Bongo Bisquits, Hot Cakes, Super Cedars, there are lots of names for them, but they're all pretty much the same ingredients. Sawdust, wood chips, dryer lint, shredded paper, cotton balls, ect, and a binder that will burn, like candle wax, crayons, beeswax and canning wax, paraffin wax. Melt the wax, pour it over the sawdust, form patties, cakes, spread it out thin or put in paper cups, and voila!...Waterproof Fire starters. Here is my first attempt at making my own. First, gather the ingredients. We went on The Hundred Mile Yard Sale a few weeks ago and i found wax. Lots of wax. Cheap. I think i had $6.50 in about 20 lbs. I got a aluminum candy cup dish for .10 cents. Found a crockpot at goodwill for $6.99, a serving tray for .99cents, 2 spoons for .59 cents each, and a plastic storage box with lid for $1.99. Got 75 paper candy cups for $1.99 at Michaels craft place. And, i made a stomper out of an unfinished sycamore vase on the lathe. First start the wax in the crockpot. (Yellow and red candles . Not pictued above, but also from the yard sales.) Add paper cups to candy cup pan and fill with wood chips/shavings from the lathe. Pack slighty (with the unfinished vase) till wood chips are level and there are no wild hairs sticking out. Pour wax over the top till wood chips are soaked. Press again lightly till uniformly packed. Let cool a minute and move cups to tray. Move to storage box...and...done.
The whole process took about 2 hours. That includes carrying all the stuff to the basement and melting the wax. The crockpot is slow!
I had about $18 in the whole process to get started. I used all 75 paper cups and about 1/8 of the wax. So the initial cost is about .25cents a piece. From here on I'll have about $3.00 per 75 cups or about .04 cents each.
Not yet, just finished them before lunch. I'd like to do a time lapse video... They should burn about 10 minutes.
I do that also. But! these last 27 minutes. (I'm uploading a time lapse now) So for camping/fire pit use, these should be pretty handy for getting fires going when its damp or I'm using less than seasoned wood.
Looks like i got 27 minutes out of my firestarter. I will probably just cut them in half when i use them in the wood stove.
It may be slow but it is safer than using a quick source of heat. More control of the heat and wax temps.
I've seen vids on YouTube using them and paper towel tubes. They stuff them with the same mixture I used then cut the tube down into pucks on a bandsaw.
Nice. I met someone for a CL purchase a few years ago (can't remember what I bought). We got to talking because I saw a campfire candle sitting near his shed. He had a crockpot full of wax and showed me his technique to make wicks for them. He used burlap bag cut into strips and twisted them small enough to fit in the round. He gave me 2 and they worked great! Now I see more than one use for a croc and wax. I may have to start looking at yard sales. Thanks for the share!
Off subject... I make bird treats in the same fashion. You can get suet cheap from local butchers. Melt it down in your crock pot. I fill the cups with shelled corn. Pour the liquid fat over them and let them cool. Woodpeckers and chickadees love them. I keep them in the freezer so they stay hard.
Quite excellent TurboDiesel I commandeered a second cupcake pan and used a couple of quick clamps to mash the fire starters below all at once. Since I generally make mine in the winter, I put the whole kit and kaboodle outside to cool and set in just minutes.
