Homemade Fire Starters from Waxed Cardboard and Household Materials

[MickinOz]

I have a reliable way of starting the campfire that works in light rain, etc. Here in Oz, some fresh produce is shipped in heavily waxed cardboard boxes. When my wife worked at the supermarket she would occasionally bring home veggie scraps for the chooks in these boxes. I saved a few, now when I want fire lighters I just cut a stack of strips about 1 inch by 4 inches. They work well. I start campfires and my pizza oven with them. I keep a little ~ 1 Litre bucket with snap on lid filled with these in the teardrop.
They are apparently a pain to recycle, so this is a good use for them, I think.

 

[dt400]

Couple items I use.,
1) a cotton ball with a bit of petroleum jelly will catch with the smallest of sparks. Pre-make a few and keep in a sandwich bag. Light weight and doesn't take up any room.
2) Take a cardboard egg crate , 12 or 18 egg size you get from the grocery store. Not the Styrofoam ones. Throw away the lid, fill the pockets with sawdust and pour Paraffin wax over it until the sawdust is completely soaked. Once solidified break into individual pieces. Lights easy and will burn for about 15 minutes.

Darrell

 

[Pmullen503]

Dry pine cones dipped in wax work well too.

 

[TD Gnome]

Sisal (jute) cordage dipped in wax is my go to. Use about 1/4” diameter, lights easily with lighter or ferro rod, and a finger length piece typically burns long enough to get my fire going. Cheap too, sisal rope from craft store and old candle stubs.

 

[DJ Davis]

I put one of those 6" x 9" disposable aluminum pans on the camp stove, chip up the wife's candle stubs, melt the wax, then mix in equal amounts of course sawdust, paper shreds from the doc shredder, and dryer lint from loads of only cotton fabric, such as towels. Yeah, I know...just one of those three would suffice, but I'm getting rid of THREE residues at once! Let me have my little victory.