Making Fire Tinder For Wet Conditions
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- Need something in your Ekit to GUARANTEE that you can make a fire in any condition? Here's what you need.. and it only costs a few cents to make. Similar to products on the market costing up to 30 to 40 times more per fire!
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Just made a batch of these using your instruction and everyday household candles.
They do indeed burn for more than 10 minutes!!
This just solved my issues with starting a fire in wet conditions (which I've failed at twice previously and had to use esbit tablets to cook)!! I had tried using vaseline cottonballs the first time I failed making fire in the rain and I tried using dryer lint the second time I failed making fire in the rain.
I have a good feeling that my failing days are over now!
Thank you!
Very well done. I appreciate how you took the time and explained the process and steps and then timed it. 12 minutes is a long time for getting the big fire going. So Thank you and keep up the great job/works you are doing to educate those of us who think we know it all.... Good job
As for weight every bit counts. 10 of your wax balls weigh 3.3 oz, just weighed my bag of 63 Vaseline balls at 3.6 oz. more than 6x the fires at nearly same weight PLUS the flame intensity with Vaseline is so much hotter and still burns 5-7 minutes. Not only flame and weight more proficient but they stay soft and can pack anywhere easily. Great video on how to make wax balls.
Im going to try this...im collecting my equipment for camping and im nearly there! this is a great fire starting idea. I made a convection stove out of tin cans now its going to be easy to make the fire now, thanks for this great video!!
I have been waiting all summer to try this, but it finally snowed. I put one of these DIRECTLY on the snow, and it burned for ten minutes with no additional fuel. Thanks again for this great tip.
Thanks for the safety tip, Ive made these before with gelwax and candle wax... never thought of of using a double boiler. thanks again
Thanks for the reply Dave. I agree. The ferro rod is my tool of choice as well. I've had very good luck lighting these with ferro rods. No, not quite as easy as lighting Sterno, but at 12.5 cents per square, it is worth the few extra sparks. Give them a go.
If you can not get hold of beeswax,normal melted candle wax is a very good substitute and can burn just as long with cotton wool balls or the flat cotton pads,I made some with both bees wax and candle wax melted together and they worked really well,very good video.
my gf is into arts and crafts and she has a thing by sunbeam that melts the wax. Tried this and went and tested this in the backyard and it worked nice thanks.
I just tried this with tea lite candle wax, and ITS AMAZING! -14C set it on a piece of tinfoil for first 2-3 minutes, then the wind flipped it over into the snow/ice on my doorstep. It continued to burn for ANOTHER 12 MINUTES, melting the snow and ice in a small pool of water. If you can't start a fire with this method, you best stay home and order take out :) Thanks for the tip on this method...far better than Vaseline.
I have been using these for the past two years, thank you for your video, I use candles that I get at garage sales for just pennies, they work great, thanks again.
Yeah, we're getting that rain also, and the temp drop. I'm glad you're posting this one.
Thank you for your kind reply, I appreciate it.
Your a kind person, and for that, I thank you.
These are great fire starters you can't hardly go wrong with with them. I have been using them for many years.
David, I do something similar, I use a toilet roll tube and mix 2 heaped table spoons of petroleum jelly with 2 full parafin wax candles melt them both and then pack about 20 cotton balls into the tube and wrap tin foil around the base. I then add the mixture and it impregnates the cotton wool balls... once they set u get a block that u can just tear whatever u need off for ur fires and I've used mine successfully for around 20 minutes per burn for a casino chip sized slice :)
fantastic demo ive been using the coton balls with vaseline for years but now going to gve your method a try,cheers.TIM
Both wax and pj can also be used for skin protection such as lip balm, for lubrication, and for wound sealing, but in cold weather the pj is a lot easier to apply.
I'll try to look for them.. Thanks!
I've always used cotton balls coated in petroleum jelly. I've never tried to light one of those in a downpour. Since I have no access to beeswax I'll have to try starting a fire in the rain with my method to see if it fails. Very informative!
Watched it again! Miss you guys. Hi Tam & Do. God bless you all. John
Good vid Dave, you provided me with yet another little winter project. I'm going to try plain wax, then beeswax to see if there's any burn time difference. I get approx. 2-3 mins. with Vaseline. Also a little olive oil on a cotton ball, ( not soaked ), and I'm getting over 71/2 mins. on it. Thanks again. I'm learning a lot from your info. Take care.
Hey David , first off thanks for the videos, and blessings to you and your family. I'm a pack rat and have 2 old wax rings for toilet bowls that melted in my shed. I used them to lube nails when driving in oak lumber. Just wondering if you ever tried them for firestarters ? they are supposed to be beeswax. Thanks bro
Just bought 16 pounds of beeswax because of this. Very good video and explanation. Thank you.
