Iceman's Homemade Firestarter

[ICEMAN]

Here is a thread I wrote a few years back about firestarters. I was dinking around with trying to make a firestarter that would work after I dunked it under water. Here is what I came up with, they work very well, straight out of water.

Here is what I wrote:


Best Homemade Firestarter of all time, so far...

It seems like every year I try to re-invent the firestarter thing around here. I am done with the lint thingy, the diesel saturated sawdust, the eggshell container/wax/ and lint thingy.... And for my river fishing hikes, (where guys have fallen into the river and gone downstream far enough to crawl out of the water already suffering from hypothermia and cannot make a fire to warm themselves), I have even cut a road flare into quarters, drilled holes in the ends, put a birthday candle fuse in and then dipped the whole thing in wax, looks like a crude bomb of sorts..... Cedar shavings, waxed paper, purell hand cleaner, and superglue...

I was looking for a no b.s. firestarter. Something relatively small that would give someone lost and cold a really good chance of getting a fire going. Out here in the Pacific Northwest, forest fuels are most often damp. Getting a fire going can sometimes be a challenge, and from what I have studied, when lost, cold, and not generally thinking strait, even those with advanced woodsman skills can be challenged by a simple fire.

Here is what I have come up with;

The Undertaker

(If you can't get a fire going with this thingy, start digging....)

Take a piece of waxed paper, 2 inch by 8 inch, fold it up until you end up with a piece about square (2" by 2"). Take scissors and cut the non folded end about half way thru with many parallel cuts. Your final product will sort of look like a waxed paper comb. This is your tinder.

Wrap a thin birthday candle in the waxed paper comb/tinder thingy, so the wick of the candle protrudes about 1/2" past the waxed paper. See photo below to help with lousy description... This is your fuse.

Have thread handy, and begin wrapping three magic relighting birthday candles around the waxed paper and other candle. Your final product has a fuse end, a bunch of waxed paper tinder frayed out and protruding inside of three birthday joke candles. Wrap tightly, and then several dunkings into some melted wax to hold the whole thing together. Avoid dipping too far so as not to wax over the waxed paper tinder shag at the end of the device.

My idea was this. I wanted a device that had an obvious fuse...would not blow out, and would provide lots of flame, for a long time.

Results; The Undertaker; they start immediately, do not blow out, and burn for over fifteen minutes. What more do you want....?


       

[Gobble]

Good idea, I like the cotton balls dipped in Petrolium jelly(aka vaseline) as well, they are waterproof and burn well.

[rasbo]

great job Iceman! But with global warming becoming such a problem,I would like you to design some Ice that doesnt melt ........fritos work good but I dont think they are water proof

[1bowhunter1]

Thats a great idea!!  I will keep that in mind.

[elkoholic]

try fine steel wool and a 9v battery.. just touch the ends of the battery to the steel wool-getts freekin hot!!!!! pretty cool actually. I replace battery every year from the ones I remove from my smoke detectors.. oh yeah keep them separate from each other in the pack..

[Machias]

I would just hate lugging them three bricks around with me all the time though!

[KillBilly]

I would just hate lugging them three bricks around with me all the time though!

Right on Fred, I started to say the same thing. Figured after falling in and floating down stream, the bricks would drown me and a fire would be a moot point. I held back, but since you started it, that is funny.

[runamuk]

Way cool.......

[saylean]

Looks like a candle version of a sparkler bomb...

[sisu]

Iceman, Never, I repeat NEVER, drive to Canada and back with those things in your vehicle. You'll end up getting a rubber glove exam as part of the search. 

[ICEMAN]

I would just hate lugging them three bricks around with me all the time though!

 

Strap them to your hounds! 

[Machias]

My mules would even object!!   

Great tip. thanks for posting Iceman!

[Huntbear]

that is very ingenious and will now be added to my pack!  Thanks

[huntnphool]

Very cool Ice, I will have to make some up

[Hacksaw]

Thanks for taking the time to show us all. I actually have all the materials laying around the house. Think I'll try making some up this weekend.