Starting a Stove Fire

[Industrial Toys]

The scoop idea is a good one. I will have to try that. I have owned all manner of cats but have not to this day seen a metal cat litter scoop. Everything is the worst plastic garbage! I used a metal spoon with slits used for removing boiled vegies.

 

[MossRoad]

The scoop idea is a good one. I will have to try that. I have owned all manner of cats but have not to this day seen a metal cat litter scoop. Everything is the worst plastic garbage! I used a metal spoon with slits used for removing boiled vegies.

I bought one of these for $5 and drilled holes. Works well..


I see this one for $15.00, but the grate looks too big and the fine embers will slip through, I'd think.
Koal Keeper Ember Recovery Tool, Hearth Accessories - Lehman's

 

[BoylermanCT]

I use these, strike like a match on the side of the box, lay it in the stove, add some kindling, then your firewood. These burn for 12 minutes, so it easily gets the kindling going.

$8.40 for 48 starters

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Diamond-Strike-A-Fire-Firestarter-48ct/32468956

Ditto here on the Diamond Strike-A-Fire fire starters. I put 3-4 dry logs on and 1 fire starter. Starts every time.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I was going to say, now your talking. But clicked on the link at it says $50.00 bucks at Amazon!!!

I will look into it.

Thanks

 

[Deere Dude]

I really don't want the smell of diesel in the house, but might try kerosene. Curious, if particle board would swell and soak up kerosene like it does water. Because, normally it doesn't burn well.

There is no liquid diesel in the house. There is a small handful of wood with a sheen of diesel on them. They don't soak in hardly at all. There only has to be enough to get them started.

The bucket of chips is outside the door so once I use tongs to get maybe three or four small pieces in the piece of newspaper I fold it over to prevent any drippage and then I put it right in the fireplace. Because the chips are dry wood they will burn and once a handful starts burning the wrist sized dry logs will start. There is not enough time or quantity to be able to smell it, unless you are a bloodhound.

I never had any construction wood swell up because it only generally is only is in the bucket less than a couple weeks and much of the chips only had diesel pass over them, which is enough to start dry chips.

The nice thing about this is everyone here has diesel laying around and is cheap. Cheaper than any commercial firestarter anyway. I wouldn't waste my money on kerosene because of cost and diesel works so well.

Just this morning I paid extra attention because of this forum went from walking out on the porch, grabbing a piece of newspaper and throwing in a few chips to putting in the cold fireplace then putting on a couple small logs and firing it up took no more than 1.5-2 minutes. Then I sat down on my recliner and got on TBN and watched the fire roll. I can understand being apprehensive about any new way of doing things bit this is easy to road test. I am done.

But, I to am always open for an easier faster and cheaper way to achieve the mundane task of starting my fireplaces.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I tried the wax and dryer lint thing once and it burned way to fast. The next time I tried wax I mixed sawdust in it instead. That works a lot better. A one inch cube of wax and sawdust burns for about 15-20 minutes. You can keep it in the house as it doesn't smell. I do like the idea of soaking in diesel though. It's a lot easier and faster.

 

[Snobdds]

I have used Kerosene and wood chips for 20 years. Never have I said to my self, boy this stinks up the house like kerosene.

Kerosene has a very high flash point and it more than safe to use to start a fire.

 

[scdeerslayer]

Nature's best fire starter is what is known as "fat lighter" or some variation of that. It comes from a dead pine tree where the sap as settled. Usually it's just the stump maybe a couple of feet above the ground but it can be many feet in the tree as well. The stuff doesn't rot, is very easy to light, and produces a large, hot flame. I use that when starting any fire. Split that up into kindling and combine that with some split pieces and there shouldn't be much trouble getting the fire going.

If you don't have a rack in the stove, get one. When lighting, and especially re-lighting, you have the wood on the rack and room under the rack for kindling.

Keep those small pieces you get when splitting and any bark that falls off separate to aid in starting the fire. Always use split pieces when starting instead of rounds.

 

[CADplans]

I do like the idea of soaking in diesel though. It's a lot easier and faster.

I splashed a little diesel on my pants last week while tinkering with a tractor.
When I got back to the house,, the wife would not let me in the house with the pants,,
too much diesel smell,, I had to change pants on the porch.

Those pants are STILL outside airing out,,,

NO diesel is coming in our house,,, :confused2:

 

[Snobdds]

I splashed a little diesel on my pants last week while tinkering with a tractor.
When I got back to the house,, the wife would not let me in the house with the pants,,
too much diesel smell,, I had to change pants on the porch.

