Try some kerosene or diesel fuel...safer, and burns longer. I don't think a little newspaper ink will hurt a thing in a non cat stove...burning newspaper wont hurt the stove so much as its frowned upon due to how easy it is for a piece of burning paper to get sucked up the chimney and start a fire...either in the chimney (burning wet wood?!) or in the yard around the house...
I use a simple fire starter. I use "paper" egg cartons filled with sawdust and wax. Its maybe not the best, but it lasts a while for the fire to get started. I usually have enough saw dust / chips to make quite a few.
Welcome to the club. Lots of great folks here sharing knowledge and humor...we like pics of your set-up. Stacks, saws, stove, pets....
Thanks. I'm actually a returning member, I was active between 2014 and 2016 but I cant figure out my old password, so........ Anyway, I'm excited to be apart of the gang again and talk to you fine folks. I'm re-establishing my hoard and looking forward to building that up better than ever.
It's much simpler than these complicated starting techniques that are unnecessary. No fuels ( too dangerous ,even diesel/kero, and smelly). Hey, you want to use octanes, try some C-4 for lighting ( actually used for heating food and cafe in country ) . No wax in cups. Keep it simple. Newspapers won't start any fires in a flue that is used right and kept sweeped, Here's the K.I.S.S. way that most of us use: Collect newspapers during the non burn times. They need recycling anyhow, and libraries have to get rid of them even if you don't read print. Learn about the top down method for quick and clean starts-- Heavier splits on the bottom. Lighter splits over them. Kindling ( you have been collecting kindling from spliting, limbing, and general woods pick ups ? ) on top of that. Then the crumpled up newspaper on top. Why top down ? Gets the flue drawing. Gets the kindling lit. Then the real stuff.
Thanks and guess what.... I finally figured out my password! LOL It was automatically saved on an older computer. Ha Ha Its good to see you too Wildwest. Its awesome to see a bunch of familiar faces on here still! I'll post on this account from now on.
It is funny how that happens, but to be fair, I graduated HS with people I never saw before graduation day. LOL Probably just lurking different corners.
I have a new EPA Nova 2 from MF Fire. They recommend the top down. I’d always gone bottom up before on a non-EPA Jotul. So have been trying this Top down thing on the new stove. I like routine, so have stuck to this method to really nail it down and stress test it. It works. I suppose the one thing I’ve noticed is don’t half azz it. Couple big ones east/west. Couple stubby ones north/south. Couple small east/west. And load with ten or so tiny tid bits on top. These get roaring with the door cracked just fine. If trying to start a small fire with a small log here or there, not so much. Figure it’s best to go bottom up in this scenario. Just my 2 cents. old school 1810 (love this): ". . . and no one can have an idea of what a good fire is who has never seen a camp-fire in the woods of America. Imagine four or five ash-trees, three feet in diameter and sixty feet long, cut and piled up, with all their limbs and branches, ten feet high, and then a fire kindled on the top with brush and dry leaves; and then under the smoke the party lies down and goes to sleep." John James Audubon, Cash Creek, Kentucky, 1810 (first North American reference to top down fires that we've found. Thanks for the tip, Tim) A non-commercial service in support of responsible home heating with wood - Top-Down Fever the link I used to get started (note the heavy load): A non-commercial service in support of responsible home heating with wood - Top-Down Fires Step-by-Step
This is my method. Matter of fact most of my cold start fires look exactly like this set-up. Big, medium, small, some kindling. With rolled and knotted newspapers to get it going. Never have any issues and things heat up very fast.
