Fire Starters: What's the Deal

Just did it. I put the hacksaw blade in a vice and, with my head and eyes turned away, bent it. It broke , without shattering, at about 90 degrees. I then rounded the edges on a grinder.

Love your nickname.

bug



[This message has been edited by bug (edited 03-29-2001).]
 
Stick to the Bic!
In fact, carry several since they're so light.
Just put it in a small zip-lock bag if you're worried about it getting soaked (even though it will work once you dry it out anyway).
Besides, the zip-lock bag will be handy too.
Good luck.
 
The easiest way to break a hacksaw blade is to just grip it in a pair (I mean two pair) of vice grips, and then bend the blade in opposite directions. By using two vice grips, you can make the break (ie, blade length) anywhere you want.
 
Thanks twice, Bug. Like your handle too. Will e-mail you with origin. And I really appreciate your breaking of the blade. Will do that shortly with one or more of mine.

Now, if I can just find some bees to wipe the wax from, I'll be all set.


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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
The vaseline or beeswax on the cotton balls is the fuel, the cotton is only a matrix to hold it, although the cotton itself will also burn.

The cotton balls will get smaller as you work the vaseline in. I buy absorbent cotton batting. That way I can grab as much as I like and work in the vaseline. An uncompressed piece about an inch or two across is a good size to start with. This is not rocket science. Experiment!
 
BUGS3X;

An easy way to break a hacksaw blade is to just wrap it in an old towel and bend it inside the towel until it breaks.
I have difficulty getting good sparks from a hacksaw blade so I use an old piece of broken 3 corner file with the teeth ground off and use the old file handle thats on the tang of the file.

Vasoline soaked cotton balls will fit in a pill bottle very well and the bees wax soaked ones depend on how much bees wax you use and how you shape it while the wax is still warm. In any case I always try and add a second dry cotton ball to the waxed ones to get the fire stared a little faster...just wrap the dry ball around the waxed one and light! BE SURE AND GET PURE COTTON COTTON BALLS !

rolleyes.gif


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Ron,
Bremerton, Washington
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There's a simple way to make vaseline-soaked cotton balls. Use a soup can and put some vaseline in it and melt it on low heat on the stove. Drop the cotton balls in the can and they soak up vaseline like a sponge. I then use a couple of forceps to extract them, one to hold them and one to give them a bit of a squeeze to get rid of excess vaseline. It beats trying to rub vaseline into a cotton ball. You can make up a whole mess in short order.

I also like drier lint. For car camping I make up a pile of firestarters by filling an egg carton with drier lint and pouring wax into individual wells. When you're camping, put a cotton ball on top of one of these, hit it with a spark, and stand back. These babys will really burn! If you can't get a fire going with one of these, ya better head for a motel.
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You can get a pile of damp tinder going with one of these. They burn quite awhile.



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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
Here's a low-tech fire starter that has never disappointed me.

1. Gather your chain-saw shavings (or whatever other small-tinder materials you have available) and fill a paper egg carton with them. Pour melted wax over them until each cup is completely saturated all the way through the bottom. Let it harden, and you have a waterproof firestarter that will burn for about five minutes.

2. Coat your strike-anywhere matches in wax. Before using just scrape off the wax from the head and it's as good as new. Plus, the wax that remains below the head will make your flame more hardy so that the wind and moisture have a harder time trying to put it out.

This ensemble is very small and lightweight to carry, and if you fall in the drink your fire is still safe. And it's free; you are recycling egg cartons and old candles.
 
Handles for busted-off hacksaw blades: wrap in duct tape, the survivalist's friend. :~} Keeps the saw from bitting you, and is easy besides.

The best "modern" tinder: real cotton balls, with candle wax melted on them. Easier than setting up a double boiler, which is the only safe way to melt wax over an open flame. Just light the candle, and let the wax drip on the cotton ball. Half of a cotton/wax ball will burn fiercely for about three minutes, is easy to light with a sparking rod, and you can fit five full-sized balls in a 35mm film can, giving you the potential for 10 fires.

The best "traditional" tinder: char cloth. Just cut old tee-shirts (100% cotton, again) into 2 inch squares, and place the cotton in a pellet tin. Poke a hole in the top of the pellet tin, and put the whole thing IN your fire. When smoke stops coming out of the hole, your char cloth is done. It will be totally black, extremely delicate, and will catch a spark quite readily. Make a "nest" of shredded up grasses or bark, put the char cloth on top, strike a spark, and fold the tinder ball around the char cloth. Blow into open flame. A pellet tin will hold at least 60-75 pieces of char cloth, and natural tinder is all around. And, of course, Bic lighters are cheap and functional. Just not as much fun. :~}
 
Handles for busted-off hacksaw blades: wrap in duct tape, the survivalist's friend. :~} Keeps the saw from bitting you, and is easy besides.

The best "modern" tinder: real cotton balls, with candle wax melted on them. Easier than setting up a double boiler, which is the only safe way to melt wax over an open flame. Just light the candle, and let the wax drip on the cotton ball. Half of a cotton/wax ball will burn fiercely for about three minutes, is easy to light with a sparking rod, and you can fit five full-sized balls in a 35mm film can, giving you the potential for 10 fires.

The best "traditional" tinder: char cloth. Just cut old tee-shirts (100% cotton, again) into 2 inch squares, and place the cotton in a pellet tin. Poke a hole in the top of the pellet tin, and put the whole thing IN your fire. When smoke stops coming out of the hole, your char cloth is done. It will be totally black, extremely delicate, and will catch a spark quite readily. Make a "nest" of shredded up grasses or bark, put the char cloth on top, strike a spark, and fold the tinder ball around the char cloth. Blow into open flame. A pellet tin will hold at least 60-75 pieces of char cloth, and natural tinder is all around. And, of course, Bic lighters are cheap and functional. Just not as much fun. :~}
 
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