Fire starting material

I have a couple of options Cotton balls in gasoline stuffed into an old med bottle (I can have about 6-7 fires worth in one bottle ) I've also gotten a old big candle melted it down and added a small amount of lamp oil to it then took the flat eye makeup removal cotton pads and covered those Those burn approximately 5 minutes and start easily with a faro rod. Burn time is important

I also carry at least two methods of starting a dues which includes a lighter

Corey
 
Nuclear Worker said:
What do most people use for emergency fire starter material? I have modified the cotton ball method a little bit. Go to a beauty shop and they have cotton in long strands. Smart that full of Vaseline and you can wrap around sticks seems to work pretty good.
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And you can buy long rolls of cotton at most drugstores and safety supply companies
 
PDXGS said:
WetFire, hands down.

I've taught survival and navigation for a local Sheriffs dept Search and Rescue team here in Western Oregon.
WetFire has outperformed everything we've tested. It's usually wet here during our busiest season so whatever we promote needs to work when the element are at their worst
This stuff is light, durable and can be ignited with a single spark.
As a recurring demo , I used to light a small pile of bark shavings on a snow bank in windy conditions with near frozen hands.
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Potasium permangenate and glycerine. Cheap and works every time. A small pile of Potasium Permanganate (can be found at Lowes or Home Depot in the pool supply section) and a couple drops of glycerine and within a few seconds, chemical reaction and instant fire!
 
Who here has actually tried to use a Vaseline mixture? I did with both dryer lint and cotton balls, and it did NOT work. Are there different types of Vaseline and maybe I got the wrong stuff? So far, and based on my experience with it thus far I'm labeling it's usefulness as a fire starter to be an urban legend.

If you do try that Fritos trick, and the "Cool Ranch" chips worked extremely well for me, be sure that you don't ever want to eat them again. What drips out of the burning chip is pretty gross. Looks like hot fat, but doesn't burn. I'm pretty sure I don't need that in my body!

For now I carry a small propane torch and bottle in my off-road vehicles. I've found with those that full throttle singes the wood and make it harder to get a fire started. However, a soft flame does a fast job of getting a fire going.

Prairie said:
Potasium permangenate and glycerine. Cheap and works every time. A small pile of Potasium Permanganate (can be found at Lowes or Home Depot in the pool supply section) and a couple drops of glycerine and within a few seconds, chemical reaction and instant fire!
Click to expand...
I recently read about how fire-fighters are now starting back-fires from a helicopter. Involves essentially a ping-pong ball with some potasium permanganate in it that gets injected with ethylene glycol (automotive coolant) by a machine that then drops them out of the chopper.
 
ntsqd said:
Who here has actually tried to use a Vaseline mixture? I did with both dryer lint and cotton balls, and it did NOT work. Are there different types of Vaseline and maybe I got the wrong stuff? So far, and based on my experience with it thus far I'm labeling it's usefulness as a fire starter to be an urban legend.

If you do try that Fritos trick, and the "Cool Ranch" chips worked extremely well for me, be sure that you don't ever want to eat them again. What drips out of the burning chip is pretty gross. Looks like hot fat, but doesn't burn. I'm pretty sure I don't need that in my body!

For now I carry a small propane torch and bottle in my off-road vehicles. I've found with those that full throttle singes the wood and make it harder to get a fire started. However, a soft flame does a fast job of getting a fire going.


I recently read about how fire-fighters are now starting back-fires from a helicopter. Involves essentially a ping-pong ball with some potasium permanganate in it that gets injected with ethylene glycol (automotive coolant) by a machine that then drops them out of the chopper.
Click to expand...

yex I have used the vasoline and cotton balls and it works well Burns for about five minutes How saturated are you making the cotton balls? You don't want a bunch on it you still need cotton fibers exposed

Corey
 
ntsqd said:
Who here has actually tried to use a Vaseline mixture? I did with both dryer lint and cotton balls, and it did NOT work. Are there different types of Vaseline and maybe I got the wrong stuff? So far, and based on my experience with it thus far I'm labeling it's usefulness as a fire starter to be an urban legend.
Click to expand...

I have. When I first heard about the idea I mixed up a batch and used it to start fires in the wood stove to make sure it was a viable option. It worked. It has been a few years since I did it but I remember I warmed the Vaseline container in hot water to make it more liquid like before I added the cotton balls.
 
We made a bunch awhile back out of makeup removal pads soaked in a mixture of lamp oil and wax. They stack flat, one pad will burn for almost 10 minutes, long enoughto dry off damp small stuff to burn. If you tear them part way across, you will expose fibers for fero rod lighting. I like to stop in the woods in December in SW Washington and see what it takes to get a fire going. One year I realized I must have crushed my pack or something because both of my lighters were cracked and empty......Now there's a fero rod and lighters in my pack. Whatever you use, try it in the conditions you'll need it in!
 
As I recall excessive saturation, or what I would think was such, was nearly impossible to achieve. I'll try it again and keep the saturation very low.
 
Potassium Permanganate and glycerin. You can use the potassium to clean a wound, sterilize water, the glycerin as a moisturizer and if you mix both together it creates fire. Be careful with the Potassium Permanganate as this is a very strong oxidizer and reagent and can cause burns on your skin. Great for damp and wet areas .
 
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