Fire starting concaucsions??

[fubar2]

I thought they called white people concaucsions.

 

[Billy_Bob]

I save all the bark / kindling created from splitting the wood. I mix it in with my stacked wood...

And I have separate trash cans around the house. Some are for paper/burn and all the paper trash, packages, junk mail, etc. goes in there...

And I get bottles of 80% rubbing alcohol, then take a ball point pen and make a tiny hole in the in the plastic cover under the cap. This makes it so it will shoot a narrow stream of alcohol when the plastic bottle is squeezed...

Then to start a fire, I put down paper/burn stuff, then on top of that a little bark / kindling, then in the back and on the sides a couple of pieces of large wood (don't cover center). Then I spray a bit of rubbing alcohol on top of the center portion. About 2 seconds of squirting.

Then light it and leave the door partly open about an inch to let air in. Then as the fire grows, I add a few more large pieces over where the fire is burning. I build a "roof" over the fire with space below it. This gets it hot quickly in that area.

When I start hearing "creaking noises" from the heat causing the woodstove metal to expand, then I close the woodstove door. (When the creaking starts, the chimney is hot enough so there is draft and the stove will then be able supply its own air.)

As to the "80% rubbing alcohol", I noticed that fire starting gels had alcohol in them, but were much more expensive than the liquid type. The gels are safer in that they will stay on top of the wood and will not leak down through the wood and possibly through the bottom of the stove onto your floor!

With that said, if using liquid alcohol, it is best to make a tiny hole in it so it just squirts a small stream. And you only coat the paper / kindling - and don't put too much on and it then drains out the bottom of the woodstove. Be patient and use it sparingly. A bottle of this will last me several weeks and costs about $2.

 

[kmcinms]

we call it lighter knot

Another good thing to use is kindling made from old pine stump/roots.

That's what we use around here, cheap and easy. Call it "lighter knot", or "knot", for short. Although I catch my wife buying those little starter blocks at the end of the season for closeout prices, they work ahhight. I also keep buckets of splitter trash for kindling too. :msp_thumbup: Sweet smell of firewood smoke..........:smile2:

 

[Toxic2]

good ole propane torch and some paper..gets a fire going in mins even with the big chunks..

 

[ray benson]

Bottom up method, wad up a couple sheets of newspaper add splitter leftovers and bark. Then add the wood. Started 3 fires this season. One to start the season, one to clean the chimney and one after being away for the day .





conclusions or concoctions?

 

[pook]

wood pellets have a very low moisture content, add whatever to inspire further flagrations?

 

[Streblerm]

I use splitter trash or splits of kiln dried scrap lumber wit a touch of paper or cardboard. Then I hold the propane torch on It until I see some coaling in the kindling.

 

[TN_WOOD]

Two basic ways

1. store bought starter cubes/sticks (the Weber BBQ cubes are sized perfectly)

2. paper n kindling


I realize you can make the starter sticks with all sorts of stuff mixed with wax, but it's just too cheap n easy to buy them at the store.

 

[treemandan]

You let your fire go out?

Yeah! What?

I start all my fires with old tax forms and cash invoices.

 

[jsk0307]

I use sticks/twigs that I save during the warmer months. I have a 55gal garbage can that I fill up. Usually a couple handful is good enough combinded with 2 or 3 rolled up newspaper pages.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I've not done this, but I've seen folk talk about using those composite fireplace logs that just light with a match. They cut them up with a miter saw and use the pieces.

I currently use sawdust and wax in paper egg crates.

Ian

 

[myzamboni]

I've not done this, but I've seen folk talk about using those composite fireplace logs that just light with a match. They cut them up with a miter saw and use the pieces.

I currently use sawdust and wax in paper egg crates.

Ian

I have done the " cut the duraflame into cubes". It takes some time and is a little messy, but it does work.

 

[TN_WOOD]

I've not done this, but I've seen folk talk about using those composite fireplace logs that just light with a match. They cut them up with a miter saw and use the pieces.

I currently use sawdust and wax in paper egg crates.

Ian

I too have done this, although i used to hit em with a hatchet to break off a piece.

Now I buy the Weber BBQ fire cubes. They run about $ 0.15 apiece and light even easier than the waxy logs. Perfectly sized and do double duty when i fire up the BBQ grill.

 

[Whitespider]

My wife save all the dryer lint in a coffee can for me. I fill the stove with full-size firewood (no kindling needed), grab a tuft of the lint and stuff it under the pile. Next squirt some charcoal starter fluid on the lint and light it. The lint holds the fluid like a wick and will burn hot for a surprisingly long time. No problem getting the fire started... even with rounds.