Dear Mr. Rawles,
First thank you and thank you again for your wonderful web site. I feel I have learned so much by reading it. I developed lots of important ideas good not only for emergencies but for more “mundane” preparedness.
I want to share with you and your readers how I make simple and inexpensive fire starters for the fireplace, grill or campfire.
I get a pound of Gulf Wax [canning paraffin] ($3 dollars per box) and melt it in a mason jar in a pot of boiling water. I then take finely shredded office paper (free) and stuff it into egg cartons until they are about 3/4 full. Then I top off each compartment with the melted wax. I can make about thirty of these with a pound of wax.
They light easily and burn for about 12 minutes. They give off a lot of heat and I can start even slightly damp wood with them.
I compared the heat given off by fire starters with sawdust and drier lint by seeing how long I could hold my hand over the flame. The paper ones won hands down (no pun intended). Plus, I don’t worry about synthetic fibers from the drier and I don’t worry about wood preservatives or coatings in my saw dust. This is a must when starting my grill.
The cost is about ten cents each. Of course it would be less with waste wax from candles. I’ve heard crayons work too.
God Bless, – Bennington