Rex Trulove
There are many reasons a person might want to have fire starters for getting a fire going. They can be useful if a person heats with firewood, if they go camping and want to build a campfire, or even if they want to get a barbecue going. They are handy to have in a car for emergencies, too. Fire starters are also quite easy to make.
We take firestarters with us when we go camping since they are more efficient than using wadded up paper for starting the fire. We also have some in our survival kit. We have used them to produce a fire in the middle of a snowstorm, with snow on the ground and more falling. These fire starters produce enough heat for a long enough period of time to get twigs burning, so larger pieces of wood can be added. In fact, in the case of the snowstorm, they produced enough heat to dry out damp twigs so they could burn in the first place.
The firestarters are made from paper and paraffin. Since the paraffin needs to be melted, we usually use a double-boiler. Even a can that is set in a pot of water will work. The point is that paraffin has a low flash-point, so for safety reasons, it is a good idea to use a double-boiler.
If you don’t know what paraffin is, it is a wax that is used in candle-making, canning, for making waxed paper, and even for making chewing gum.
While the paraffin is melting, cut strips of newspaper about three or four inches wide. Roll these up, adding more newspaper strips as needed, until the newspaper rolls are about an inch thick. A piece of string, fine wire, or even rubber bands can be put around the newspaper rolls to prevent them from unraveling.
When the paraffin is melted, use a pair of kitchen tongs to fully submerge a paper roll into the wax. Hold it under for a minute or two, to allow the liquid paraffin to soak into the paper. Remove the roll and allow it to cool. Repeat this process for the other paper rolls you prepared. I usually make at least a dozen at a time, though it is possible to do more than this. If more paraffin needs to be added to the double-boiler, it can be.
Once the firestarters have cooled, put them in ziplock bags. I learned the hard way that this is a good idea. Paraffin is oil based and it has a low melting point. If they are left out during a hot day, the wax can begin to melt, leaving an oily residue on anything it touches. If it is in bags, this issue is eliminated.
Using them is simple. Since paraffin is flammable, it is an easy matter to get them burning with a match. Once they start burning, small twigs can be put on top of the firestarter and as those start to burn, thicker pieces of wood can be added.
The last time I used these to build a fire on the snow and during a snowstorm, I had a nice warming fire going in less than 15 minutes. Paraffin is also waterproof, so there wasn’t even any worry about the snow as it melted and as the wood started burning, it produced a hot bed of coals. The ease of use is one of the main reasons we carry them in our survival and evacuation kit.
I think my neighbor did something similar with dryer lint. I need to ask him about that again.
Using dryer lint is an old Girl Scout trick. It works well, but it doesn’t maintain heat long enough if the wood isn’t dry and ready to burn.
That’s a new way to do it. If the family plans to have the camping trip, I will do these techniques.
It has been extremely hand for us when we’ve gone camping. It sure makes it a lot easier to make a campfire.
Thank you for sharing it. This would be a good way.
I love this idea. I bought a fire starter and put it away for a rainy day, if things go bad I have it on hand, but with your fire starter I can stock up and its cheap.
Indeed it is. It is also waterproof, which might be helpful in your area.
Hi, Rex! Hola!! Do you remember me? ?. Great article! I’ve never had to light a fire until now, but we recently visited a tour where we were told Joe to do it, but the way prehistoric people used to, just using a piece of wood and an arcaic “arc”, to make the upper piece of wood turn on the flat one faster. It was incredible! Nice to meet you here!
Yes, I do remember you, Angeles! Good to see you here!
The American Indians also made fire with two pieces of wood. It has been oversimplified to being called “rubbing two sticks together”, but it is essentially the same concept…using friction between two pieces of wood to create enough heat to cause a flame. They’d also keep a fire burning for days at a time, never letting the embers die out. It’s easy to get a fire going if there are embers to work with. :))
Interesting! In the end, it’s the same, here, there and everywhere! 🙂
It certainly is. The use of flint is also very old for creating sparks that can start a fire.
I don’t need nothing but a lighter & I can always get a fire started
I have a thing for fires( NO not that way lol) but when you live on
the road for 8 yrs as I have you learn all kinds of things to survive.
BUT I do have to say for those that DON’T have a clue when in need
what or how to do this yeah it’s a GOOD thing to learn these days. :>}
It is great if you have that expertise. Most people don’t, though, especially in a survival situation. In a rainstorm or snowstorm, many people will endure cold even when they don’t need to. Still others will do things that are extremely unsafe, like using gasoline to get a fire going. I should write about that, too. We have a neighbor that apparently never learned the right way to build a fire. He starts his barbecue with gas.
My husband had to learn the hard way about fires
when he almost burn’t his self up while I was out
getting us something to eat in town & he ended up
in the hosp when I came home & seen what he did.
AFTER I TOLD him don’t MESS with the fire piles
we had that I’d start them when I got back & well
how do they say you learn the hard way when you
don’t LISTEN? after that he don’t mess with no fires.
That is repeated by many people, every year. House fires and forest fires can result, too. It makes as much sense as using dynamite to start a barbecue or campfire.
ha ha ha you got that right, I am VERY
careful about the fires I start.
Wow! Great photography!
Superb Nice Post Sir!!!!.