Cotton tinder firestarters.

savagesicslayer

savagesicslayer

Joined
May 24, 2005
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I was messing around with the idea of making some cotton tinder for my PSK.I tried different things but the cotton burned up too quickly for my liking so I decided to add some wax to it.Some time and several burnt fingers later I decided on a different idea for my tinder.
First,I got some cotton swabs commonly found in any drug store.
tindercotton1.jpg

Next I needed something to melt my wax in so I made a burner.( yes that is a beer can)
tindercotton.jpg

I stretched the cotton swabs apart some as they are 2 ply.once I got the wax boiling slightly I dipped one side in.
tindercotton2.jpg

Then I set them down dry side down.this spreads the wax and still keeps some of the cotton "dry".They harden up kind of like little cotton chips.I cut them in half so I could cram more into my Altoids tin.
tindercotton3.jpg

Now for the fun part,testing.I dug an old cooking pan out from my cook set in my pack and used it for a test site for my cotton chips.I put 1 slice in the pan and hit it with my ferro rod.it caught right away and gave off a hot and high flame.
tindercotton4.jpg

This led to an unplesant though happy problem.I though I could just blow it out.WRONG.It was burning so well I couldn't get it to go out.So I'm running through my house with a flaming pan which got a lot of WTF!!! from my fokes.
I threw the whole works into the back yard and let it burn out.It took a while but it did.
I used the wax from other tea lights for this I don't know if other wax will affect it any.I'll leave that up to you guys to figure out.
 
hey, those are those round face swab pads right? HIGHLY absorbent......i imagine they would soak up a lot of wax........

great pics!
 
Dip them while they are still moist in some fatwood shavings then give us another report :)
 
i have done this before with regular cotton balls, works well, similar to PJCB but with alot less mess. these can be carried right in your pocket no problem...not the case with PJCB.
 
Whoa your doing a no no with the flame to melt the wax as it Can Ignite ,use a double boiler{ pot with heated water and your wax in an other container resting in the heated water with the wax}
Testing fire making I use a large oval metal pail to give me enough room to work in And keep a way to drown/ smother the fire if a mishap happens.
 
akabu, for melting wax i typically use a tuna can with a bail attached over a propane plumbing torch...no problems yet but i have my water bucket nearby anyways.

by the way, you can do the same thing with heavy cotton clothesline, and just cut off an inch or two whenever you need. also works with jute twine (a great tinder on its own) and wax paper is good on its own too.
 
Sig good for you with the way to put it out but I would play more safe have made mistakes at a very young age that is why I am more carefull:eek:
If you see his set up Wood Table/workbench :eek:
I have done the Cotton line most times as a wick for the 7 day candles to give more light out put the only down side was more soot:p
 
I agree with akabu - use a double boiler. It can be as simple as a can with water on a burner and a beer can sitting in the water (it will float a bit, depending on how much water is in the larger can). Place the wax in the beer can. This prevents the paraffin from realizing a temperature greater than 212 degrees F.

A quote from the internet:

Safety Tips for Wax Melting
Never have the wax in direct contact with the heat source. Wax is like grease, as it has a flash point. In general, wax has a flash point of 395 degrees. A flash point is the point where the wax is so hot that it burst into flames all by itself. So I say "IN GENERAL" the flash point of wax is 300 degrees. I tell everyone - if wax is smoking, it is too hot. The vapors produced are extremely flammable for any heat source like a stove. Use the double boiler. Don't melt it in a microwave. Our wax isn't made for this. I like my wax at 150 degrees for a variety of reasons.

Most paraffin waxes have a flash point around 395° F. When it reaches its flash point it may not smoke or bubble, it will usually just explode, splattering flaming wax in all directions. To avoid this catastrophe, always use the double boiling method to melt your wax. Water boils at 212° F, which is well below the flash point of any paraffin wax.

Yes, I said this twice in different ways, I want you to get the message. USE A DOUBLE BOILER! Not your crock pot, or your microwave, or in a pan on direct heat! Got it! (quoted site )

Doc
 
When I need to put out one of my firestarter experiments, I keep a mason jar or coffee cup handy to snuff them out... It works quite well..

Give it a try :)
 
great thread man I am going to have to try that. also I remember when I was a kid my dad would mix saw dust into the wax for his fire starters.
 
I have done the same, with the exception of only soaking 1/2 of the pad. I leave 1/2 plain, to take an easier spark, and the waxed 1/2 will still burn steady for 2-3 minutes.
 
If you have friends that are into the same stuff we all are, you can go to the canning section of your supermarket and get a box of paraffin "cakes" that are melted in double boilers and then the molten wax poured over whatever you are canning, for some canning procedures, etc. I have used Gulf Wax Brand in the past, for example. You can do a large batch with cotton pads, balls and dryer lint.

Please pay particular attention to what the guys are warning you about. It's OK if you are just melting some candle wax or, more accurately, pouring off the excess molten wax off of a candle...that's not a problem. However, when that warning states there is a flashpoint and it can just explode when melting it over an open flame, believe it. It won't happen every time, but when it does, it's not going to be pleasant. Double boilers are very cheap, your eyes are not.

I remember a friend of mine had a big electric melting pot for lead, he would collect tire balance weights and any lead scrap he came across and he would cast sinkers for himself and his father. I didn't know that you had to like pre-heat the lead. :D

I picked up this chunk of lead about 1.5 times larger than a golf ball and it was dry but stone cold and the whole damned thing exploded, I looked like the Tin Man. Lucky I didn't end up blinded.

Don't mess with molten anything. Throwing water on a flashpoint paraffin fire...it would put the fire out, you might get a face full of whatever molten wax is in whatever container you are using as well.

Paraffin-cotton firestarters are awesome. For those that prefer the PJCBs, you can also just carry the watertight pill fobs with your CBs in them and carry Vaseline Brand Intensive Care Hand Lotion in these very small tubes. There is just a pin hole in the end so you get this thin worm of PJ over what you want to ignite, not wasting any.

Ultimately, it's all great stuff!
 
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I only melted enough tea light candle wax to cover each cotton swab as I did it.This cut down on stringy stuff in the wax and gave me a measure of safety.
 
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