Motorman355

Over the holidays, I cut a stockpile of wood for future camping trips. Didn't get around to collecting my favorite tinder; cedar bark and the small dead cedar twigs found close to the ground. Cedar bark burns slow and hot.

I decided to make a fire starter using a tip I read many years ago. It is as easy as cotton balls and petroleum jelly. I said easy, not mess free. Bought generic jumbo cotton balls and jelly from the drug store. Microwaved the jelly for about 1 1/2 minutes, just enough to make it spread easier. There is just no clean way to do it. With one's fingers, scoop about a teaspoon of the jelly and rub it into the ball. The cotton ball starts out about the size of a marshmallow, but working in the jelly, rolling the ball between the finger tips, the size condenses down to about the size of a malt ball. I rolled about three dozen of the balls, enough for several camping trips, and stored them in a small Rubbermaid container.

Test Results -
I took a ball outside and lit it with a butane lighter stick. The ball did not instantly catch on fire with contact from the flame. Took maybe two seconds and then the ball lit up with a good 2 inch flame. It kept this size of flame consistently for 3 1/2 minutes. The ball had another minute of life with a one inch flame before it petered out. Results?

My next lab test for tinder will be the Frito Corn Chip Scoops. Read that they have enough oil in them to get a campfire roaring. Maybe that is the reason the chips sometimes give me heartburn in the middle of the night.

srdon106

I've tried everything out there.. Fritos is the best fire starter. Plus you have a great smoke aroma, not that starter fluid smell. I also have used cooking oil with some newspaper. Also try small tree limbs and bark if possible. They work wonders. Again, never use chemicals to start a fire especially if you are going to BBQ.
P.S. for firewood we use mesquite, oak, and some pecan. 'No Charcoal Please". Again, always open for ideas.

jr

camperone

Great review!! Thanks for the tip. We have always just used the block stuff but will have to try these!

Motorman355

Field Test

Took the petroleum/cottonballs to Caddo Lake. Did learn something the first night. I pre-built the campfire for later in the evening. I found that the pj balls do not do as well when left in the open air. They still lit three hours after the wood was stacked, but not as fast as my lab test. The next night I kept the balls in the rubbermaid container until it was time to light the campfire. They did much better.

I made the pj balls because I didn't collect my favorite tinder (cedar bark) when I cut firewood over Christmas. The day after I came back from Caddo Lake, an ice storm in Dallas brought down a three story pencil cedar tree in my back yard. I will have plenty of tinder now to start fires.

campermom

I've made starters with cardboard egg cartons, fill the sections with wads of dryer lint, and cover with melted wax from burnt out candles until they are saturated. 2 sections will start a nice fire, they burn about 15 minutes and smell like the candle you used to make them with.

__________________
Charcoal is a spice, dirt is a condiment, and there is no 3 second rule.

happybooker1

I've heard that hand sanitizer works well as it's mostly alcohol gel.

Motorman355

Anything is better than my stupid high school days of using a can of OFF insect repellant as a flame thrower to start a campfire. I know that there are others in Wild Texas that has done this. Or at least guys who have.

riverrat

Another fire starter idea...take 3-4" strips of newspaper rolled up tightly and tied with kite string leaving a length of string about 3" long. Dip in melted wax by holding the loose end of the string (good way to get rid of leftover candles) and let dry. One or two should get you a good fire going.

You can also waterproof your own matches by dipping the head into the melted wax.

baytownbert

Our local Newspaper has free pallets and I was considering getting a couple, disassembling them and using them as firewood, since they are probably hardwood. Has anyone tried this? The good part about the idea is the ability to carry wood that easily stacks, plus it would be recycling in a way, as the pallets would go to a landfill.

Also, I cook on a propane stove, so I wouldn't have to worry about possibly contaminated pallets.