Posted: 4/24/2010 9:10:01 AM EDT
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Posted this in my HTF. but figured I would share it here also...
I was kind of bored last night. And being the cheap bastard that I am I thought I would try my hand at making my own fire starters for camping this year. Figured I would post a How To for you guys. What you need. 1 egg carton 36 crayons (old candles will work also) Dryer lint or saw dust. Cut the top off of the egg carton and disgard. Fill each opening about 3/4 of the way full with lint or saw dust. I did half and half to see which works better. 
Un wrap all 36 crayons. this takes a little while and patience. I had my GF help me. 
This is the tricky part. You should use a double boiler for this step. Being that I didnt have one and did not want to ruin any of my pots or pans I found an old center cap for a wheel in my garage. used vise grips as a handle. Be very carful with the flame. I made the mistake of turning around and saying "hey honey can you get a pic of this step?" as I turned the flame went higher and caught the wax on fire. I blew it out in a hurry  If you do use flame you should do this outside or in the garage as it gets a little smelly. My garage still smells like burnt crayons.
Get the wax all melted with out getting the temp to high. then carefully pour into each egg slot. I did two crayons at a time until I realized it wasnt enough for each one. I think a good amount is 3 crayons per pour. 
Make sure your carton is on a safe surface that you are not worried about. Some of the wax soaks thru. 
Let the carton cool over night. 
Cut out each starter with sissors. and package them in a water tight bag. like a zip lock. 
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I take dryer lint, mush petroleum jelly into it and fold it up in a little envelope of tinfoil. When it's time to use, I cut an X in one side of the foil and pull a tuft of jelly soaked lint out like a wick and light it. It lasts longer than a wad of lint with jelly and no foil. That one came from Gene Ward.
Also, tealight candles are about $5 per 100 at the grocery store. They work pretty good. Depends what your time is worth compared to $5. ETA: If you're in a pinch, I've used lip balm, sunblock, and hand sanitizer to mix up with dry leaves and other ground litter take start a fire. A lot of items hikers/campers typically carry are flamable and make excellent fire starter when used correctly. I'll tell you that I've had far more success using lip balm and hand sanitizer than those magnesium blocks. |
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Also, tealight candles are about $5 per 100 at the grocery store. They work pretty good. Depends what your time is worth compared to $5. Yup. I use them for flux when I'm casting bullets. They are damn handy, cheap little things. I got two cool little tealight mini lanterns from County Comm a few months ago and they're pretty good. linkeroo 
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