Fire Starting

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Fins59

Member
Hearth Supporter
Apr 11, 2009
76
Wisconsin - Wausau area
Probably been a lot of talk on this topic. The way I do it now is to take a brown paper grocery bag and put about 2" of a mix of wood chips, twigs, leaves; just stuff you rake up around your yard or wood pile, and maybe add 2 handfuls of sawdust. Fold and flatten out the bag and put small amount of newspaper in stove with bag on top and smaller pieces of wood on bag. Fire starts 99.9% first time.

But I'm looking to improve on that. I'd like to have a 1-piece kit. What it would be is a "tray" with all that stuff already in the "tray" so I could have a dozen or so already made up and on hand so I could just pop the tray in the stove and touch a match to it and that would be it. The problem is what to use for the tray. It should be easily obtainable such as the brown paper grocery bags are.
Those little 2" high cardboard flats that bottled water comes in would probably work but you need too many of them if you start a fire every morning from November 'til April like I do. Cut down cereal boxes might work. Maybe cut-in-half 12 pack soda cartons. Any ideas? It has to be simple, otherwise might as well stay with the bag,paper,kindling trick.
 
I think the technique is going to depend on several factors, which will vary among most burners. Three of the main things that come to mind are, how good is the draft, materials on hand, and size of stove.

My draft is strong and my stove is small. I can get all the used newspaper I need from work, and I have an abundance of pine that I have made into small splits. Starting a cold stove for me is easy. I just wad up several pieces of newspaper, put in some pieces of pine on top, put some more newspaper on top, and light it up. I leave the door cracked. Usually, the pine is burning by the time the newspaper has burned out.

Lately though, I just rake back the coals to find some still glowing, throw on some pine splits, shut the door and I'm good to go.
 
If you're looking for the all in one bag type of approach (and don't want to go the Super Cedar route) I would say going with the cereal box idea might work . . . you could include the tinder and small kindling all in one neat, stackable package.

That said, I am more of a traditionalist (although I do top down fires) and simply make up my own kindling using softwood, pallets, slabwood, etc. . . . toss a few balled up (or bow-tied) newspapers on top . . . once in a while I'll add a cereal box, Pop Tart box, etc.
 
Challenge of course will be finding a good supply of the material, whatever it may be. Do you eat a box of cereal each day? How about a dozen eggs?

I used to use egg cartons instead of newspaper on top of my fires before switching to super cedars - I would flatten them down (stomp them) and they would break apart somewhat so there would be lots of holes to allow air and flames to flow through them. Burns hot and relatively low smoke.

I could see filling cartons with something - if you put bits of old candles in them the carton would act as a wick and burn even longer (I know we used to make firestarters out of cartons as a kid). If filling one with sticks etc I would probably punch holes all over the carton before filling so that lots of air could flow through as it burned.
 
Are you really "married" to this method?? It sure sounds like a lot of work to me when other simpler methods will accomplish the same task.
 
Here's what I do and I challenge you to find me a better way. Get a coffee can or two to hold the firestarters. Buy a 10# box of firestarters from walmart for 10$ and cut up one of the six packages into golf ball sized chunks with a hatchet, they cut easily. Fill the coffee can(s) with the golf balls.

You're done. These things are match lightable and burn a long time to start kindling directly. The 10# box will last more than a year and the coffee cans are small and easily tucked into a hiding spot.

I used to buy and chop up full sized fire logs but the price per # is the same as the firestarter blocks and they are much easier to chop up.
 
Highbeam said:
Here's what I do and I challenge you to find me a better way. Get a coffee can or two to hold the firestarters. Buy a 10# box of firestarters from walmart for 10$ and cut up one of the six packages into golf ball sized chunks with a hatchet, they cut easily. Fill the coffee can(s) with the golf balls.

You're done. These things are match lightable and burn a long time to start kindling directly. The 10# box will last more than a year and the coffee cans are small and easily tucked into a hiding spot.

I used to buy and chop up full sized fire logs but the price per # is the same as the firestarter blocks and they are much easier to chop up.

Ding, ding, ding - we have a winner.

Heck, I don't even chop them into size, I just break off a piece about 1.5" long and GO! A handy long stick torch type lighter and 2 seconds later - we have FIRE!
 
im not much of a purist.
map torch or propane torch + dry wood + 10-30 seconds = fire
 
With kindling, 1/4 of a Super Cedar @ sixteen cents. Without kindling, 1/2 a Super Cedar @ thirty one cents. I shall live to chop kindling no more.

"Riggs, I'm gettin too old for that $@%# !"
 
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