Is this homemade firestarter a good idea?

[soupy1957]

What ever happened to using good ole fashioned newspaper and kindling?

-Soupy1957

 

[BrotherBart]

What ever happened to using good ole fashioned newspaper and kindling?

-Soupy1957

I have it sitting over there with my buggy whip on top of it. ;-)

Newspaper and kindling works fine with a true top down start up. I just got tired of messing with kindling when I can load a cold stove, stick half of a Super Cedar in the middle of the load and be off and running in ten minutes or so.

And those little hockey pucks take up a heck of a lot less space than kindling and newspaper. I'm old. I burn wood. I owe myself a little luxury every now and then. :smirk:

 

[DanCorcoran]

Since we don't subscribe to a newspaper (and this seems to be the wave of the future), I have to scrounge for it on recycling day.

 

[karl]

I tell you one wadded up WalMart grocery sack works great.

 

[BrotherBart]

I tell you one wadded up WalMart grocery sack works great.

Must not be the plastic suckers they have here. Touch a flame to one of them and "poof".

 

[fossil]

The only thing the newspaper's good for is a couple of the comic strips, the Jumble, the Sudoku, and the Crossword Puzzles. All the rest is just ink to get all over my hands. I love my Super Cedars. Rick

 

[firefighterjake]

What ever happened to using good ole fashioned newspaper and kindling?

-Soupy1957

I still use newspaper and kindling Soupy . . . guess I'm still old-fashioned at heart . . . well that and the kindling is free . . . and I get a weekly newspaper.

 

[sullystull]

I make them from old candles and wood shavings/sawdust. Got plenty of both lying around. Melt, mix and spread on an old cookie sheet. Cut into any size you like.

Same here. A few tricks I've learned...line the cookie sheet with aluminum foil to avoid mess/damage to the cookie sheet, and just before they harden all the way use a pizza cutter to cut them to size.

 

[cre73]

All we use are pine cones got the third bag picked up last night.

 

[northwinds]

I've tried a variety of things, but last year stuck with egg cartons/wood shavings and dust at the bottom of the woodbox/and wax.
Someone mentioned last year, and I found it to be true, that candles can frequently be found for free or almost free at the end
of garage sale season.

 

[70marlin]

All we use are pine cones got the third bag picked up last night.

Great Idea! How long do you let them dry out?

 

[treehackers]

I've tried a variety of things, but last year stuck with egg cartons/wood shavings and dust at the bottom of the woodbox/and wax.
Someone mentioned last year, and I found it to be true, that candles can frequently be found for free or almost free at the end
of garage sale season.

I use hand santitizer to start my fires. Works the same as the starter gel stuff for a fraction of the price. You can get a gallon pump bottle of the stuff for under $20 that will last a LONG time

 

[firefighterjake]

All we use are pine cones got the third bag picked up last night.

I usually pick some up myself . . . and use a few during the course of the year. A bit sticky, but they burn well . . . and I figure I might as well use them for something besides using them as skeet pigeons when mowing my lawn.

 

[firefighterjake]

All we use are pine cones got the third bag picked up last night.

Great Idea! How long do you let them dry out?

I just pick up the dead ones on the ground -- or at least the larger ones that have already opened up and are pretty dry already.