Slick trick for starting a fire.
- Thread starter AngelofDarkness
- Start date
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treemandan
Tree Freak
I take a big saw and cut logs along the grain, it makes wood fluff that I toss in to restart or start. It lights up with a match or embers nice. I have a 2 foot piece of copper tube I blow through sometimes ( to light the fire sicko)
will have to try the map gas and duraflame log in small pieces.
already using a garage sale ($2) hair dryer with heat switch disabled.
works great!! stick a few wads of newspaper, hair dryer and it's blasting away.
already using a garage sale ($2) hair dryer with heat switch disabled.
works great!! stick a few wads of newspaper, hair dryer and it's blasting away.
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StihltheOne
ArboristSite Guru
I have a retired friend that gathers pine cones all summer and yard sale candles. She melts the candles and dips the cones, big cones, fist size is typical. Then the ol mapp gas fueled benzomatic and were off to the races!
58hydraglide
ArboristSite Operative
Vibes
Addicted to ArboristSite
You beat me to the candles. The paper orange juice or milk cartons filled with some small dried kindling. Poke holes in the side of the carton.
My dad used to premake these at home and put a couple in the trunk before we went camping or fishing and it was like a portable fire.
My dad used to premake these at home and put a couple in the trunk before we went camping or fishing and it was like a portable fire.
I like pine cones and dry pine needles, keep em in big garbage bag after we dry them in the fall, just don't need as many since the heatmor, unless the keeper of the flame (me) forgets to load the owb.
C.B.
C.B.
treemandan
Tree Freak
My neighbor used kerosene, he burnt his house to the ground. I highly endorse my wood fluff and might package it. It will blaze fast and long with just a handful. Doesn't stink, explode, or drip on the carpet. Oh, and its free! For me a least, I will have to charge you!
charlesfarm
ArboristSite Operative
How much did he use, ten gallons? I'd never try it, but I would think it would take a lot of kerosene to burn the house down.
I bank the fire every night and have enough coals in it to get it going the next morning. Every day, I get a blazing fire going for ten minutes to burn out any creosote from dampering the stove down.
On really cold nights, like tonight, I will get up every couple hours to throw in some wood.
I don't think I have actually had to start a fire from scratch since November.
God bless,
Chris
2 or 3 of my regular chunks of wood, 2 double sheets of newsprint crumpled in the ash pan, leave ash door and air inlet open, light with match and I have a roaring fire in under a minute. Occasionally I have to feed it another sheet or two of newsprint but that's it. Don't need any other aids. Had to restart the fire twice this week with temps near zero, once in the middle of the night and me in my birthday suit.
Harry K
Harry K
+1...just have to watch out....I melted my Benzomatic a bit.
A buddy of mine puts the noodles from cutting with the grain and stuffs them in paper lunch bags. He swears by it...put one in the stove, and build a box around it with smaller pieces and you get a nice fire roaring.
boostnut
ArboristSite Guru
got about a 6' long chunk of an old telephone pole a couple years ago. It was the upper section with no nails or staples hiding. Split it into pieces about the size of a pencil and light them with a match. beats the hell out of dealing with newspaper.
Oly's Stump
ArboristSite Operative
I keep all the scrapes from splitting and I make a small pile in the furnace and use one of those small propane tanks with a torch end and it gets it going in about 15 seconds.
slofr8
ArboristSite Operative
I can't believe I've never thought of that one. I have a winter tent with a stove and don't like to rely on newspaper, so I slice thin shavings with a knife for fire starting. Now I think I'll make room to bring my saw along. Great tip!
Dan.
I don.t belive it . TreeCo thats how I build a fire . thats the first time I heard of of someone else doing this . I am amazed . just kinda stumble on to it years ago. most people thought this was crazy to tell them this . havn.t said a word about for years . it does work great .
AngelofDarkness
Addicted to ArboristSite
Did it again! This time it was after I had kind of let the fire go out but I had a few coals, I threw some kindling on there and hit it with the hair dryer, had a roaring inferno ready for bigger logs within 10 seconds, my stove is finicky with not wanting to restart even with some coals, this solves that problem in a hurry!
ShoerFast
Tree Freak
Pencil Sharpener shavings....
Using pencil sharpener shavings and just grind up pencil sized sticks works as well in the field as it dose at home. I carry a carpenter pencil sharpener in my daypack as you don't have to be as fussy what sticks you grind in it.
Just a glow on one of the shavings and a little huff and it's off to the races.
Using pencil sharpener shavings and just grind up pencil sized sticks works as well in the field as it dose at home. I carry a carpenter pencil sharpener in my daypack as you don't have to be as fussy what sticks you grind in it.
Just a glow on one of the shavings and a little huff and it's off to the races.
palogger
ArboristSite Operative
in the house, just kindling and heavy brown paper, like a really thin cardboard. OWB sawdust soaked in diesel fuel, light and add the wood i also do this in the little pot belleid stove in shed where i work on my saws
jerseydevil
ArboristSite Operative
I just stick my rear end in, and let'er rip.
Just kiddin. I load up on those cardboard coffee cup carriers at Wawa. Cardboard egg crates are just as good. Both just seem to be thick paper. Burns hot and long enough to get charcoal going.
Just kiddin. I load up on those cardboard coffee cup carriers at Wawa. Cardboard egg crates are just as good. Both just seem to be thick paper. Burns hot and long enough to get charcoal going.
treemandan
Tree Freak
Just a few drops on the arm chair and rug, when he opened the door to get the hose cold air rushed in; game over insert quarter. My point is not to have odd things in the proximity of a fire box. I left my lighter on top of the stove once. oops and I burn low temp as well, just clean more often.
