stuff and a few pieces of split pallet wood criss crossed on top. when im outside lighting the firepit i use newspaper and pinecones. smokes a bit but gets things going fast. pete

 

[Dune]

We too can feel warm in just a pair of shorts. It just happens to be indoors where that happens. Different areas of the country get different weather. It won't be long until we heat 24 hours per day. That's okay as we have plenty of wood.

Now that you mention it you look kind of cold in that picture.

 

[n3pro]

We do get a weekly pain in the ad.

I love that quote. I agree with the more smoke and slower startup with the newspaper and sticks. Super cedars are just much quicker with less smoke.

 

[BrotherBart]

Doesn't anybody just use newspaper and sticks anymore? Pallet wood helps too.

I sure don't after last season. No more schlepping outside and getting the kindling. No more picking up newspaper at the dump because washingtonpost.com wouldn't light worth a damn.

Now I just walk over to the closet, take out a Super Cedar. Walk over to the counter top and smack it on the edge of it twice to quarter it and take a piece out or two and light'er off in the stove with some medium splits.

40 years of kindling and newspaper. Phooey. I am done with it. Heck who knows. After seeing this new newfangled stuff I might get around to buying a CD player.

 

[mtcates]

I been using match light charcoal to start fires. No kindling is required either. I just sandwich maybe 4 or 5 pieces between two medium splits of wood, put a few more splits on top and light the charcoal. works every time.

 

[Battenkiller]

After seeing this new newfangled stuff I might get around to buying a CD player.

How thoroughly modern that would be. :roll: :lol: Does that mean we'll be seeing your 8-track collection on eBay?

 

[Adios Pantalones]

My problem with newspaper is that I need to bring 2 sheets because as soon as I start crumpling it up, Shamus starts nudging and growling at me- so I have to throw it for him and use the second sheet to start the fire.

 

[Battenkiller]

My problem with newspaper is that I need to bring 2 sheets because as soon as I start crumpling it up, Shamus starts nudging and growling at me- so I have to throw it for him and use the second sheet to start the fire.

Adios, I hate to sound like a girl, but that face is just adorable.

Just love your pink toenails as well.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

No shame in saying that Batt- I'm a lot cheesier about dogs (they're my favorite people).

This is what he does if you are ignoring him. How he's not twice the weight he is from everyone wanting to feed him- I dunno.

LOL- ya, and my toes are pretty tan for an Irishman

 

[firefighterjake]

Doesn't anybody just use newspaper and sticks anymore? Pallet wood helps too.

I'm a troglodyte and still use kindling and newspaper to start my fires in my Oslo . . . which is a secondary combustion-style woodstove.