tinder

B

beezaur

Joined
Jul 31, 2002
Messages
430
Hi all,

I am looking for a good way to make tinder blocks for a spark-type firestarter, e.g. a Gerber Strike Force. They could be made from a variety of other things, say, wax and crushed hexamine tablets or cotton balls. I am envisioning some sort of molding process.

One requirement is storage volatility - the tinder should not require storage in a wrapper etc. to stay fresh.

Another requirement is waterproofness - the tinder should be lightable immediately after submergence in water for some arbitrary legnth of time.

As implied above, the lighting device should be a flint-type device, or any other immediately serviceable after submergence. I want to be able to come up out of the sea on the coast of Greenland and light this home-made tinder.

Any ideas?

Scott
 
On Cabelas.com I found tinder that's made of parafin, cotton and something else (can't remember) it is only $7.95 for 50. It looks promiseing I want to try it to see if it lights via sparks like you said. Seems like if it were really fibrous it could catch sparks easily. Have you tried clothes dryer lint dipped in wax I hear that works well.
 
http://www.fourseasonssurvival.com/en-us/dept_25.html

I've used these tinder tabs for years. They're light, last seemingly forver, and are waterproof. I've used them is tropical downpours of hurricane aftermaths and in near blizzard conditions - they work, period. Also, they are designed to work with sparking devices, such as a ferro rod or spark lite. Burn time isn't the greatest, but in this lifetime, you'll rarely find a "perfect" anything.

Mike
 
While not exactly what you're looking for, I like to make firestarters out of paper egg cartons. Fill the cartons with wood chips from a chain-saw, then pour melted parrafin over it. Let it cool and cut the egg carton apart so you have 12 firestarters. They won't light by spark, but if you are in damp conditions and get just a small flame, it would be enough to light your starter - which would burn for about 5 minutes. And you can swim with it in your pocket and still light it up no problem.

I have some that I made years ago, and they still work excellently.

I wonder if there would be a primtive alternative to cotton balls with petrol? Maybe cattail down with bear grease, or a fuzz stick with fish oil? Anyone ever tried it?
 
I've made firestarters by tying 6-8 matches together and dipping them in wax. If the strike-anywhere matches are used (assuming you can find them), you can peel one match from the bundle and use it to light the rest. The wax helps waterproof them and they burn long enough to start some tinder. A variation on that idea is to tie strips of newspaper around the bundle of matches before dipping them in wax. The only problem I found over the years is the wax has a tendency to melt if left in a hot trunk during the summer and it makes a bit of a mess. Storing them in zip lock plastic bags eliminates that problem.
More recently though, I found that the Spark-Lite Fire Starters that Mike mentioned above work like a charm. Very light weight and compact. I carry one when I'm in the woods, with a small bic lighter wrapped with a length of duct tape (just because it's a handy place to carry the tape).
Jim
 
Thanks, everyone, for the great links and tips! I'm going to try to make some of these as soon as I have time.

Scott
 
Personally, for the compact size and absolute spark catching and fire bulding ability, I like Trioxane bars.

edited to add:

With Trioxane you don't need to gather tinder or split out real small pieces of wood. Light 'em up, throw some deadwood over the top and you will have fire.

Not a lot of skill needed with this, maybe that's why I like them so well ;)
 
Cotton balls are one of the best tinders out there.

Cotton balls bare...
Cotton balls soaked in petroleum Jelly (vaseline)
Cotton balls soaked in candle or bees wax
Cotton balls soaked in candle or bees wax and vaseline (melted 50/50)

Also, consider carrying a large tube of Triple Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin) which is mostly petroleum jelly. in a pinch, you can use it to lubricate stuff, moisturize your hands or body parts, heal chapped lips, keep carbon steel from rusting, and start fires.
 
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