Comparing Three DIY Fire Starter Variations

How do three of the most popular versions of DIY fire staters made with cotton pads and wax compare for weigh, burn time, intensity, ease of lighting, and melting in storage?
#firestarters

[@krisalan5327]

Recipe i experimented with 1 pound gulf wax, 13 0z of petroleum jelly, and one cup of lamp oil. They light real easy with ferro rod, maleable but not super greasy on the fingers,easy to tear, last 5.5 minutes, waterproof, and you can't blow them out, all in all i like them. Great video!

[@lakeeffected]

Thanks for letting us know. 👍

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

Great idea and Topic! Fantastic.

[@ORflycaster]

Thank you for this review. I have made and used many with the Vaseline recipe. They are very difficult to light with a feral rod but easy with a match so that’s what I’ve used. I’m gonna spend this afternoon making some using the lamp oil recipe. It the two minutes it gives up and burn time it more than makes up for an ease of lighting. Depending on how motivated I am in a few hours I might give them a second light coating of straight paraffin. The idea being maybe a little more burn time, and maybe a little less likely to stick together in warm weather.

[@lakeeffected]

Thanks for watching. I hope the lamp oil works for you as well as it did hear. Let us know how they turn out if you make them.

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

Thats a great Test.❤❤❤🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯👏👏👏👏
Have you thought about beeswax?
For straight out fire starter, i Think Dans work Well. The only draw back is the greasiness.
Thats where the lamp oil mix wins out. Less greasy. And good old vasoline is a sure fire guarantee. All 3 are winners. Cheap and effective fire starters.
Again realy well thought out and executed test.😊👍👏👏👏👏👏

[@wanakena155]

Consider site reviews of Lila, Lows, Round, etc.

[@jasrobsny]

I like to stuff jumbo straws with cotton, pour in a half/half mixture of lighter fluid and melted paraffin wax, dump the excess and pack it down tight and melt both ends shut. Waterproof, no mess, and store well a long time. Just cut open when needed, tease the end fibers loose, and they light first strike from ferro rod every time and burn several minutes.

[@lakeeffected]

The thing about straws is burning plastic can smell awful and releases nastier toxins than wax and simpler petroleum fuels.

[@jasrobsny]

@@lakeeffected I understand but the straw can still be cut completely open and the cotton removed and ignited separately if you don't wish to burn plastic. Works just as well. The straw just keeps the volatiles from evaporating.

[@crerar01]

Video of this? New to this and would love to see this. How easy to start with a ferro rod?

[@lakeeffected]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

​@@jasrobsnyyou can get environment friendly straws cardboard. Would be an interesting alternative.🤔

[@LoveShaysloco]

well the Vaseline one if you know your going to have to use stuff that's slightly damp cause of the burn time could get it going

[@lakeeffected]

It might be interesting to test that. Thanks.

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

Agreed. Horses for courses. My thinking exactly.

[@NoemiSernia]

Making my own fire starters used to be a hassle - so messy and time-consuming. Now, I use Black Beard Fire Starters. Very affordable and they are made in America!

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

No point you coming here to watch this video then.😂😂😂

[@Tjohns89]

Have you tried using Black Beard Fire Starters? They work great! Very affordable and they are made in America!

[@lakeeffected]

I generally don't buy fire starters, but thanks for the tip.

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

Make your own. As good and cheaper

[@zingodingo2816]

Regardless of content, the length of time these three units burned related pretty directly to the starting weight. Also, regardless of content, even the very oily ones, all the units can be sealed and have the same exterior with a quick dip in pure paraffin as the last step in creating them.

[@nhchorin3371]

I pack saw dust and chips into egg crates and cover with hot wax. I'd like to see those comparisons... Corse dust, from a planer or such.

[@lakeeffected]

Ill keep that in mind. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

Too big

[@albertolopez638]

How did you make that?, nice video 👍

[@lakeeffected]

There are several videos by people showing how to make these.
Coal Cracker Bushcraft: ua-cam.com/video/9KvTL7gaPjc/v-deo.htmlsi=lFrmWO_VQTfTOMA6
Or Parafin covered petroleum jelly cotton round: ua-cam.com/video/aDFNEKKZrnw/v-deo.htmlsi=GaKG3jgdLMkpmyfn
Thanks for the nice comment.