Lighting a tea light candle with a firesteel

G

gytheran

Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
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I've been thinking about different ways to start fires with home made kindling. In the past, I've used the 'ole cotton ball and petroleum jelly trick, and while it works like a charm... petroleum jelly sucks! It's damn near impossible to get off your hands once it's on there.

SO...

I've tried a couple different things. I like the cotton ball ideas because they're cheap and lightweight and they work great. Believe it or not Bacardi 151 keeps a cotton ball lit longer than 91% isopropyl alcohol and burns far cleaner. From the tests I've done... about 50% longer(9 min vs 6 min with non stretched jumbo cotton balls). I really like the alcohol idea, as it also creates a much hotter and larger flame... the only down side is you're relying on a flammable liquid... I could just as easily bring lighter fluid... although, not quite as cheaply. :)

Another idea I've been throwing around is using a tea light. Now I understand you cannot(or it's very hard to) light a tea light candle with a firesteel. I tested it and sure enough, if you just use a fire steel(light my fire), it will not light it. I found, however, if you tear off a small piece of cotton ball(and I mean small) and wrap it around the bare wick, there is no problem lighting it. Now the benefit, is that tea light candle will last a lot longer than any cotton ball(1-2hours) and is reusable. I could forsee one cotton ball and one tea light being able to start many fires before needing another. I know tea lights are nothing new, but I've seen videos of people spending the time to create their own candles using cotton and wax and none showing how to use an existing tea light with a firesteel. This just makes life that much easier.

Here a few pics and a small video showing me prepping and lighting the brand new tea light.









And the short vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7IPlBu8YYM

Thanks for looking,

~Joe
 
That's a slick idea. Good thing to keep in mind. Thanks for sharing! :thumbup:

-Nadz
 
Cotton balls are the best man-made tinder ever. I carry tons of them with me in the bush , stashed in every pocket. I just bring a small tub of jelly with me and make them as I go along. I've lit candles with them , BBQ's , my cigarettes , lanterns , and of course campfires. Dryer lint is gross... hair and bacteria and crap. Just get a bag of CB's for a buck at the dollar store:thumbup:
Good post.
 
Nice one! I should add a tea candle to my car kit, plus a few cotton balls.
 
Smart...and it goes with any candle:thumbup:
Thanks for sharing.
 
I assume you're using plain cotton around the wick, with no PJ?

Nice idea--and potentially easy to improvise!
 
Have you guys tried those small bottles of hand sanitizer? Me and my kids squirted some on the porch . When I threw some sparks from my boyscout firesteel the sanitizer ignited instantly. Of course you cant see the flame but you should be able to start a lot of fires with one small bottle.
Paul
 
I like the CB tea light idea light and good for a couple things, now I just need to remember to put a couple in my day pack. I just keep 25-50 ft jute twine in there with my fire steel.
 
I just carry a cigarette lighter and lights thousands of times.

Works every time and takes a bunch less room than a thousand cotton balls.
 
Good idea:thumbup:

OkefenokeeKnives said:
Have you guys tried those small bottles of hand sanitizer?
Click to expand...
Wonder how that would work on the candle wick. Seems like it would, but I've used the gel as a firestarter, and it only burned things above it, not what it was sitting on. Something to try...

I had an adventure lighting a scented candle where the wick was 5" deep in a jar yesterday. Didn't have long matches or one of those long lighters, and lit paper would not burn through the leftover crap on the wick for anything, just kept going out.
Ended up using a propane torch. I bet it would light a tea candle, too!
 
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