Drunken firestarters

[pen]

When I have a couple two, three, seven, eight drinks I enjoy a snack. Often times it's pistachios. One night last winter I had an exceptionally big pile of shells in front of the keyboard after spending a good amount of time with gin and hearth.com. I decided to toss them into the woodstove on my way to bed instead of trashing them. I couldn't believe how they took off. I figured I'd save some and try fire starters someday.

Today was the day, had the boy measure them out in each muffin tin (don't tell mama) and poured just enough paraffin in to make them hold together. Gave the tin a shot of cooking spray before the pistachios went in also. Additionally, I tried breaking them shells down a bit in the food pro, but that was a complete failure (again, don't tell mama). Had I been inspired I'm sure a mallet would have taken them down some, but not sure if having them shells in smaller pieces would do any good or not.

Below are the pics of what we came up with. I'm not about to enter a competition against Thomas at SuperCedars with them, but it was fun for something to do with the boy for a bit.

Anyone else playing around with making their own?

 

[dylskee]

That is awesome! I never thought of making my own, hell if these work I'll buy some from you

 

[pen]

That is awesome! I never thought of making my own, hell if these work I'll buy some from you

lol, I think these cost me (not counting the pistachios or booze of course) right about as much as super cedars do. Paraffin is not cheap anymore! Maybe next time I'd mix in some dryer lint with the paraffin to help stretch it out a bit further.

pen

 

[dylskee]

lol, I think these cost me (not counting the pistachios or booze of course) right about as much as super cedars do. Paraffin is not cheap anymore! Maybe next time I'd mix in some dryer lint with the paraffin to help stretch it out a bit further.

pen

If you added in the booze and pistachios you'd have to get $50.00 for a two pack!

 

[northwinds]

I melt garage sale candles and pour over egg cartons filled with sawdust. An "egg" is usually plenty to start a fire. If I didn't enjoy being frugal and making my own, I would definitely buy Super Cedars--they are a great product.

 

[BrotherBart]

Haven't made anything for the stove in the house but I made a batch of napalm-b for the outside stove last week.

 

[laynes69]

I have an unlimited supply of paraffin from work, I just compress sawdust and the wax for firestarters. The silicon baking sheets work well, or I'll compress in a tube and cut pucks. I need to make some for this year, haven't had time.

 

[pen]

Haven't made anything for the stove in the house but I made a batch of napalm-b for the outside stove last week.

Styrofoam packaging and gasoline?

pen

 

[Prof]

I do the old egg carton, lint and wax trick. I use broken crayons--with a couple little kids running around, I seem to have an endless supply of all three materials.

 

[PapaDave]

I do like northwinds with the egg cartons and sawdust/chips. I also use boxes of GulfWax from the grocery store.
The GulfWax isn't too expensive and makes about 30 per 1/4 lb. of wax.
Used one this afternoon.....works great.

 

[Woody Stover]

Paraffin is not cheap anymore! Maybe next time I'd mix in some dryer lint with the paraffin to help stretch it out a bit further.

Would creosote work?

 

[PapaDave]

Sure, just mix it with paraffin and sawdust.

 

[begreen]

I have an 8" high mountain of pistachio nut shells in the stove from over the summer. They'll get burned up in my first fall fire, drunken or sober!.

 

[BrotherBart]

Styrofoam packaging and gasoline?

Yep.

 

[Blue Vomit]

I am often amazed at the brilliant ideas I come up with while drinking,
Then equally amazed at how stupid they sound the next morning.
Glad to see this one worked out Pen.

 

[PapaDave]

The fact that you can remember them is what amazes me.
I had many a revelation while under the influence of ......certain substances. Once, uh,....sober, they were gone.
Probably a good thing.

 

[dylskee]

I am often amazed at the brilliant ideas I come up with while drinking,
Then equally amazed at how stupid they sound the next morning.
Glad to see this one worked out Pen.

I literally just blew my soda out of my nose reading this! Words to live by man......

 

[geoxman]

genius!

 

[Dix]

I make "boxes" (idea came up along the same lines as Pen's did)

I save cardboard boxes (Ritz, mac & cheese, etc), then I put the "hearth dust" into them, and add the scrawny left over kindling box pieces, and add torn up pieces of cardboard boxes along the way. Usually have about 7-8 of them on hand during the winter.

Take off like a rocket in some kindling and a few splits on a semi decent coal bed in the PE. Also work with a much smaller coal bed in the 13.

 

[Srbenda]

You can buy a small stack of cedar shingles at HomeDepot for about $7, when split apart, those make a lovely firestarter. Of course, it does cost $$, but it's easily a winters worth.

 

[Beetle-Kill]

You can buy a small stack of cedar shingles at HomeDepot for about $7, when split apart, those make a lovely firestarter. Of course, it does cost $$, but it's easily a winters worth.

I gave away 2 truck loads of old shingles, and still have enough on hand for the next umpteen million years.
I may see if sunflower seed shells would work, just for the heck of it.

 

[fossil]

Look at the Wikipedia article on Spontaneous Combustion. You'll find this interesting factoid:

"Pistachio nuts are highly flammable when stored in large quantities, and are prone to self-heating and spontaneous combustion."

Article here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_combustion

 

[Wingman]

I was thinking the same thing about peanut shells while throwing them on the fire this past weekend...also while drinking!

 

[fossil]

Sometimes it seems as though this thread title could serve as an alternate name for Hearth.com.

 

[rideau]

Have a large bag of left over paraffin candles from year ago made in large tuna cans for Order of the Arrow ceremonies. Now I know what to do with them...melt and mix with sawdust,,,,