Starting a fire every day

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mr.finn

mr.finn

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Feb 25, 2011
Messages
599
Location
Ma.
I am in the same boat. I have a ready supply of dry kindling(usually cedar siding shingles or scrap kd lumber). Keep a steady supply of newspaper and like others said a propane torch with a trigger lighter. I have tried keeping it lit overnight to have some coals to work with in the morning but not worth it. Lots of good ideas coming in, I especially like the piece of wood soaked in diesel.
 
slowp
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
16,203
Location
Warshington
Every morning, because my house would be too hot to sleep in if I kept the fire going, I put together a very complicated grouping of newspaper, kindling and a source of ignition which is called, a match.

Whoosh. Crackle. I put bigger stuff on and we're good to go. I like things simple and inexpensive. Propane torch? That's certainly a way to take out the inexpensve part. Me thinks this process is being overanalyzed. Remember the Fire Triangle.
Fuel, Oxygen and heat. That's all there is.
 
haveawoody

haveawoody

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Sep 22, 2011
Messages
1,547
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Ontario canada
Well fire starting with a propane torch works out to about 1c a fire, matches about .5c per fire.
Propane bottle for torch 1.99 about 150-200 fire starts, matches 5c pack use 2 matches per fire on average 10 fire starts.
Bet if you were careful with the torch you could compete with match cost.

Me I blast everything in the kindle pile just for the satisfaction :)
 
Whitespider
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
22,818
Location
On the Cedar in Northeast Iowa
L-O-L . One match?? I use only one Bic Lighter to start dozens of fires...
Heck, when ya' figure how many times ya' can flick your Bic... it comes in about 10 times cheaper than matches (if it matters to ya').
I can't remember the last time I saw a match in this house. The wife keeps a half dozen or so of those long Bic lighters for candles and such, and I've got the pocket size just laying about near everywhere... on work benches, by wood fired appliances, in the vehicles, in my pocket, in the tool boxes, kitchen junk drawer, and whatnot. Friggin' things are dead reliable...
*
 

PEKS

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Oct 10, 2011
Messages
643
Location
NIAGARA
Dyer Lint works great..
I stuff golf ball size pieces of lint into paper/cardboard egg cartons, pour some hot paraffin wax on top, cool, break apart, have a dozen fire-starters in minutes.
Torch em' up, they will burn for 10-15mns
(Will make several dozen at at time)
 
ILikesEmGreen

ILikesEmGreen

Another crazy Poulan Fan
Joined
Mar 25, 2013
Messages
479
Location
High Point, NC
Instalight charcoal briquettes... Yeah, the ones from the grill... Put about 5-6 in and stack your kindling and big stuff...coals in 15 min. Eeezy peeezy...haha

Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk
 
Whitespider
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
22,818
Location
On the Cedar in Northeast Iowa
Instalight charcoal briquettes... Yeah, the ones from the grill...

I use briquettes to start the fire pit... but not those expensive Instalight, I use the cheapest I can buy.
I keep 'em in a covered metal can soaking in diesel fuel, fuel oil, kerosene or whatever... pull a couple out with a pair of tongs when needed. I lay a few small pieces of wood in the pit, set a couple of those saturated briquettes on 'em, light, and pile on the firewood. I keep adding briquettes to the can as required; they don't need to be covered in diesel, they'll draw it up and become saturated. Heck, a ½ gal fuel will easily treat 20 lbs of 'em, and at two or three per fire start... that's a lot of fires.

Tinder, kindling and matches are for Girl Scouts... real men use fire accelerant and a Bic lighter :rock: :D
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sunfish

sunfish

Fish Head
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
Messages
14,305
Location
Success Missouri
i was brought up to only use one match to start a fire. lighter wood makes that very easy to do.
Most Yankees don't know what 'lighter wood' is. I grew up using it in the deep south and sold a bunch of it in my teens. :)

Not much lighter wood here in Mo, so I use a little diesel, keep in in a used gear oil bottle.
 

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