Posted: 4/24/2010 9:06:03 AM EDT
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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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