NICE! I just ordered 78 pounds of beeswax because of this video! Thank you.
Thanks for this Dave! I was just experimenting with this when the vaseline made a mess of things, I looked up your advice.
Excellent vid Dave. I agree. There seems to be as many fire tinders on the market as there are ways of making your own. If you have the time, check out a product called Safe Lite Fire Squares. I buy them 24 for $3 at my local hardware store. Much like starter logs, but in little squares. I've got them to light damp and wet with fero rods. They are so cheap, I stopped making my own.
That knife was a gift from a dear friend, Garth Holt, to Tam when we were in Tenn with him. Just happened to be the first knife I grabbed :)
Yes.. that's the concept. A good friend of mine uses the jelly candle wax.. but IMO this burns even longer and better
Wax probably is better but it's just easier with vaseline already in the cabinet and no need to double boil. Even when I make buddy dureners with wax I don't use the stove. I did like the idea of using an aluminum can. There is always something to learn from your videos!
I was impressed with the quick light up as well. Thx for the vid, I will have to try out my own,
hey guys if you add some wax based oil for lamps and the like to the wax while it melts (about a 1:4 oil:wax is the highest iv gone with it staying waxy when cool any higher i find it ti be oily and harder to store without protction them from the rest of your gear) you get a softer wax that takes a spark well even at low temp(sub freezing). because of the oil i've notice that you can completely soak rather than just dipping, just be sure to rough up some to make it take a good spark
love this idea. i use to have a vid of my egg carton fire starters. All of my friends love them for their bonfires because they work so well. I used dryer lint though. I'll have to try your way. thx!
I have used egg cartons, stuffed with dryer lint,,, the just pour the wax in each pocket of the egg carton (the large egg carton flats work best) after wax cools n hardens,,, you can cut or tear the egg carton 'cups' apart,,, us the paper from the carton to first start the fire,,,then the wax/lint mixture lasts long enough to get your wet/dry wood going great. I used these to start my wood cook stove or campfires all the time. Great use for dryer lint too. For wax, I just save candle stubs or the wax from larger candles that doesn't burn, all completely recyclable and cheaper too. :) VERY easy to make and easily burns 15-20+ minutes.
The natural tenders that I used to use was things like dried leaves and grass, then Fatwoods, dry twigs. They always worked good for me, since alcohol stoves have gotton so popular a little denatured alcohol in a small bowl with pencil sized twigs, and have used that also as a firestarter, but the best luck i have had is dryer lint with bee's wax in a cardboard egg carton.
You're absolutely right, I won't buy a kuksa, fatwood, anything potentially in my skill set including fire lighters. We used to make these as broke kids as an alternative to hexi blocks as we just didn't have the money and the rolled up wax impregnated cardboard too. Two of those, a few twigs on a hexi burner and your waters boiled.
One of the reasons I don't like using cotton balls is that when you pack them - to go hiking or whatever - and they get flattened out, which happens more often than you think in backpacks, the waterproof seal is completely broken. As in not in one spot but in several spots (cracks). When submerged when that seal is broken the cotton in the middle tends to be harder to be lit (too wet). Therefor I, myself and many others too, prefer cotton pads above cotton balls. They are easier to store, they don't need an extra container to keep them safe, you get more fire starters out of one pad (depending how big the pads are and how windy it is: 2 to 6 and more) hence you need less space to store them, and even if the wax seal would brake, it doesn't harm them at all. Just flip off the water and they'll burn as if they never touched water, even if the exposed cotton was entirely submerged or stored in wet conditions (don't ask... LOL).
Would have loved to see you dip those cotton balls in water after a fair bit of abuse (broken seals). I think you might have had a bigger issue getting those things to burn. Right? I tried it with the pads and let me tell you, they got a hell lot of abuse to deal with before I lit them. Didn't cause a single problem, I had a strong fire straight away. And depending on how much of a big or small piece I ripped off of the pad, it burned for a good amount of time I must say. Not sure if they last 15 minutes (an entire pad probably would tho), but if you haven't got your fire started within the first 5 minutes of your try you'll never get it going, so to speak. So 15 minutes is not really needed in my opinion, unless you started to make a fire completely unprepared (no tinder, no small sticks, etc).
Cheers.
Ps: petroleum jelly, aka vaseline, is used too in many cases, in combination with wax, but it can not be stored for a very long time since the vaseline tends to dry out after a while, while candle wax or bee wax doesn't get affected by time. Vaseline is more for the "to use within X days/weeks", while candle/bee wax has no expiration day. ;)
Great idea! I will try this. Thanks for looking out for those of us who feel ripped off by all the hyped products that seem to be coming out of the woodwork.
