DIY fire starters

[Wrench]

I carry Vaseline cotton balls in a old prescription bottle. I can force the air out and lots of Vaseline in. Its great if i have chapped lips too. I will also wrap some in wax paper which is handy if i need to shave some wood.

The single best investment has been the soto torch that uses a scripto lighter for fuel. Think propane torch flame... but only a half oz weight penalty.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I carry Vaseline cotton balls in a old prescription bottle. I can force the air out and lots of Vaseline in. Its great if i have chapped lips too. I will also wrap some in wax paper which is handy if i need to shave some wood.

The single best investment has been the soto torch that uses a scripto lighter for fuel. Think propane torch flame... but only a half oz weight penalty.

Any issues with the soto torch at high altitudes? The description I found said it is not designed to work above 5000' ASL.

 

[Wrench]

I've only used it to 6500....and it worked to get my fire going.

 

[PA Hunter]

Best I found are womens cotton makeup rounds from Walmart dipped in clear wax from the baking isle. These burn 7-10 minutes and always start my fires better than fire starter and dirt cheap. If you want to light it with a magnesium rod break it open and fluff the cotton center. these were my go to for Alaska.

 

[rjburrola]

Following

 

[supermatt9]

the biggest downside to me was making them. My hands always came out like a teenager with his first dirty magazine.

This cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh and the great tip. Will be trying this.

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[flyovercountry]

No one uses 000 steel wool? Stores flat, won’t absorb water, no mess. Make a birds nest with it and it’ll catch any spark. It doesn’t burn for very long is the downside, but it goes hot. The toilet paper tube idea a few posts up is what I use but filled with sawdust and melted wax - cut it up into round slices after it hardens.

 

[grfox92]

I carry Vaseline cotton balls in a old prescription bottle. I can force the air out and lots of Vaseline in. Its great if i have chapped lips too. I will also wrap some in wax paper which is handy if i need to shave some wood.

The single best investment has been the soto torch that uses a scripto lighter for fuel. Think propane torch flame... but only a half oz weight penalty.

This is exactly how I carry mine. It works so well if it ain't broke don't fix it.

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[mcr-85]

I melt Vaseline in a small stainless pot and put cotton balls in it. When the Vaseline is melted the cotton balls absorb it much better in my opinion. I store them in an altoids tin in the side pocket of my bino harness along with a lighter and a ferro rod.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

Not really a DIY, but I use those Rutland smoker starters (there are tons of brands). Essentially they're a 2"x2"x.25" square of wax infused compressed paper dust. I cut each one into 3 or 4 strips so it works out to about $.10/per and they burn for about 5 minutes. If you scrape it with your knife it will easily catch a spark from a ferro rod. They work great.

I use them in the bush, in my BBQ, and in my fireplace.

Amazon.com

 

[Boblee]

I have used a lot of fire starters and always come back to Vaseline soaked cotton balls. They compress really small, weigh nothing, and take a spark from a Ferro rod great if you pull them apart. They are impervious to water.

the biggest downside to me was making them. My hands always came out like a teenager with his first dirty magazine.

today I bought “cotton rounds” from the makeup area at Walmart, and tried them. I laid them out on tinfoil, dropped a dollop of petroleum jelly on them with a butter knife, and put them in the oven at 175 for 10 minutes.

worked great, no mess, no cleanup, and they burn great. This is about a quarter of one, sparked with one spark from a bic lighter.

I put them in a zip lock bag and 15 of them are about 1.5” high and 2” wide.

This has been around for at least 50 years .

 

[*zap*]

I purchase 1.5 ounce vaseline tubs and 4 ounce tubes....that is the best way to carry vaseline for cotton ball starters that I have found. The tubs (if cleaned) have a flip top lid and make good small storage for other items after you mt them..
I will use more or less vaseline depending on the tinder and wood moisture content.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

This has been around for at least 50 years .

Yep. I learned about it in cub scouts. The method of application to get the Vaseline to soak into the cotton, and using the makeup “rounds” instead of cotton balls was something new (to me) that I tried and it worked well, so I shared it.

 

[TADSR]

great ideas

 

[LongWayAround]

I've been carrying hand sanitizer for a number of years. Use that in conjunction with the toilet paper most carry and you have a pretty good starter.

One cold morning, my hand sanitizer had leaked on my tp and it definitely felt like a pretty good fire starter...

Always pack your tp and sanitizer separately. Hah.

 

[EdP]

Pillow ticking (100% cotton) cut in 1" wide strips 36" long. Roll the up and set on end in about 1/2 deep melted wax until soaked. Take out, give a quick squeeze and let cool. To use peel off about 4" and light with a lighter. Burns long and no mess.