HOW TO GET THE FLAMES GOING

Unless you have a fire pit in your backyard or go camping often, it may have been a while since you last lit anything besides a candle!
 
If you, like me, were involved in a childhood outdoor adventure group (I was a Campfire Girl, but always wished I was a Girl Scout – they have better cookies!) then you were taught how to light fires with matches, newspaper and twig kindling. That’s definitely ONE way, but there are MANY ways to get a fire going, and it’s good to know about ALL your options in the case of an emergency where a heating source or way to cook food and/or boil water is needed!

FLAME SOURCES:
Battery & foil
Butane lighter
Magnesium flint fire starter
Magnifying glass
Matches

​KINDLING SOURCES
Candle
Cotton balls
Vegetable shortening
Dry moss
Dryer lint
Gasoline
Gum foil
Petroleum Jelly
Pine Needles
Propane
Steel wool
Small Sticks & Twigs
Wax

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A RECIPE FOR HIGHLY-EFFECTIVE WAX FIRE-STARTING CUBES
 
INGREDIENTS:   

• Soy wax (or wax of your choice, including old candles)
• Pine shavings (AKA guinea pig bedding, at our house!)

                                   
EQUIPMENT:      

• Microwave oven
• Empty/cleaned  yogurt container or similar
• Silicone ice cube tray or similar

 
PROCEDURE:          

• Put a small handful of pine shavings into each ice cube holter.
• Fill yogurt container with wax or old candles, and heat on HIGH for 2 minutes
• Add another 30-60 seconds depending on how much wax is melted.
• Pour wax into ice cube molds until they’re almost full
• Let wax cool, then remove fire starting cubes from molds and store in a useful spot.

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EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT FIRE STARTING METHODS

Check out this video comparing the burn time of a cotton ball
vs. the burn time of a cotton ball + petroleum jelly

Which burns longer:  steel wool or dryer lint?

Showing off the homemade wax/pine shaving fire starter

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