Those pants are STILL outside airing out,,,

NO diesel is coming in our house,,, :confused2:

Don't spill it and everything is fine.

 

[4570Man]

I wouldn't use diesel because of the smell. I use a propane torch instead. I burn about 2 canisters a year and they're $3 each so that cost isn't worth noting.

 

[Deere Dude]

I tried the wax and dryer lint thing once and it burned way to fast. The next time I tried wax I mixed sawdust in it instead. r.

Ear wax and belly button lint burn nice and slow. Great for starting fires. Just start saving up while watching TV at night.

 

[s219]

I have quite a bit of fat wood available from old pine stumps on my property, and it works great. But I usually just take a wad of newspaper or brown packing paper (get a lot with Amazon deliveries), some twigs or kindling, and 1-2 smaller firewood pieces. Never really have problems with that lighting up. I tend to accumulate a lot of softwood scraps from siding and woodworking projects, but when that runs low I just go collect blown-down twigs on my property. That seems like an endless supply, and my toddler daughter is happy to help me collect them. We can fill the tractor bucket in 30 minutes and it will last for weeks.

Funny thing, when we go skiing and rent a condo, I do bring some fat wood as the wood they supply for the condos is very green. They obviously do not season it as long as I do, or maybe they don't season it at all. My wood is seasoned at least 1.5-2 years before burned, and I think that makes quite a difference. The greener stuff at the condos absolutely needs some sort of accelerant to catch and will sizzle the whole time.

 

[jk96]

If your paper is on the bottom your doing it wrong. Use a top down approach for starting your fires. If you have dry wood there is no reason to need any type of fire starters. Base layer of larger splits across the bottom with 2" gaps between. Second layer of medium splits perpendicular to the base layer. 3rd layer of small splits perpendicular to the 2nd layer. Kindling & newspaper on top. The kindling will start quickly and heat the flue creating your draft. Small splits will burn easily from kindling and the coals and fire will quickly work their way down each layer. No more continually stuffing paper into the bottom of your stack. Just light and done.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

If your paper is on the bottom your doing it wrong. Use a top down approach for starting your fires. If you have dry wood there is no reason to need any type of fire starters. Base layer of larger splits across the bottom with 2" gaps between. Second layer of medium splits perpendicular to the base layer. 3rd layer of small splits perpendicular to the 2nd layer. Kindling & newspaper on top. The kindling will start quickly and heat the flue creating your draft. Small splits will burn easily from kindling and the coals and fire will quickly work their way down each layer. No more continually stuffing paper into the bottom of your stack. Just light and done.

Yep.

"But it's been seasoning for 6 months and it's checked on the ends, so it's dry, right?"

No, not right.


Top down fires are better at lasting through the night, too.

 

[2458n]

I have one of those diesel sniffers living in my house. At work at the end of the day you always refilled your equipment. Diesel fuel smells like money to me. The work Carharts Live in the garage.

 

[kco]

I season my wood at least two years but still use birch bark for fire starter. Before bucking it up I run the chain saw the full length of the tree to score the bark. A few months later the bark has mostly peeled itself off and I put it in large bags or pails.

We heat with a wood furnace. Like others, I put down two small parallel pieces of wood. Then I light a piece of birch bark outside the furnace, drop it between the sticks once it is burning steadily and set other pieces of wood over it. I like the birch bark because it lights as easy as paper and it burns very hot once it gets going.

 

[Redneck in training]

When I was enlisted soldier guys used to steal Semtex (google it) during war games and other occasions. It was great for starting fire. You put crumpled newspaper in the bottom of a stove, threw few pieces of Semtex on in then threw a bucket or two of coal on the top and lighted it up. It always started fire.
The officers used to look for it at least once a week but never found it. The military beds were made from U profiles assembled in a ladder fashion. The explosive was pressed in the U and smoothed to be virtually invisible.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

When I was enlisted soldier guys used to steal Semtex (google it) during war games and other occasions. It was great for starting fire. You put crumpled newspaper in the bottom of a stove, threw few pieces of Semtex on in then threw a bucket or two of coal on the top and lighted it up. It always started fire.
The officers used to look for it at least once a week but never found it. The military beds were made from U profiles assembled in a ladder fashion. The explosive was pressed in the U and smoothed to be virtually invisible.

Dynamite is great for starting fires too. It burns with a bright blue flame about as bright as a magnesium flare.

You can also make your own Semtex.

Full text of "Semtex, How to make"

 

[Clay45]

Railroad fuse flares are also great if you can find them. Strike the end and toss in a loaded stove. Nothing but white ash later.

But I'd use wood chips and dust soaked in paraffin.