Homemade Fire Starters

[buck]

Really simple idea - Homemade Fire Starters

[Pathfinder]

Thanks for sharing this, Buck.  I will try this out soon!

[squidbilly]

Great idea that works well.  If you don't want to buy or waste the cosmetic pads, use your dryer lint--it's free. Cotton is better, but it all burns.

[Firedog]

Would Paraffin Wax work the same? And the guys at the fire dept are dippers and I get some of their empty dip cans and clean them out for lent storage. that would be good for the wax discs too.

[buck]

Conducted my own experiment today.

Went to Wal-Mart and bought an 11.5 oz Fresh Cotton scented candle in a glass jar and a bag of Basic Cotton Rounds face cleaning pads (pads are about 2 inches in diameter and 1/8 " thick).

Candle/jar was placed on the stove and melted at a low temperature. The mouth of the jar was wide enough for me to then dip the cotton rounds into the melted wax for a few seconds and then place on a sheet of wax paper to dry.

I then took my Esbit stove, placed a newly waxed cotton round inside as fuel, and conducted a few water bowling experiments in my garage where there was no wind and the temperature was 65 degrees F. Used my MSR Titanium pot with lid to hold water - this pot holds about 22 oz total.

Experiment #1

• 1 waxed cotton round – weight of .2 oz
  8 oz of water boiled in approximately 6 minutes
  The waxed cotton round burned for approximately 8 minutes

Experiment #2

• 1 waxed cotton round – weight of .2 oz
  16 oz of water was bubbling at the bottom of the pot when the round stopped burning
  The waxed cotton round burned for approximately 7 minutes

Experiment #3

• 2 waxed cotton rounds together – weight of .5 oz
  16 oz of water was boiling at approximately 8.25 minutes
  The waxed cotton rounds burned for approximately 9.75 minutes

Negatives:
Lot’s of black soot on my pot. You would have to clean before repacking the pot.

Positives:
Much, much cheaper than Esbit fuel! One Esbit tablet weights about .5 oz
Everything smells like the scent of the candle – “fresh cotton”  

Also, since the mouth of the candle jar was large enough for me to dip the cotton round, when I was finished I let the wax cool in the jar to be used another day.

[squidbilly]

 Thanks for the publishing the results Buck, sounds like the pros outweigh the cons.

I've never used Esbit cubes.  I hear they stink. Do they soot your pot too?

[buck]

... sounds like the pros outweigh the cons.

I've never used Esbit cubes.  I hear they stink. Do they soot your pot too?

I need to place more emphasis on the soot issue - it REALLY "soots" your pot! It took me a long to time to clean and ended up soaking it for a while. Think of how a candle burns when the wick is too long and it allows for a larger flame. The black soot that results is what I was dealing with burning the cubes. I may go back and try this again and totally enclose the flame, leaving a small opening for air flow - similar to the way a vase does a candle - and see if the soot issue declines.

Esbit cubes, like all fuel, have their unique smell and/or odor, but only if you stick one to your nose. I remember reading the complaints about the smell, but I've never been bothered by the odor and there is no odor while they burn. The ones I carry are in a sealed package. All my 2011 solo hikes I used the Esbit stove and cubes - it's the lightest cooking setup I have and I've never been disappointed.

If I can figure out how to address the soot issue I may dish the cubes for the much, much cheaper waxed cotton rounds.

[squidbilly]

That's what I like about methanol/ethanol: It burns clean.

Regarding wax and cotton wafers:
I don't think you'd ever get rid of the soot completely, even if you had precise control of the fuel/air mixture.
You could keep it off the pot by burning the fuel in a chamber that the pot sits on, but it would need good contact. Even then it would not transfer heat efficiently.

But hey, they work very well for their intended use.

[Firedog]

That's what I was thinking. If they were used solely as a fire starter and use another source, in my case alcohol stove for cooking, they would be great. I have used a little of my alcohol to get a fire started quicker but the wax/cotton patch would keep me from wasting my stove fuel.

I have used dryer lent before but what does the wax component contribute? Longer burn time, Hotter burn?

[squidbilly]

Mainly longer burn time-to help start the fire.  Jackson practiced starting fires with his flint and firesteel this past spring. He discovered how easily dryer lint lights and burns. You can also add vaseline to extend the burn time.

[blisterbob]

 OK hikers, I have been following this with somewhat of an objective attitude. ( I think )
1st. just let me say that  Scrooge would call me an extremist.
2nd. I am all for an idea that serves my needs and is more economical than my current  plan.
3rd. lets gather some facts and priorities.
4th. My experience with serious backpackers has brought me to this conclusion;
  A. weight is the most serious consideration.
  B. Cost is second.
5th. Which brings us to priorities, which is for each of us to choose.
6th. Take stock of what you have invested in your hike; day, overnight, multi-section, thru.
7th. If you would invest $200. in a pack, $100. in a hammock, $300. in down uq's & tQ's,
      $50.+ in freeze dried food, $100. in the latest accessories.....
8th. More people are typing than hiking.
9th. submitted for humor only.
10th. Happy New Year from blisterbob & shadowsue

[squidbilly]

 Funny thing is... I'm discussing firestarters, and I never carry or use the stuff. Even when I have built fires.


I did manage to get out and hike Monday. All day, off trail,wilderness area.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/o3DnEc9HRy8&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/o3DnEc9HRy8&rel=0</a>

Happy New Year All !

[blisterbob]

The shot @ 7 seconds looks like the McDill overlook.
The view @ 30 seconds looks like the overlook on Cave Creek.
I guess if I have to choose between the two it would be Cave Creek because the scraggly pines
seem to be more prevalent on the eastern slope through there.

[squidbilly]

Mc Dill Point--from a ledge almost halfway up.