No, I'm not going to be the Eleventy-billionth guy to show folks how to rub sticks together. Frankly, I haven't the energy. I bought a value-pack of disposable lighters - that's what enlightened men do, right?
Bottom line up front: Stuffing a section of paper-towel tube with dryer lint, then covering with wax makes a very good fire-starter. Using one of these 'pucks' kindling is not required - just stack your logs up, place one strategically between a few, light - and within minutes you will have a roaring fire. Working very well, but not quite as robust, a cotton-dipped-in-wax wafer is effective at jump-starting a fire in wet conditions.
Here's the scenario I'm thinking: My dog and I are in the Jeep four-wheelin' in the back yard, when the POS Jeep breaks down. It's cold, and I am at LEAST 1000 feet from home. What to do? Gather what I can and make a fire. Good thing I packed.
First off - I set up a double-boiler thing using an old stainless-steel bowl, set over a sauce pan about half-full of water (which half of the pan you choose to fill is your call. I chose the 'bottom' half). I found a small candle in a glass jar-thing. I banged it upside down (get your mind out of the gutter) until the wax fell out, then placed the wax in the bowl as shown.
While the heat was, uh, getting hot, I gathered supplies - dryer lint, paper-towel roll, scissors, and cotton squares.After cutting a few sections - about 3/4" inch each - of the paper towel roll, I stuffed them with dryer lint, and placed atop wax paper.
While waiting for the wax to melt, I made a plate of nachos. Then I ate the nachos on that plate. I used shredded 'taco' falvoured cheese - picked up at the local Kroger. Very delicious.
Okay - now things are just like I like it: hot and ready....
My first method sucked. Using a coffee-measuring spoon I poured the wax atop the what-I-now-call-pucks. As the wax dripped, I imagined being a GIANT pouring hot oil over attacking hordes. I need help. The pouring method saturated the lint with wax, but left the puck leaking like a...uh...something that leaks terribly.
As my motto is 'Semper Gumbi' - Always Flexible - I changed my technique to dipping the top of the puck into the wax. Worked much better - did not leave sticky nasty lintwax blobs on the wax paper.
Repeating my dipping technique with the cotton squares, I then allowed everything to dry in front of an open window. Keep in mind the pucks take a bit - they become thick and, just like with people, the bottoms and the middle take longer to firm-up.
Out in the Jeep, my co-pilot was ready to go. By 'go' I mean 'escape the jeep', as she frequently tried darting under my legs, into the driver's side footwell. Poor skeerd pup.
The trip lasted - like me - just about 90 seconds as I reached a spot in the middle of my back yard; again like me, with a soft mushy foundation. My intent is to see how well the fire-starters work atop mostly wet ground. I found an expired xmas tree - previous owner used real trees it seems, as my yard is littered with the decaying tree carcasses of Christmases past. Good for me, though - lots of good tinder.
Below you will find video from my experiments - yes, I realize I neglected to get video of me actually lighting the lint puck. Poor form on my part - I'll get better.
Next - is the cotton square dipped in wax - audio is not clear - sorry.
Last - just a little vid driving from my 'camp' site, back to the house. Thank you so much for visiting. Remember - you probably will not face the end of the word, just be prepared when life gets really annoying.
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