residential daily tactics - how to start a fire

[sven]

I have a wood burning stove used to supplement forced-air heat in the evenings.  Love it!

The only minor pain is starting the fire upeach night, because I'm lazy.  I've tried a lot of techniques and materials, but I want to hear:

how do _you_ start a fire?

[Guest]

Tea lights.

Instead of buying a package of ten in a box, buy a bag of 100 at Pier 1. Light , place under kindling, with heavier wood in a tee-pe fashion.

I do this out and about, keep a few in the truck, camping and hunting gear, and they fit a LLBean Camping light I use for emergencies - not to mention other other "lighting" - decorative stuff.

If you buy after holiday candles really cheap - these work too, just have to break them and then cut the wick...100 tea lights in a bag is just way too convienent, and cheap!

Metal base is easy to remove from the fire, ashes, coals...

Tea lights are just too handy and cheap for so many uses - a must have even if you don't have a wood stove or fireplace.

Firstarter sticks work, just harder to find and more money.

[Larry Ashcraft]

StarterLogg [tm], available from home centers for about .25 each ( in boxes of 24 or 36 or 48 (I forget)).  Place  a log fore and aft and put about 1/8 stick of StarterLogg in between (burning), and pile on some wood.  Sit back and enjoy.

Same concept as Steve's. but cheaper, heck, what does he know about heating with wood, I'M the one living in Colorado.

Beware, the quality of StarterLoggs have gone down lately, they are much harder to light, unlike Steve's candles.

[HForrest]

Magnesium powder and/or gasoline.

[Unisaw]

Another vote for tea candles.  I have used them while backpacking to light wood that was very wet.

[Myself]

I must be old fashoned.  Always used newspaper, kindling and a match.

[stevelyn]

Charcoal lighter.

[Preacherman]

I understand Tannerite is much admired by the discerning few...

[Taurus]

Close to the source of ignition I use in the fireplace starts from a year previous as I collected and dried the dryer lint in glass containers to dry in direct sunlight. I get my news online or on TV, so newspaper is obsolete. Lint doesn't work very well in the first year. It must sit around awhile under sunlight in a confined space (with vent holes) so to lose its moisture, but boy does it ever catch and assist kindling when properly dried! No petro products are required.

[Guest]

Instead of buying a package of ten in a box, buy a bag of 100 at Pier 1. Light , place under kindling, with heavier wood in a tee-pe fashion.

If you have an Ikea in your area tea candles are dirt cheap over there. I use this method too and it works great.

[Wedge]

I always make a teepee and use newspaper for tinder.  But I'm not doing it every night...I would vote tea light...what are they like $5/100?

[Jason]

I always make a teepee and use newspaper for tinder.  But I'm not doing it every night...I would vote tea light...what are they like $5/100?

I bought a large bag of them for alot less than that at everyone's favorite cheap-chinese-import store (Wal-Mart)

[Yooper]

Newspapers->cardboard->split kindling (small)->progressively larger wood.  If the split kindling is small enough, the cardboard can be eliminated.

[Larry Ashcraft]

.what are they like $5/100?

$5/100?!  Once again Steve is right and I'm wrong.

I'm gonna try 'em, especially as hard to light as my last box of StarterLoggs was.  I like cheap AND effective.

[K Frame]

Gasoline?

Charcoal lighter fluid?

Please be sure that the news media is around when you do this so we can get you registered for the Darwin Awards...

[charby]

Okay another vote for old fashioned. I still use newspaper, kindling, etc. Hell I can even still start a fire with flint, steel and tinder.

nice and dry white pine twigs makes great kindling.  Sawdust and parafin wax makes a nice little firestater you can make. Just melt the wax, add sawdust and pour into the old metal ice cube trays.

Charby

[jamz]

I have a lot of fires in my fireplace.  usually, if I have kindling, stuff newspaper under the grate, lots of kindling on top in an"X" pattern, and two or three pieces of bigger wood on top.  Light the paper, and off you go.  Leave enough room between the wood for good convection (airflow) but not enough to make is not catch.

I like the tea candle idea.  Have to experiment with that one.

Also used fire-loggs, and my dad and grandmother use/used a meatl ball, about 2" diameter, on a stick with a handle, that diped in kerosene.  Dip it in the kerosene, roll it around in the ashes, and light it.  Worked every time, but you had to keep a covered container of kerosene nearby.

-Love, James

[aguyindallas]

Wow, I never gave any thought to the tea light concept. I have a fireplace and have always done the starter log routine, or battle with the paper and kindling to get it going. I am going to have to try the tea light deal next time we light up.

[Guest]

newspaper, kindling and a match.

and practice.

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Two logs side by side, with a layer of newspaper and a row of fatwood sticks sandwiched in between.

Another log on top, cattycorner so the fire can breathe.

A single sheet of crumpled newspaper on top. This gets lit first to warm the chimney.

Always remember to open the dang damper!!!

- NF

[Stickjockey]

Sawdust and parafin wax makes a nice little firestater you can make. Just melt the wax, add sawdust and pour into the old metal ice cube trays.

This also works well with dryer lint and egg cartons.

You could also try diesel fuel and highway flares.

[stevelyn]

>Gasoline? Charcoal lighter fluid? Be sure the news media is around when you do this so we can get you registered for the Darwin Awards.<

Uhmmmmmmmm...........Mike, I have to agree with the gasoline (a flammable) thing there as it can be explosive and I'll just bet that it was posted as a joke.
But don't you think that if charcoal lighter fluid (a combustible) wasn't safe to start fires with, that they probably wouldn't sell it for such things after the first couple of barbeques were launched into low orbit?
I've used charcoal fluid, diesel and liquid parafin for starting woodstove fires. It's perfectly safe. Just don't over do it.

[Harold Tuttle]

Phased-plasma rifle in the forty watt range

[crt360]

>>Gasoline? Charcoal lighter fluid? Be sure the news media is around when you do this so we can get you registered for the Darwin Awards.<

Uhmmmmmmmm...........Mike, I have to agree with the gasoline (a flammable) thing there as it can be explosive and I'll just bet that it was posted as a joke. <

Having "seen" a few fires started with gasoline, I agree - makes a big fireball.  Definitely don't use it indoors (and if doing it outdoors let the least necessary person light it).

[Pebcac]

(1)  Turn knob to IGN.
(2)  Push igniter repeatedly until small flame appears.
(3)  Turn knob to HIGH.

Gas logs rule if you're lazy.