Pine Cones. Is there any drawbacks to burning them in stove?

[Cluttermagnet]

I did the 'melt candles in a coffee can on the stove' thing. Lots of candle stubs plus a couple of big candles in a medium size can. Turns out there is a reason why I'm such a terrible string saver. Took a bunch of really old, fully open pine cones and dipped them in the hot wax, shook them off well, then set them to harden on a cookie sheet with waxed paper. They look pretty good. I'll let you know how it goes when I have my next fire. Well, there's a couple of hours shot to he**, eh? But it was kind of fun, anyway. ;-)

I have plenty more cones in bags, and will also try the sawdust thing at some point.

 

[scotsman]

Basically wood and maybe sap. Can I safely burn them, with no negative consequences?

You can also soak the old dry cones in kerosene for a few days and then take 'em out and let 'em dry. They'll keep for a long time and the soaked up kerosene stays in 'em for a long time--almost forever if you put 'em straight out of the kerosene into a sealable metal or plastic 5-gallon container. Good long-burning, starters, almost no smoke and very little trouble compared to melting paraffin, candles and all that. PLUS, kerosene will keep the sap from sticking to your hands or take it off if you get some on you.

For those of you living in corn country, this same approach works with old, dry cobs. My grandad taught me both of these starters. Probably not politically correct these days, but then . . . almost anything y'do someone is gonna find fault with. Never been good at bein' PC, so I s'pose I'll just go on doin' it and preserve the best of the "old ways" that work for me. I wonder if the PC police would find fault with the way I coil my garden hose in a figure 8 to keep it from gettin' all tangled up when I drag it out again? :roll:

Y'all be good. It's coolin' off right nice down our way.

Texas Boy

 

[Cluttermagnet]

I have some 'stale' kerosene, maybe 10+ years old. I'd never use it in a kerosene heater. I did think of using it for cleaning up grease when working on the car, also parts cleaning etc. But would this stale stuff work as well as fresh stuff, for the purpose of the fire starters you describe?

Oh, also a more general question to everyone who might know this- in connection with burning various stuff in an oil burner (likely mixing in small proportions with fuel oil), would stale kero work near as well as fresh? Or might you expect some additional problems with fouling of the the filter and nozzle?

 

[scotsman]

I have some 'stale' kerosene, maybe 10+ years old. I'd never use it in a kerosene heater. I did think of using it for cleaning up grease when working on the car, also parts cleaning etc. But would this stale stuff work as well as fresh stuff, for the purpose of the fire starters you describe?

Oh, also a more general question to everyone who might know this- in connection with burning various stuff in an oil burner (likely mixing in small proportions with fuel oil), would stale kero work near as well as fresh? Or might you expect some additional problems with fouling of the the filter and nozzle?

As long as the container has been kept closed and there are no other chemical contaminants (dust and dirt and stuff like that is okay, but you don't want any other solvents in the mix), it should be just fine for soaking pine cones, corn cobs and most anything else that you'd use for a fire starter. In fact, that's what my Grampa kept the used kerosene for. He would use it for cleaning up something and then pour the leftovers into a small 15 gallon open top drum and toss in corn cobs, pine cones, smaller wood scraps (i.e. kindling) and then put the lid on and let 'em soak. When he'd need something to start a fire, he'd take a three pound coffee can out to the shed and pick out two or three pieces and take 'em in. He said HIS grandpa used to do this to get the fire started in the wood cook stove when he (my great-great-great grampa) was a little kid. I figure if it worked for them for that many years, it would probably work for me.

One precaution: If you're using this method to start a cooking fire, choose a small piece of starter so all the kerosene will burn out before putting the food on. 'Course you're s'posed to cook over a bed of coals, not a flame fire, and all the kerosene will be gone way before you get to a coals fire. But for starting a heating fire, most anything will do fine. Pine and cedar soaked in kerosene will give you a long-burning starter. No real need to BUY fire starters if you just go back to the "old days" ways of doing things. Those folks made do in some very ingenious ways 'cause they didn't have money to throw around like we do now.

Holler if you need more info. Let us know how it works for you. REMEMBER--nothing but kerosene, no other volatiles--they could flash and explode, which could mess up your whole day, body, stove, house and possibly the whole darned neighborhood. PLEASE don't make THAT mistake, it may be your last!

Ol' Texas Boy

 

[Cluttermagnet]

Thanks- all interesting information. Yes, I kind of knew that kerosene is unique (lower volatility?). We have a kerosene heater here, but it's a pain to work with. You never run into any 'gasoline heaters', etc. I wonder why? Heh! ;-) Anyway, I would never start messing with just any old solvent. They are toxic and can be very explosive indeed.

That's good news that you think my old, stale kerosene still has some value. I hate to waste anything. I'll play with this a little- I have plenty more old pine cones here. So I'll try a few of 'em done up your way. Eventually, I'm going to post my experiences with several starter types that I'll try this season.

 

[Bamawood]

I use kerosene to start my fires in my fireplace. I keep some in a dishwashing liquid bottle and squirt a little on my kindling and lighter up. Works every time.

 

[billb3]

You're gonna have some really angry squirrels.

 

[Cluttermagnet]

An update about firestarters in use here- I always use small Oak tinder and kindling, well seasoned, over various starters. I've tried fatwood, the wax/sawdust starters (small pieces shaved off), Super Cedars (pieces cut off), crumpled newspaper alone, and pine cones. I've tried pine cones 'plain' as is, pine cones dipped in candle wax, and pine cones soaked for several days in old kerosene. Each method has its plusses and minuses. I have quickly become a fan of pine cones, however. They work as well as the other methods and I get them free, in return for a little effort to dip them in wax or soak them in kerosene. The wax dipped pine cones are my top choice, with kerosene a close second.

All of the starter types I tried performed well. The Super Cedars were impressive. For me, it shook down to which method is lowest cost- but I can well understand why fatwood and Super Cedars are so popular.