I don't start fires in the rain.. Always set up some kind of sheltering to protect your fire. But in our video the wind was blowing about 30 MPH and blowing some rain on the all.. yes. If it had gotten too heavy I would have moved it
well from the entries I've read others have used the PJ method as well as myself - I really like the wax idea, might mention that a few years back a gentleman was using PJ and then wrapping each of them in aluminum foil this might be good to try with the wax which would eliminate the problem of messy hot days, you'd have ta flatten them as you wrapped them, just a thought - and thanks Dave GREAT idea
i think the petrolium jelly has advantage over the wax if these are bieng put in a kit or stored carried anywhere. wax will easily crack and break the 'seal' plus, you are able to squash the petrollium jelly cotton balls down and they take up a lot less space. in my experience i havnt had any issues with petrolium jelly taking a spark or dying out or burning for less than 5 minutes which is ample time. however, as you said each to their own and use what works for you.
Grocery stores carry paraffin.. it will work just as well. Beeswax can be found.. but you would probably need to look online if you don't have a local supply
You need to use Charcloth.. This is material that has been prepared beforehand. You can use cotton, cotton balls, Cattail down, Thistle, and many other things. We have a video on making Char Cloth
as of tonight Hobby lobby shows 1# yellow beeswax block for $14.99
1 pound paraffin wax $4.29
check the canning supply section in most grocery stores for wax
sounds like the best bet is to befriend a bee keeper and maybe get some "scraps" or keep melting down old candles. I've just tried the Vaseline thing and find it too messy for my liking. Will try melting down some candles one day and give that a go. Thanks
I suppose they could.. but I havent had that problem.. I keep them in my pack.. and not in direct sunlight. If it concerns you.. wrap each on in some TP.. They wont stick and it will give you extra lighting power!
I've tried paraffin and soy, now I am fired up for beeswax! Sure hope it doesn't attract bees though ;) Another good way to melt wax safely is to use a presto pot and a cheap baking thermometer ~ $20-25 for both. That way you don't have to worry about spilling water in the wax. Teflon coated for easy cleanup with a paper towel.
Thanks for your reply. I will try the local bee keeper for the wax. Assuming that it wont cost me much. Thanks for your tip.
Man! I just passed up an 8 oz candle at the flea market this morning for 25 cents... there'll be plenty more deals like that tomorrow, if I go. Thanks.
Flint & Steel will work fine as long as you have Char. I have not been able to get raw cotton to catch the spark from F&S... but I have gotten it to catch once I lit Charcloth. HTH
Sounds like you did a great job. THanks for your support and subscription. Many Blessings
Great video, glad I watched it and it is nice to have a natural tinder as opposed to a wet fire chemical cocktail ;)-
Yes.. I have seen them.. Seem like they would do ok.. Only problem I have with a lot of those store brought ones.. is that you can't light them with a Ferro Rod... It seems like you HAVE to have a match or lighter.. which I sometimes don't have with me.
Definitely an improvement on the petroleum jelly/cotton combo. Can't wait to try it out. And it's Krik, not Creek. There's a story behind that..
David, thanks for another educational and informative video. I had tried this method in the past but completely saturated the cotton with wax. Needless to say, my balls were too hard. Your method seems to resolve this issue.
I've used the egg carton method too Ziva.. but they weren't as easy to light. Because you have raw cotton inside these.. not touched by the wax it lights RIGHT up
Yes! Vaseline; very frkn messy. Beeswax creates that shell. Very cool, doesnt create other issues like greasy stuff does..thank you
In direct sun it may soften.. But I wouldn't be leaving it in direct sun. But yes you are correct.. the sun does affect the state of the wax.. so be careful
You can also pour melted wax into the pore surface of a bracket fungus. Dig a little trench in the center to make a reservoir, then cut one small section of pore tubes to use as a wick. A lamp like this will burn for hours, and can be refueled while burning.
Of course, you could just pull a strand up out a bit for a holder piece, and then dip. That will cover the whole ball in one dip. OR, use tweezers or hemostats etc?
Good video, but I think you should have dipped the Cotton Ball in water then cut it open and set it on fire just to prove it works in wet conditions, plus it's ok if you have a neighbour that has a big block of bee's wax to give you, how much would a block of bee's wax that size be? would paraffin wax work just as well? as my wife has a few blocks of it for candle making.
Yes...paraffin will work fine! So will crayons we have found..
Great vid! I use the same technique. Also, you can seal wooden matches with the wax.
Yes.. you can use lint.. but it seems to soak up the lint faster.
The ball I burned here was rather less time than the one we did in the test.. that one burned for 18 minutes. It depends on the amount of wax as to how long it burns. But you need a balance to have enough cotton to light it.
