# Fire starting kit.



## Lez Fuse (May 2, 2015)

started making a fire starting kit, have the usual stuff, matches, fresnel lens and flint and steel. It's the what to use as fuel. Heard soaking cotton wool in petroleum jelly works but what about soaking cotton wool in lighter fluid. Would love some feedback. Thanks


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Lighter fluid (and most other fuels will evaporate over time - petroleum jelly won't evaporate. Be sure to leave a little dry cotton on those cotton balls or they will be very hard to light without a flame.


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## Lez Fuse (May 2, 2015)

Sweet thanks for that. Should've thought on about the lighter fluid as it evaporates from lighters after time.


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## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

Dryer lint. Pretty much free.


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## Lez Fuse (May 2, 2015)

Brilliant


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## GasholeWillie (Jul 4, 2014)

doing the primitive on fire starting while fun, I recently began buying Ronson jet lite lighters. They are refillable and cost about $3.50. But just in case the lighter fails, I do have all the other stuff (lint, PJ cotton balls, fero rod and magnesium block. You gotta practice out in the elements with the primitive stuff, first time I practiced with shaving the magnesium to start a fire, the wind blew the collecting disc away with the shavings. Start over. Then the kindling did not catch right away, possibly wrong structure to start the fire with. So there is a learning curve.


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

One bag dryer lint soaked in jelly. Another not. Mix a bit together and light fart will ignite it. Or a ferro rod. Ya that works too.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

I always carry some dryer lint in a plastic baggy/ziplock o 'bout the cheapest I can go. other than that just use what's available -grass, leaves, twigs. I have even had to scrape down into some fire wood to use the shavings before.

once a buddy used the lint balls off his socks thought that was kind of cool.


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Medic33 said:


> I always carry some dryer lint in a plastic baggy/ziplock o 'bout the cheapest I can go. other than that just use what's available -grass, leaves, twigs. I have even had to scrape down into some fire wood to use the shavings before.
> 
> once a buddy used the lint balls off his socks thought that was kind of cool.


My belly button is always carrying a little extra too 

I usually shave bark and make a nest. Pretty easy to do and works like a charm.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Road flares will work when nothing much else will.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

The alcohol in hand sanitizer is flammable, might carry for after bathroom use too, requires a lighter though. Wouldn't light with sparks from an empty zippo. The tubes of plastic model glue also light well, but require a lighter or flame. 

Always lint in the pockets of jeans.


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

Along with all the stuff discussed here, I found a large bag of tea candles in CVS at a bargain price. I picked them up and tossed a few in each BOB in the family. They'll last in the BOBs for ages and not evaporate or go bad.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

While I have a little of everything mentioned here, I also carry a 3 pack of military surplus Trioxane fuel and a 6 pack of Esbit fuel. Both very hot, but Trioxane can't be used in closed space. They give about 10 - 12 minutes of fire to cook on or get damp wood going.


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## Lez Fuse (May 2, 2015)

Guys this is brilliant. Thanks for all the tips. Really keen on getting my survival tins and BOB sorted on the cheap. All this is helping immensely


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Shoots and I developed a pretty cool fire starter that works great for us.
We line a toilet paper tube with petroleum jelly, then stuff it full of dryer lint.
We then smash it flat and wrap it with duct tape.
Looks like this. Waterproof if you duct tape it properly. Stackable and space saving.








To use them, we pull of a piece of duct tape about 2 inches long, then cut the whole thing in half leaving it connected by just a little bit.
We place piece of duct tape we pulled off on the bottom of the V shape we created to catch a few magnesium shavings. Spark it, and its good to go. By itself it burns for about 2 minutes


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## Lez Fuse (May 2, 2015)

I love this forum.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Diver said:


> Along with all the stuff discussed here, I found a large bag of tea candles in CVS at a bargain price. I picked them up and tossed a few in each BOB in the family. They'll last in the BOBs for ages and not evaporate or go bad.


lucky you up there in the cold. in Texas those things will melt sitting outside, and especially if left in a car.


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## scramble4a5 (Nov 1, 2012)

I just went camping last night and to start my Emberlit stove I used a combination of cotton balls covered in petroleum jelly, some cotton dryer lint, and cedar shavings from an old board I had use to make a home repair. Lit the fires with a Swedish fire steel. Worked great.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

I have a small medicine bottle full of pieces of pine sap. It lights easily.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Auntie said:


> I have a small medicine bottle full of pieces of pine sap. It lights easily.


Do you use just pure sap, or fatwood? How much coaxing does it take?


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Lez Fuse said:


> started making a fire starting kit, have the usual stuff, matches, fresnel lens and flint and steel. It's the what to use as fuel. Heard soaking cotton wool in petroleum jelly works but what about soaking cotton wool in lighter fluid. Would love some feedback. Thanks


If you can make a flame, strike a spark, or make an ember........go out in the woods and practice with what is available.

Then do it when it is raining or snowing.

You won't get an overnight fire with cotton soaked with petroleum jelly.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

I have the straight sap in the bottle. You can find it on almost any pine tree. My nephews and I go out and look for it when we can. It starts very easily and melts and bubbles so I put it on a piece of wood so it can spread out and not fall into the dirt.


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## jdbushcraft (Mar 26, 2015)

Mad Trapper said:


> You won't get an overnight fire with cotton soaked with petroleum jelly.


What does this mean?


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

jdbushcraft said:


> What does this mean?


he means a cotton ball soaked in petroleum jelly will not burn all night long, and you will need additional fuel to keep the fire going.


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## Lez Fuse (May 2, 2015)

The cotton wool is just to get a flame on, should light from a spark.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Just found this. I mean if you can afford it, I'd say get one.


