I used to use the same combination as you, I just replaced the newspaper with the wax firestarters. I collect construction scraps on my jobs throughout the year and split them up smaller and use them as part of the starters for a cold firebox. I got lazy this year and got away from the newspaper. During 24/7 time no need for any of this anyways
I have a box and dont use them, bought them for the wife, I dont need them. Certain times of the year I start fires twice a day from scratch, still dont need them.
Really. You could easily walk or ride a bike instead of driving a car. Just like you can easily make your own firestarters instead of using a super cedar. I'm not trying to discourage you from making firestarters. I'm just pointing out that there are much easier ways that are very economical.
All I was saying its really easy to start a fire with kindling and dont see the need for fire starters.
This is how I start my fires. I get a 30 gal plastic trash can with a lid. I go down to the local lumber yard and fill it with saw dust. I then go up town and put off road diesel in it. Roughly five bucks worth. It's on the same principal as kerosene. It works really well. I've never had any stink but my stove sits in the basement. Diesel is cheaper than kerosene that's why I use it.
I just did. My noodles are free. The kerosene, $6 bucks. I'll easily get 100 starters from the small batch I made, 6 cents a piece. I only used a quarter of the bottle of kerosene, so can get 300 more, making them 1 and a half cents each, and no shipping charges. Best part is it took seconds to make. just pour and stir, done. No waiting for wax to melt. All contained in a old stock pot, no mess. Stored in the garage, no smell.
I like to use my concoction just because it's a guaranteed slam dunk. I can put my elixir on top of some small splits and fully load the box and walk away. No ,, having to open door to check or relight. I know it's going to be blazing = no smoke spillage into house. Me likey .
Nearly a year later. My mix of kerosene and wood shavings is as potent as when it was first made. Just a handful, could use maybe use less, and a 1 match gets a full load going. Fastest cheapest fire starter.
I play around with other stuff periodically, just to try and learn things (fat sticks/duraflame starters/Newspaper with knots/Cottonballs and Vaseline)... But always go back to SuperCedars. Super easy, plus I use them to start the BBQ Grill...
Hey Butcher, I have a stove that is about as small as stoves get in the US, and mine generally hold plenty of coals overnight for a restart in the morning. However, once or twice a week I either let it go too long or I clean out all the ash and don't find live coals, so I have to restart. I definitely don't restart with a firestarter or paper each time I reload. If I have just a few coals I arrange them in front of the doghouse air inlet, place a few small pieces of pine on them, and load the stove. This usually starts the first pretty readily, although sometimes I toss a few unlit wooden matches on the coals to ignite the thing a little faster. I don't want the stove smoking any more than necessary, and the matches help bridge the gap between almost-hot-enough and hot-enough-to-ignite-wood.
Hopefully I start my wood boiler once the weather gets cold and never have to start it again. Doesn't always work that way, but pretty close to that.
We have a container for paper and cardboard that we use as fire starter material, even used napkins and paper towels go into that box. Just doesn't make sense (to me) to make or buy something else when we always seem to have more than enough of that stuff on hand. However, we do splurge once in a while and buy a lighter to actually start the fires. Tried rubbing two kindling sticks together but found it far too time-consuming.
