Easy Fire starters

[darin]

So - I have three pieces of wood in the firebox. They aren't seasoned - but they are dry. I tossed on a cup of Gasoline - no dice; fire went out quickly.

Because I'm cold, I wanted something to eat. I grabbed a bag of tortilla chips and - yuk. Stale. About 1/4 bag worth.

Because I'm pretty smart for a boy, and I can't watch ENOUGH shows like 'survivorman' - I think "I think SurvivorMan used a corn chip to start a fire!"

The logs were laying curved side down, with their peaks pointing up (sorta like a 'W' shape). I crunched the chips a bit and poured them over the logs - filling as much as I could the 'valley' portions (think: filled the V portions of the 'W' shape).

I lit two chips with a stick-lighter - took only a few seconds to light. I closed the firebox door nearly-tight. Not more than a couple minutes later the fire was ROARING!



That got me thinking...

Using a toilet paper roll, I shoved a wad of dryer lint in one side. Next I poured in more Tortilla Chips, and capped it with more lint. Using left-over Tealight candles (left over from when I was romantic - instead of this jaded, woman-hating man I've become; because women are evil and they lie to their family as if THEY were the 'tortured' ones in the marriage...as if THEY had to put up with ME; not the other way around...as if THEY weren't the hurtful nasty ugly emotionally-abusive and distant partner), I melted wax atop each dryer-lint-plug to help it stay in the roll.


Next time I wanted a fire I used three logs - two round-side-down, one across the top (little pyramid? shape. sorta). I put my lint-chip roll in the valley tween the two on the bottom, and under the one on the top. I lit it...

WOW! Took off brilliantly

[NightTrain]

Never thought about using chips... but then, I don't usually have old chips laying around. My kids are voracious with junk food.

Birch bark & kindling is how I roll! Dry spruce (or pine, down in the lower 48) really takes off fast.


Speaking of using gasoline in a woodstove... I had a very painful experience with that when I was a kid. It was 3 in the morning, and I had to get the smokehouse going again. So instead of building the fire properly by using small dry kindling to get it going and building up a bed of coals, I took some chainsaw gas and splashed it in there on some medium-sized logs while congratulating myself on such a brilliant maneuver that was going to save me a lot of time so I could get back to bed. Dad had told me never to use gas to light a stove, but never why.

I knelt down, stuck my arm in the stove and, peering into the door, flicked the lighter. WUMP! The stove roared, shooting a spout of flame several feet out of the door and naturally, all around my head, arm and torso, the concussion knocking me back. It probably shot an impressive spout of flame into the smokehouse, too, but I wasn't concerned with that at the moment.

I lost all my eyebrows, eyelashes, most of the hair on the front of my head and all my exposed skin was lobster red. The only relief I could get was to put my face into the cold river and keep it there, so I spent a couple of hours down at the river breathing through a snorkel. It sucked.

You can use diesel safely, because it's not explosive... but I shy away from using gas in a contained area.

[darin]

well said! Gasoline is awful in a wood-stove. Can bring a LARGE fireball into the house

I'm dumb.


But sometimes I do it. I leave both doors open and let it 'vent' for a few minutes...but yeah.

[Jeff]

Thanks for the advice both of ya, I just have a fireplace, but it does throw enough heat to make the family room rather comfortable, I had just learned about the toilet paper roll and the lint and have been using it as of late and just stuffing the lint in real tight does work, I will now try adding wood chips ( yes I have two boys here as well, any type of chip doesn't stand a chance in my house so we will stick with wood chips ) again thanks for the advice.

[aboutime]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use gasoline anywhere INSIDE any structure. NEVER.

That is just short of perfect STUPIDITY. Ask anyone connected to Firefighting, or Medical related professionals. Carbon Monoxide is the last of the Deadly FLASHOVER gasoline users will experience.

[darin]

Except its not a big deal. Gas works pretty good when i need it to. Thanks :-)


Im not getting carbon monoxide poisioning from from 3-4 oz of gas on soaked on a few logs.

[aboutime]

Except its not a big deal. Gas works pretty good when i need it to. Thanks :-)


Im not getting carbon monoxide poisioning from from 3-4 oz of gas on soaked on a few logs.

Well then. By all means. Use as much gasoline as you like. My apologies for trying to help.

[darin]

I will. A few ounces if i need it; im not burning gas for heat. No need for defensiveness

[aboutime]

I will. A few ounces if i need it; im not burning gas for heat. No need for defensiveness

Not intended to be defensive. Just trying to help save you, or anyone else from the agony of hundreds of skin grafts to replace burned skin.
I have seen the results...in person, of several people who dared to use gasoline for whatever reason they thought would be cheaper, and faster.
FACT. One Tablespoon of gasoline...Unleaded, or Leaded can destroy an entire building, or PERSON.

Don't mean to sound like a smart-ass. Just trying to prevent you, or someone else from Learning the hard way.

So. Despite my honest warning. You will do whatever you want. But you can't say nobody warned ya!

[darin]

Got it; am not in any danger; no more than the danger of having my ex move back in so she can save some money. Talk about playing with fire...

Gotta run! Have to head to the basement and swap out the propane bottle for the fried turkey im cooking there!

[Jeff]

Got it; am not in any danger; no more than the danger of having my ex move back in so she can save some money. Talk about playing with fire...

Gotta run! Have to head to the basement and swap out the propane bottle for the fried turkey im cooking there!

Dang you are a reckless type fella just a looking for trouble My bet is the turkey cooking in the basement is safer though.