From Dryer lint to Cotton balls, I mass made some...

ERdept

ERdept

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I posted earlier, "Is dryer lint really that good...etc" In reading the responses. It seems that the 100% cotton balls with petroleum jelly was the best in my testing.

What I found on ebay was "Magnesuim curles" for sale by the 1lb. bag. I bought that. Today, I went to the pharmacy and bought a bag of Extra Large 100% cotton balls, petroleum jelly, and the magnesium curls. I mixed all three and made a super fire starter.

After fluffing a little, I lit one and it caught right away. When the magnesium curls would ignite, they burned even brighter than the steady flame a standard cotton ball with jelly would give. I liked that.

Now a I have a mass of cotton ball fire starters that I have divided into my go everywher bob, my large bug out cntainer, and the remainder stored at home.

Took about40 minutes of work for all the balls, jelly, and curls to be mixed.

cliff
 
This is probably a stupid question that doesnt matter too much, but wouldnt the cotton and peroleum jelly get your hands pretty messy/slipper? That may not be a good thing in some situations. Did any of you guys have any problems with that?
 
i've got the petroleum jelly and cotton ball setup in my BOB, but i individually wrap each cotton ball with a small wad of newspaper. eventually the jelly will soak through, but handling the newspaper is still cleaner, plus the newspaper burns pretty well too and can be unwrapped to 'fluff' up the cotton ball before use (but this would get your hands greasy).
 
Well, when I made them, I used rubber surgical gloves, because I really dislike that greasy feeling, but in the field as I fluff them out, I really don't care if it on my hands. Cause I'm in the field.

Anyway, when I'm out, I'm doing so much that the greasyness will wear off in a few minutes.

I light rub on the pants, who cares if you get dirty.

You don't even have to touch them once made. I have them stored in a pill container. I pull one out with the tip of my knife and fluff with the knife, then spark when ready to add prepared tinder.

cliff
 
Great idea!
I saw those mag Curls on Ebay, they were tempting. I got the 1 lb. "chunk" of magnesium and cut some nice sized "bricks" about 2 or 3 times as thick as the standard mag&flint retail model. Drilled a hole and attached a small brick of magnesium to my FireSteel & Flint. good to go.

Along with cutting my little "bricks" I had the forethought to make a small carboard "catch basin" under my bandsaw, so I was able to catch the chips and particles. probably have 2 or 3 film cannisters worth (once I find some of those little bastids).

I think I just might borrow your idea and make some "supercharged" cotton balls.

Probably messy to make them, but, in a pill bottle or film cannister, using the knife or even a small twig, theoretically, we wouldn't even need to touch them in the field.

Does it take an entire Cotton ball, or could you use 1/2s or 1/4ths to extend your ration of them? (Assuming you have dry tinder and aren't dealing with soaked wood)
 
in the spirit of having everything 'multi-use' in the BOB, it's useful to know that the petroleum-soaked cotton balls are a useful supply of vaseline in a first aid situation.
 
I was gonna get more. It's much easier than scraping or shaving. I know, I'm a lazy survivalist. But, I'm conserving my energy for the great trek home. :D ha ha ha
 
flybri said:
in the spirit of having everything 'multi-use' in the BOB, it's useful to know that the petroleum-soaked cotton balls are a useful supply of vaseline in a first aid situation.
Click to expand...

Wouldn,t the flames hinder the first aid ? L:O:L
 
I take a ziplock bag, turn it inside out, scoop a bunch of vaseline into it, turn it inside in, toss in some cotton balls, seal it up, then knead it as required. No mess.
 
sodak that is by far the best and efficient way i've ever heard about making petroleum covered cotton balls. thanks for the info.

=)

i still like my charred cotton though ^^
 
We make meatloaf the same way. :D

Cotton balls and beeswax, then compress them as small as possible, when they're dry all ya have to do is tease a few strands of the cotton ball up and the smallest spark will light it.
 
I have found that Neosporin antibacterial ointment works just as well as Vasoline and by packing them seperately they can serve both firestarting and first aid roles. I just pack a small tube of the ointment along with some cotton balls in a film canister and make them up as necessary.

I also mage some magnesium shavings by drilling a couple of holes through a magnesium firestarter block.

-- FLIX
 
FLIX said:
I have found that Neosporin antibacterial ointment works just as well as Vasoline and by packing them seperately they can serve both firestarting and first aid roles. I just pack a small tube of the ointment along with some cotton balls in a film canister and make them up as necessary. -- FLIX
Click to expand...

Good idea, FLIX. Multiple uses.

I also made some magnesium shavings by drilling a couple of holes through a magnesium firestarter block.
Click to expand...

And in the vein of multiple uses, make one hole large enough to be an arrow wrench and the other an arrow gauge, for example.

Doc
 
The Vasoline really does work good but as many have said it is kind of messy so all you have to do is go to the store in the travel section and buy some small tubes of vasoline, they are about 2-3" long. Get the cotton balls there too and then just squirt some vasoline into a cotton ball and add a spark.
However, what I have that works better is cotton balls dipped in melted beeswax and saturate, remove and place in a container of magnesium chips, picked up from a machine shop. The small mag chips stick to the still tacky beeswax. Add a second cotton ball to the top of the still tacky cotton ball and then wrap the whole bundle in a piece of wax paper and twist until it looks like a big Hershey Kiss. Open up the "Kiss" strike a spark and the whole "kiss-of-fire' burns up to 20 minutes. I set the starting ball into a stainless steel pipe cap which I can use over and over. The pipe cap allows you to start the tinder ball away from your fire teepee and then just slide it into the tinder and away you go.
It really sounds more complicated then it is. If you do a buch at a time and store in zip lock, film canisters, small military pouches attached to your web belt or wherever.

Ciao
:yawn:
 
Muzzleup's kisses are great! At least, that's what I've heard... :D :P

The beeswax will really extend the burn time, as will parafin.
 
i usually put cotton and pj in a tinfoil wrap and place in the oven on 250 for ten minutes then turn the whole tinfoil wrapped package over... the pj coats the cotton and no mes...
 
FLIX said:
packing them seperately they can serve both firestarting and first aid roles.
Click to expand...

Ditto.

Would like to try the beeswax kisses. Stuff to do, stuff to do...
 
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