wax firestarters

I was thinking the same thing Brian, the local thrift and Salvation Army type stores.

 

I do a lot of woodworking in the winter months and I mostly use reclaimed American Chestnut. Cleaning up the lumber into useable pieces makes a good bit of sawdust. I take the sawdust and mix it with melted wax that comes from candles that I scrounge at yard sales and thrift stores and pack it into old ice cube trays. Let them set up for a few minutes and they pop right out. Last winter I made a day of it and produced over 600 fire starters.


John

 

Another gooder idea John. How do you store 'em once they've been made?
Welcome aboard too. Good first post.

 

I make the standard egg carton ones. I use the powered wax that people use to make candles. I got a 20lb bulk bag of it cheap. I fill egg cartons (free) with dryer lint (free) and saw dust from my woodshop (free) and then melt the wax and pour it into the egg cartons. Simple to make, no wick needed, very cheap, and they burn for over 10 minutes.

 

Just read on another forum a guy uses the small paper cups and he had a large bottle of that hand sanitizer which is alcohol based. He does a couple squirts or 3 of the gelled stuff in the paper cup then lights the paper cup.

 

Might have to check that out.

 

Here is a quick batch from this morning. I added little chunks of charcoal from the grill to the mix.


@papadave, sliced on the band saw.




Test fire. This one went over 10 minutes.

 

Cool shots Jon.
Good idea putting some charcoal in the mix.
May have to give that a shot this winter.

 

6 cord css over the last month + another couple cord just cut in rounds = apx 4+cubic yards of saw dust and tiny splitter trash per the number of times I have filled the 2 cf trash bin- what a waste of btu's. Could make a lot of firestarters with that if I could find a dirt cheap source for a binding agent- wax is too expensive on a buying function. Now I just had a thought as to what the honey producers due with the combs after they run them through the extractor, I am sure they sell for something as a secondary income source. Might be too pricy as well. Corn starch has always been the old binding agent standby for low compression. Saw chips from a .404 chain are perfect size material particularly if mixed with noodles + binding agent and low compression- aka Homemade super cedars. Time function vs case cost of Super Cedars - just buy the case of Supers. A case will last me 3 or more seasons. Used mostly in shoulder season as stove isn't running 24/7 then. Brain runs rampant with ideas not always able to find a practical/ cost effective( defective?) application for same. Other problem is have to keep shop production going or it all a mute point- I would just be fertilizer.

 

So about three weeks ago, after this thread started, I explain to my wife what my intentions are after reading this thread.
I liked Brian K's idea on wax starters and asked her to save any wax from candles or finding wax at yard sales etc.
Last weekend she comes home with 3 boxes of wax firestarters from Yankee Candle, said she had a coupon.

Looks like I'll have to put making batches off for now.

 

I was contemplating match light charcoal?
I have a bag of charcoal from ALDI's - will never buy that crap again, maybe just soak the stuff is melted wax.

 

I had thought about that too, someone here had mentioned crushing it and putting a small amount in along with the other ingredients. I wonder if that would create a large flame?

 

Went to a couple garage sales with my wife and SIL a couple weekends ago and found 4-5 large-ish candles that I paid 50 cents for.
Should make about 4-6 dozen starters.
Pretty inexpensive if I take out the cost of fuel to drive around looking for "deals". Still can't get my wife on board with the whole cost analysis thing. She just goes to have fun.
I guess we could spend money in worse ways.
I have the sawdust, time, and inclination, so WTH eh?

 

I collect small chunks of wood (no bigger the the palm of my hand) from dismantling pallets occasionally. I put them in a small bucket with diesel fuel and just set it on the porch with my wood. Grab a small piece and light. Works great. Diesel fuel doesn't evaporate. Heck, I still have some sitting back there from last winter.

 

Lots of good ideas here. I've been using the sawdust from my shop as the "dry/brown" component for compost, and it's been working great. Breaks down really fast.

I may have to try making some of these fire starters. Even if it's not the most cost effective thing, at least I can use some more of it up.

 

Just emptied the office paper shredder, stocking up for another batch of firestarters:

 

Ive been collecting the used wax from the scented tarts that we use.

 

Im gonna have to try and make a batch of these. I won some super cedar 2 years ago and loved using those to start a fire. Much better than scrounging together tinder and kindling

 

those look like something i used to smoke ( in a pipe ) back in the 70's