Twisted Sisal Rope for fire starting !

[old4570]

For all those BushCrafty folk ..



Cut it up , make it light and airy , and one strike from your ferite rod ...
So if your going to have rope ? How about Sisal Rope ( Hemp rope to some )

 

[Quillz]

Not a bad idea to have on hand, seems it would come in handy as a nice backup.

 

[Booga]

Nice idea. I experimented with making my own firelighters by saving wood shavings that were used as packaging material, putting a ball of them in cardboard egg cartons and pouring in melted wax from old candles. They work well but it's a bit of a messy process melting and pouring the wax. 100% recycled though.

 

[scout24]

Jute twine works similarly, fyi. Good info, thank you for sharing. 👍

 

[parang]

Most dry and fluffed up things will do just fine. Striking the right balance between air and fuel is the key.

 

[vicv]

I like newspaper. Works great every time. And a big lighter. It's a good combo😎

 

[thermal guy]

Nice idea. I experimented with making my own firelighters by saving wood shavings that were used as packaging material, putting a ball of them in cardboard egg cartons and pouring in melted wax from old candles. They work well but it's a bit of a messy process melting and pouring the wax. 100% recycled though.

My dad did this same thing 40 years ago. I thought he was nuts but then I saw them in stores for sale 😁

 

[Poppy]

For a fire starter the scouts are taught to put dryer lint into a toilet paper tube. Certainly a great fire extender is a little Vaseline. Vaselinized cotton balls, a good combination! I'm told (although I have never tried it) ear wax is a good extender. Perhaps a cotton swab with some ear wax would be good. Cotton the catch the spark, and wax to extend it's burn time.

I'm stunned at these survival shows, where they struggle to find dry kindling to get a fire started, and they don't consider the cotton they are wearing! I've seen videos where a few scrapings of a knife on the person's jeans will create a little pile of fresh dry cotton, just waiting to be ignited with a spark.

I guess I am not made for TV.

 

[Poppy]

Oh my!
One of the suggested similar threads was by WoodsWalker
Boy, I do miss him.

Here he lights a group of cotton swabs.

Fire with SOL Fire Lite and Wheel Sparkers. No packed tinder.

Starting a fire with the SOL Fire lite or other spark wheels with no packed tinder can be a challenge in the woods. These spark wheel devices are popular for good reason. They're small so easily fit into little fire kits. They're added to other gear items for extra fire starting options. Most of...

www.candlepowerforums.com

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

The best fire starters I've made were from cotton and wax. It's good enough for army survival kits (wax soaked cotton balls). I take a little different approach though. I dip a round cotton pad about 2/3 in hot melted paraffin. Set it on cardboard or something else to harden. I then sprinkle some magnesium powder along the line that the wax starts to end (on the wax). Then let them dry. As they are close to drying, pick them up and set them back down making sure they don't get stuck to the surface they are set on. When lighting them, tear up the dry cotton part to get more surface area and strike your firesteel at that section. The dry cotton acts as a wick to melt the wax and get it going. The line of magnesium acts as an accelerator to light the waxed area quicker and makes it more wind resistant. Burn time is around 7 minutes. By using a pad instead of a cotton ball, there is a larger surface area to catch a spark. If wet, it will still light, but you'll have to light the waxed part directly with matches or a lighter. These fire starters have an unlimited shelf life, unlike cotton balls and petroleum jelly.

 

[thermal guy]

Saw dust and wax. Use a egg carton for a mold. Works great.

 

[The Hawk]

I use drier lint combined with Vaseline. Actually it is called petroleum jelly and it works really well.

 

[turbodog]

I use drier lint combined with Vaseline. Actually it is called petroleum jelly and it works really well.

Cotton ball in candle wax. It's waterproof. When needed, mash it between your fingers and pull in half. The cotton fibers (soaked in wax) will expose themselves... ready for a spark.