What do you use to start your fire?
- Thread starter NewtownPA
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
![[Hearth.com] What do you use to start your fire?](/talk/data/attachments/2/2955-674aa052cd1be75ce2c9f2b083a4fd05.jpg?hash=ppWnjtGsxD)
Jay H said:
Do you use any of those firestarter sticks? I got tired of buying those, so that's why I went with the propane torch. It works better than a cigarette lighter too.
For flame, I use a regular old "butane match" (operates like a cigarette lighter, but about 10" long) from the dollar store. Same one I light the BBQ with in the summer.
For kindling, I mostly use the bits and pieces from around the stump that I split on, or scraps from the wood shop. I'll also use some newspaper to get that going.
-Hal
For kindling, I mostly use the bits and pieces from around the stump that I split on, or scraps from the wood shop. I'll also use some newspaper to get that going.
-Hal
I haven't restarted my fire since early January, been going 24/7 since then. But when I do make a fire I use old fashion kindling and newspaper and the top-down method of stacking, lit with a regular old paper match.
When my stove has to be re-lit, which is rare these days, just a simple grill lighter to light newspaper/junk mail.
About four times a year I use a lighter. Otherwise there is alway plenty of coals to restart. The torch works good but with a little one running arround I am a little more patient.
Do you use any of those firestarter sticks? I got tired of buying those, so that's why I went with the propane torch. It works better than a cigarette lighter too.
I use cardboard and b&w newspaper that I can get in infinite supply from where I work. I roll up the cardboard, stuff it with newspaper, put dry thin pieces of wood on top, open all dampers, and light. Works pretty good. I used to use small kindling, like small dead branchs I get in the yard but I find that unnecessary. I can get my small splits lit with the cardboard.
Jay
I used to buy those, but when you look at the packaging and realize it's simply a dried out stump of a softwood which has absorbed sap (fatwood), I found it's a lot easier to find a nuisance pine tree, cut it down, let the sap absorb, then split it up into kindling.
Most mornings there are still enough residual coals to where I don't use any softwoods, just smaller chunks of hardwood.
Most mornings there are still enough residual coals to where I don't use any softwoods, just smaller chunks of hardwood.
bruce56bb said:a lighter and SUPER CEDARS
no kindling,newspapers,gas,cardboard/diesel or jet fuel.
What's a "super cedar"?
NewtownPA said:bruce56bb said:a lighter and SUPER CEDARS
no kindling,newspapers,gas,cardboard/diesel or jet fuel.
What's a "super cedar"?
http://www.supercedar.com/
There are a couple of threads here on the subject that you can use the search function to find.
Supposedly it's nice and you can use a 1/4 of a chip at a time to conserve.
Jay
Newspaper, misc paper, cardboard, planner shavings, spruce/fir slab wood split into 2x2 or smaller, just add matches. I burn lots of softwood so very little coals left to start from. I'll admit back in the day in my old shop I was lazy and had a used oil drip to get things going. The old sheetmetal can would glow bright orange! Lucky it never burned the place down.
the member nw fuels, is the man behind super cedar. if you you're really nice to him he might send you a free sample. that is how he got me hooked on them. they are the wood burners meth.
- Nov 21, 2005
- 827
I use the fibers from my oak splits & kindling. My unit loads side/side, I fill up the back half with wood splits, lean 4 pieces of kindling against them, rip off a sliver of oak fiber, light the sliver with a butane lighter, and then I simply hold my lit oak fiber under the kindling until it gets going. Afterwhich I finish loading. I don't like to use paper nor waste butane and I have about a cord of kindling from the scraps of living in a fixer-upper so I burn as much of it as I can.
I use one of those ceramic "torch stone" things on a brass stick that you keep in a vat of kerosene. You need a couple sheets of newspaper to get the torch stone lit, then you stack your kindling on top of and around the torch stone. It burns about 5-10 minutes before it runs out of kerosene, which is enough to get the kindling started. Then you take out the torchstone, allow it to cool for an hour or so, then return it to its vat of kerosene.
Been a long time since I thought how I light the stove, I too use the small stuff thats collects around the wood pile and a few crumbled up news paper sheets, with a few small splits on top, open everything up and touch it with a kitchen match 5 minutes later add a few biggers splits and its going nicely.
I use the sawdusty-waxy blocks half at a time. My next door neighbor is a custom cabinet maker, so I get an endless supply of small kiln dried cherry, oak, and poplar cutoffs for kindling. Lay the firestarter in the middle of the firebox, lay the kindling on top, light with a candle lighter and sit back and watch. When the little pile is roaring, throw in a couple of smaller splits and I'm off.
The kiln dried stuff is also great for restarts in the morning from coals. They light off in about 2 minutes!
The kiln dried stuff is also great for restarts in the morning from coals. They light off in about 2 minutes!
- Status
Similar threads
