How to make fire straws?

R

Return of the J.D.

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How does one make firestraws? (I.e., sections of plastic drinking straw, filled with petroleum-jelly-impregnated cotton, sealed at both ends, for use in survival kits as water-resistant way of keeping tinder in small amounts for emergency campfire starting)?

Also, anyone have anything to share about problems with fire straws, long-term storage issues, etc.?
 
Pretty straight forward- I just grab some of the larger bore McDonalds straws, then stuff with a cotton ball. Then inject a bit of PJ, then another cotton ball, and so on until I've got as many as I want. Then I pinch an end with pliers and melt it on the outside edge with a lighter. Repeat on other side.

Now you've got a sealed straw with alternating cotton and PJ. You can even remove a piece from one end and re-seal without exposing the deeper cotton pieces.

The ones I've made I've also used fairly soon, so couldn't tell you about longevity.
 
I don't have a lot of experiece with them but I have been making some lately and they work great. Basically I just cut to size, clamp one end and melt with a lighter. Stuff with cotton/PJ. I use a small bamboo stick to poke it in. Then I clamp the other end and melt it with the lighter too. Pretty simple. There was a thread a while back with pics. That's where I learned. I just cut a slit in the middle and pull a small amount out. When it lights it burns for quite a while.
 
Making fire straws can take a bit of time, but I feel that they're well worth it.

I use drinking straws from McDonalds or various gas stations, since they're wider than the straws you buy at the store (plus, they're free!:thumbup:). I cut the straws into approximately two inch lengths. I snag the cotton balls from my wife (I don't know what she uses them for, but I think every woman comes equipped with a giant bag of cotton balls). I rip the cotton balls roughly in half. One cotton ball works for two straws.

To assemble, I roll a half cotton ball in some petroleum jelly, and then stick one end roughly into the straw section. I then use a thin pencil, dowel, stick, etc, to shove the cotton down into the straw. I then use some needle nosed pliers to pinch shut one end, leaving about an eight of an inch extending past the sides of the pliers. Apply heat from a Bic lighter, and the ends pretty much seal themselves. Repeat process on the other end.

A tip: try to wipe any excess PJ from the ends of the straws before you melt them shut. Not a big deal, but makes the melted ends neater.

I've timed my fire straws, and normally get a 4-5 minute burn time from each one!

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me with any questions!
-Parke1
 
I use rubber cement or super glue and a clothespin to seal the ends on mine. Use cotton/pj and make some with crushed Trioxane inside. Some I dip in liquid vinyl like you coat tools with. makes them a little tougher and adds more material to the burn. 'Bout 2-4" long depending on the container they are going in. Just slit them lengthwise when ready to use.

2Door
 
An alternative to PJ/cottonball/firestraws that I've tried and great success with is to take cotton ribbing cord (It's the round, all cotton, cord used to make decorative trim on various upholstery and cushions) that I found at Wal-mart. I cut it into 1" lengths, soak it in a bit of PJ and a tad bit of lighter fluid together. Then I take those sections and put them on a length of ductape and fold it over each one. Basically it creates a small pouch similar to a condom. To use I just cut a slit in the pouch and pull out some of the cotton fibers. Lights very easily. The duct tape also burns very well. Seems to me a bit easier to make than the fire straws and just about as compact.

I've been carrying one in my pocket daily for a couple of months and it's held together perfectly.

Just an alternative.

Charlie
 
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