In a situation when it is down pouring rain for many days, and you are desperate to get the warmth from a campfire, having an excellent fire starter can help you get such things going smoothly.
Yes, various natural materials in the bush help ignite the fire – from substances like birch bark, cattail fluff, dried grass, and resins from balsam trees.
However, having some homemade backups stored up in your backpack can act as a bonus.
Even if you do not make them at your house, you always have several flammable materials in your home.
Contents
DIY Fire Starter Substances
Egg Cartons & Dryer Lint
Classic homemade fire starter acts like a wad of dryer lint, which gets placed in each of the empty storage departments of the cardboard egg carton with a little melted wax or melted paraffin wax poured at the top of it.
It is a simple project and gets back to making crafts in the public school. However, the major trick is to efficiently melt the wax without causing the home to burn down or ruin your cooking pot.
Paraffin or wax is highly flammable, so you should avoid throwing a cube of it in the pot & heat it over stove burners.
To lower the melting process and reduce the potential of combustion, make a double burner by placing the pot with wax over another water pot. The simmering water will lead the wax to meltdown at a safer and slower rate.
You may even want to utilize old coffee instead of a cooking pot for melting the wax. Melted wax creates a real mess, which is difficult to clean.
If you do not want to spare money on the paraffin, then accumulate all half-burned candles in your home. Shredded paper, sawdust, and cut-up egg carton pieces also work well as fillers.
Also, you should try dipping in the rolled-up newspaper, which is tied with the string or pine cones in wax to make the fire starters. Avoid using nylon strings for this purpose, as it might be hazardous.
Petroleum Jelly & Cotton Balls
Cotton balls are incredibly lightweight, and when you use petroleum jelly with the ball, it gets highly flammable.
Hand Sanitizers
Squeeze in a reasonable amount of hand sanitizer onto the wood, and it is sure to bum long to dry things out. Ensure the product which you are using should contain alcohol. Few companies are now creating alcohol-free sanitizers, which will not work.
Charcoal in Egg Carton
Place a lump of charcoal in every section of the cardboard egg carton. To light the carton, you may be wanting to squeeze some hand sanitizer or even bug repellent on the same initially to assist in getting it going.
Dryer Lint & Waxed Paper
Waxed paper generally burns nicely on its own, but you can even wrap up the dryer lint or the sawdust on paper for twisting both the ends of the paper to hold on to the contents.
Note, it might appear similar to doobie. However, it does not get very high.
Chips
Greasier is better for a snacking chip as it burns well. However, they do bum even. Doritos spicy nachos, pringles hot & spicy, and Fritos corn chips are some of the great choices.
Duct Tape
One more thing that you can do with duct tape is to use it as a fire starter. It is highly flammable & bums for a good portion of time. You can squeeze in a bit of hand sanitizer or bug repellent to get it going.
Rubber Tubing
It is by far the most toxic fire starter, which is highly effective. When your bike gets flat, keep it & cut it into strips. But avoid breathing in their fumes when igniting it as it is harmful.
Above, we have stated the substances you can use for DIY fire starters. Here, we will mention step-by-step ways to create the fire starter.
Before we start, there is one such technique that you require knowing for most of such fire starter designs: one such thing is knowing how to melt the wax.
Here, we recommend the double boiler method, but you can even use a microwave if that is your preference. Once you have this portion figured, you will steam ahead with such DIY projects.
They are just the best item for your upcoming camping trip, living room fireplace, or even backyard fire pit.
DIY Fire Starter Ideas
Self-Igniting Fire Starter
It is for sure a clever fire starter design with added convenience as it does not need a lighter or any other outside fire source for letting it go on.
It is a self-contained & self-lighting design that you must include in your emergency kit.
Instructions
- Begin with strike-anywhere match
- Wrap tightly at least 12 inches of the toilet paper round the match. Avoid covering match heads.
- Dip the toilet paper & match it into the melted wax and avoid the match head
- Keep it aside and allow the wax to dry.
- In case you dipped the match head in the wax, ensure to scrape the wax away before you use it.
Pad Soaked/Cotton String in The Wax
It is another simple and easy fire starter design, which will probably cost nothing to make as most people can figure out the needed items around their home.
They are even ultra-lightweight and a good option for the backpacker willing to avoid including weight wherever is possible.
Instructions
- Figure out these standard cotton articles: cotton pad, cotton string, shoelace, or tampon
- Completely submerge this in melted wax
- Keep it aside for some time and allow it to dry
- After the wax gets dried thoroughly, you might require cutting these cotton items into minute segments as it has multiple uses.
Egg Carton, Dryer Lint, and Wax
Egg carton, dryer lint, and wax are perhaps some of the most convenient fire starter designs.
It is a quick way to create dozens of DIY fire starters & there is a great chance you already have all of such components at your home.
Instructions
- Grab empty egg carton
- Fill all the 12 spots with a bit of dryer lint, ensuring not to overfill or pack them tightly.
- Ensure to leave sufficient room for the wax to get poured onto its lint without any overflowing
- Pour in the melted wax in each of the cups.
- Poke it with a knife to allow the wax to work through its way to the lint
- Keep it aside and let it dry on the newspaper.
- Cut each of the cups out to create an individual fire starter.
Cotton Balls in Petroleum Jelly or Vaseline
Vaseline is highly flammable and is another lightweight option for backpackers. You just need to toss the cotton balls and Ziplock into your bag and create them when it is time.
Instructions
- Grab one cotton ball and use your hands to work through the Vaseline into the same thoroughly
- Those preparing these ahead of time will want to keep them in a bag with the Ziplock facility or in an airtight container to make sure that the petroleum jelly does not dry out.
Shredded Paper Cupcakes or Sawdust
All you will require for the DIY fire starter is sawdust or a shredded paper, cupcake tin, or paper cupcake liner. The remainder of the procedure is straightforward.
Instructions
- Grab cupcake tin or the layout of paper cupcake liners
- Place a spoonful of sawdust, a pinch of shredded paper inside cupcake mold can do
- Pour in melted wax in every cupcake mold, completely submerging the content
- Keep it aside to dry
Pinecone Fire Starters
It is an excellent DIY fire starter that even makes perfect home decor. A basket packed with pinecones next to your fireplace not just appears excellent but even smells good & provides additional fuel to allow the fire to keep going.
Instructions
- Head outside and collect pinecones
- For keeping your hands away from the hot wax, tie a string around every pinecone
- Hold onto an additional length of the string when you dip them in the wax.
- The next option is to omit the wax & use cooking oil in place of it. Both these options are available readily and provide sufficient fuel to lit.
- You require to keep them aside to dry up before you can use them in both ways.
Corks Completely Soaked in Rubbing Alcohol
It is self-explanatory. The primary thing is to note that you must ensure that you store all the corks in a container, which is airtight to prevent alcohol from evaporating.
Instructions
- Fill the airtight container with the corks
- Pour in rubbing alcohol to the container till it is half full
- Put a lid on it tightly & then swirl the rubbing alcohol around it to ensure all corks get saturated
- Store container with the lid on and grab a couple of fire starters out when you require it
Conclusion
DIY fire starters are one such few guarantees prevalent in life. They, without a doubt, make your fire starters episode a thing of the past. They are even less costly and easy to make, which helps lower your fire-starting stress.
No one wants to enter the trail & spend the upcoming hour fighting for a spark to catch. Thus, why wait? Get going if you want the fire to keep going.
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