For extreme wet conditions.. split out logs of larger sticks.. the inside will always be dry even in the wettest conditions. Yes.. this will definitely dry out smaller twigs
Thanks Dave. Another great video. Can't get bee's wax around here though, and if someone does find it, it's become very costly because of the bee die offs. But, I'll keep searching for it. Be blessed. :)
Yes.. any wax will work just fine.. some burn longer than others.. but they all work. Have fun!
i came up with a great tool (a bent pin works well) and used tallow
Hey Dave. I used a old soup can and a heat gun to melt some parifin wax.
im so glad youre back posting vids. another great one brother
We tried PJ and then dip.. It made a mess and didn't dry hard enough. We also tried other products with wax and PJ in it.. Found out that simple is best and stayed with the wax alone
Thanks for the reply. Cattail fluff might work well. Great ideas. Thanks.
I don't know that there would be a problem.. But if you're worried you can keep your tinder in your food bow or up in a tree
Thanks Bro.. I do, sometimes, endorse products that I think are worthwhile.. but we need to NOT rely on the products (IMO).
Very well said sir. wish people would just focus on the fact that you are sharing knowledge that could actually save someone's life. A learned skill set is more important than a stupid logo on a can.
Take care brother.....Scott
Thanks for the info and taking the time to make the video. I also have been playing around with wax and cotton balls. And I am in agreement with you. Also what I have found that works well, is ¾ inch hemp rope. I just subscribed to your channel, and look forward to watching.
~M~
you know this reminds me of home made esbit fuel cubes this is awesome.
Very nice.. Would love to see a video on that.. I think many people would appreciate it
Yes.. you can melt old candles down and do the same thing
awesome video i like the burn time!!
Good stuff! I hate vasaline as well. I tried this method a year or so ago and couldn't get it right. I started using wax dipped jute twine instead. The twine is also water proof, but they do not burn as long, maybe 1min on a 2in stick, but long enough to get a pine cone going, and thats all you need. Maybe I will give this another go.
I have an old coffee can by the dryer and the wife fills for me with lint, it is very flamable and takes a spark great, just have to feather the lint a little, what I never thought of was adding the bees wax which I want to try....
Thanks for this info.
a fire is very important for survival.
I would look to anything that takes a spark easily.. That could be Maya dust, Cattail fluff.. Other plant fluff.. etc
Dip cotton balls in something that burns but not too fast. Got it. But... with 30 guaranteed fires from firestarter tablets for $2 total taking less space, I'll definitely save this home crafting for after the zombie apocalypse.
Buy beeswax directly from your local apiary. Ask for non-refined. Beekeepers don't often sell that to the corps who want the white beeswax. The yellow wax
that Dave shows is the inexpensive stuff.
good idea dave,,,the wax would be handy to have with you as well for other projects ...
Thanks Dave. I will definitely try this! thank you sir. Great video!
Not sure of the proper Name.. I think it's called "Call of the Banshees". I purchased it from the original writer/producer and have the rights to it commercially or at my discretion.
Well.. I believe the old adage remains true - "The more that you know.. the less that you need!" I would rather have the knowledge in my head.. than the gear in my hands. In balance.. they can both work beautifully together. Thanks for your support and comments Bro
Super cool but use a soup can, its designed for the heat to flow through it equally.
Great video, Brother!! I'm not a fan of Vaseline either. God bless you and your family. John
You sure can.. we have another video about that somewhere :)
Thanks Dave. Take care. Best wishes.
Yeah.. I do have to say.. you would probably never need a 12-15 minute burn time,,, so in the bush I would only use a part of each starter.. 1-2 mins would probably start most fires in all but the wettest conditions
That was great! I have been wondering about using beeswax rather than the vaseline (petroleum) that so many U-tubers are always showing. though I was going to try and saturate them with the beeswax, and now that I've watched your vid and you said that this works better than saturating them; I'm going to try this first. Looks like a good list of vids you've got.
Thanks alot, I liked and subed.
No problem with scented wax... except maybe you might attract bugs. But for something small like a fire starter.. I wouldn't be worried. If they were any FOOD scent (ie: Apple, Cherry, Vanilla, etc) I would hang them in my food bag in Bear Country!
Thanks for the video. How long will this last for if kept in a bag or jar?
Thanks for your subscription!
A ball of shredded cotton and petroleum jelly is enough for me. It makes a much larger flame.
Nice but with vaseline is faster and cheaper... And does the job at lighting fires fast so i dont know if bee wax is worth the trouble
What if the vaseline ball is wet, does it still burn?
Yes Shannon.. all wax works
Very cool David, thanks...great stuff for the upcoming winter ; ) They burned very long! Stay safe, Sepp
Using needle nose Pliers’ would greatly help your control doing this project.