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## Lez Fuse (May 2, 2015)

That is all kinds of awesome.


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## jdbushcraft (Mar 26, 2015)

Jakthesoldier said:


> he means a cotton ball soaked in petroleum jelly will not burn all night long, and you will need additional fuel to keep the fire going.


Thank you. 
While true, it's a very odd thing to feel you need to say. Or did I miss someone that had a 1 cotton ball fire solution?


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## topgun (Oct 2, 2013)

My wife was a girl scout leader years ago and one of their projects was to make fire starters out of rolled-up and tied newspaper strips, soaked in paraffin wax. She gave them to me because I always camped during the hunting season, and had campfires to stay warm. I said "Sure Dear, I'll take them", and just threw them in my back pack with no intention of ever using them.

One time I was camping and it was pouring rain, with nothing dry at all to try and start a fire. Everything I tried, failed to sustain a fire. Even those "store bought" fire starters were useless. Then, I remembered the girl scout "fire starters" I threw in my backpack a year or so earlier. Those darn things burned so hot and so long, I was able to start a fire without much of a problem. It even got the wet wood to burn.

God Bless the Girl Scouts, they saved my day! If you are ever offered these things, do yourself a favor, and take them!


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## Big Country1 (Feb 10, 2014)

I keep cotton balls soaked in the petroleum jelly, and paraffin wax. Wax is great for helping a fire to get going, especially in wet conditions. I also keep a large amount of fatwood, that I tend to use more than anything else. I use the backside of my knife to make dust-like shavings, and they take a spark from a ferro rod like its something to do.


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## Lez Fuse (May 2, 2015)

Sorry had just woken up and I'm still getting my head around everything. All this forum stuff is new to me.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Lez Fuse said:


> ...It's the what to use as fuel...Would love some feedback. Thanks


Dead muslims?


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

jdbushcraft said:


> What does this mean?


OP asked what to use for fuel.

I would start out with some dry punk or other tinder, that you can find, then work your way up to branches and logs. Learn how to make the whole fire.

IMHO a candle is much more useful than cotton balls as it provides light too. You should have one or two in your BOB.

I have made a bow drills but I'm still struggling to use them under adverse conditions. I can make one if I have my knife and shoelaces. You need to be able to find real good tinder to get the first ember started.


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## SecretPrepper (Mar 25, 2014)

You can make a lint ball from any of your cotton cloths and a knife. The down side is that this does thin your cloths in that area. It is easy and fast. Just scrape up the sive lint ball you need.


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## Lez Fuse (May 2, 2015)

So, infusing cotton wool balls and petroleum jelly is the messiest thing ever!


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## stillacitizen2 (Jan 30, 2015)

I do the Lint/Petroleum Jelly thing. Melt down the PJ, soak the Lint (free) in it to "sop" it up and let it cool. My "carry everywhere" fire kit consists of 4 boxes of matches (32 count ea.), two butane lighters and a small quantity of my lint. I gave up on my Zippo's for emergency fire lighting. Even in tightly sealed plastic bags, the fluid evaporates. I think I'm going to try a wax seal around the lid and see if that works, but that's another thread.

With this stuff, you don't need much, even with damp to semi-wet wood. It burns plenty hot and long. I carry a significant quantity of it in my pack, so if the wood is WET, I just use a bigger chunk. A chunk about half the size of a golf ball will burn for several minutes (a minimum of 4 to 5 minutes, even longer). And like I said, it burns HOT. 

I keep it all in an old 5 x 3.5" Carhart pouch that snaps shut and has belt loops. It used to carry a hand warmer that was a "vendor gift" they gave out 15 years ago or so. It's compact and versatile. No worries about starting a fire here!


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

If anyone is interested I rediscovered for myself the Djeep Paris lighter. Its like a bic but larger. Its short and fat like a zippo but is more designed like a bic. It seems higher quality than a bic and advertised 1,000 lights. It was $2.00 at my smoke shop, so far I'm satisfied. Seems OK workmanship.

Also 4 cigars even though I'm not a habitual smoker.


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## warrior4 (Oct 16, 2013)

The nice thing about fire starting is that there are so many ways to get one going. It's a very useful skill that has served men and women for thousands of years. Granted it does take practice, especially in inclement weather. However if you practice enough the ability to cook, boil water, keep warm, fend of threats, signal others, and just the comfort of a fire will pay dividends.


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## topgun (Oct 2, 2013)

Beware of those Chinese magnesium/flint/steel things. I saw a youtube video where they are almost impossible to light. It said to stick with the name brands.

They demonstrated it, not just talked about it. 

I keep a couple of them US made ones scattered around by BO stuff, but they're only for a last resort, and they work if wet.


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## jdbushcraft (Mar 26, 2015)

topgun said:


> Beware of those Chinese magnesium/flint/steel things. I saw a youtube video where they are almost impossible to light. It said to stick with the name brands.
> 
> They demonstrated it, not just talked about it.
> 
> I keep a couple of them US made ones scattered around by BO stuff, but they're only for a last resort, and they work if wet.


I've seen the same type of videos showing there is no difference. I've bought many $2 mag fire starters and never had an issue.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

I just made some really simple fire starters that work well. Buy some of those tiny tea candles, plop them out of the aluminum ring (but keep the ring), melt down the candles over the stove, add in some dryer lent and saw dust, pour the wax back on the rings with the lent and saw dust. After they cool keep them in the rings or take them out, what ever your preference.


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## jdbushcraft (Mar 26, 2015)

Lint. Lent is the 6 weeks before Easter.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

jdbushcraft said:


> Lint. Lent is the 6 weeks before Easter.


Apparently my phone is Catholic. Thanks for the heads up.


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