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orange oil is flammable; literal orange candles arent really new.
Speaking of making fire (I don't mean to hijack the thread), I've started working on the skill of starting fires without matches or lighter (or torch that has a built-in sparker). What do people find works well for tinder around the northeast? So far, my very limited experiments have been as follows...
I bought both an Aurora fire starter, and a Firesteel fire starter. So far, I'm finding the firesteel much more effective. The Aurora doesn't make many sparks and the few that do often miss the tinder. It's taking many strikes just to ignite a cotton ball. Meanwhile, the firesteel is igniting the cotton ball on the first strike. So, I'm liking that better.
Now, for the tinder. Both cotton balls and milkweed seeds have worked great. I imagine cattails would be great too but I haven't had a chance to go grab any from a swamp. Cotton balls aren't natural though, and milkweeds and cattails won't always be available depending on location and time of year.
I've tried getting birch bark to take a spark, but no luck so far. I even shredded it into tiny pieces with a knife, but no luck. Dead pine needles, no luck either. I was a bit surprised as I've read these should both light easily. I'd also like to get some rotten cedar wood and give that a try, once I get back out to the woods to find some.
I also gave CVS hand sanitizer a try... doesn't take a spark, or even a flame... won't ignite! Maybe I need Purel instead.
What do other people find works, preferably natural stuff, and what's the trick for getting it to take a spark?
I've heard dryer lint works well. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but have a zip-lock baggie filling up every time I wash/dry. I don't put any fabric softener in laundry or dryer sheets in my dryer and not sure if I would try lighting lint that had that stuff in it.Speaking of making fire (I don't mean to hijack the thread), I've started working on the skill of starting fires without matches or lighter (or torch that has a built-in sparker). What do people find works well for tinder around the northeast? So far, my very limited experiments have been as follows..
It works great.I've heard dryer lint works well. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but have a zip-lock baggie filling up every time I wash/dry. I don't put any fabric softener in laundry or dryer sheets in my dryer and not sure if I would try lighting lint that had that stuff in it.
It works great.
I've heard dryer lint works well. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but have a zip-lock baggie filling up every time I wash/dry. I don't put any fabric softener in laundry or dryer sheets in my dryer and not sure if I would try lighting lint that had that stuff in it.
I've heard dryer lint works well. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but have a zip-lock baggie filling up every time I wash/dry. I don't put any fabric softener in laundry or dryer sheets in my dryer and not sure if I would try lighting lint that had that stuff in it.
wouldn't it just be easier to keep a lighter on you than an orange?
I've heard dryer lint works well. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but have a zip-lock baggie filling up every time I wash/dry. I don't put any fabric softener in laundry or dryer sheets in my dryer and not sure if I would try lighting lint that had that stuff in it.
Dryer lint works great if it is 100% cotton, ie. from towels, but is horrible otherwise. It is mostly unreliable. personally, I prefer cotton balls soaked in melted vaseline. I keep 2 in my emergency kit with me on all outdoor trips. I can get a 1/2 cm square pulled apart so the cotton fibers are exposed and lit from a firesteel in any weather. Far more reliable as tinder than dryer lint.
I mentioned birch bark earlier. So far, I haven't been able to get it to take a spark, not even when shredded finely. It takes a small flame great though. For example, I ignited milkweed seeds with a spark and put the bark over it... that works well, and not messy like jelly. I didn't know it could be distilled though... could be interested for me to look into someday, although I hope it doesn't require a lot of bark to get a useful amount.
We're going for a walk this afternoon in the woods.... I'm going to gather some cedar bark and see what I can do with that. It is important that I have a natural source of tinder that works 12 months out of the year, and cedar trees are everywhere.
Use cotton balls but rub vasoline on them first. Keep them in an old pill bottle or dip can.
I tried an experiment once with Q-tips.
I cleaned my ears and got a little ear wax on them, then I would take one end and fluff the cotton/wax up and put the striker to it and sure enough it caught a spark and I was able to start my wood stove fire with it.
It's a good way to save a few grams from your BOB instead of pre-dipping cotton balls! LOL!!!
We're going for a walk this afternoon in the woods.... I'm going to gather some cedar bark and see what I can do with that. It is important that I have a natural source of tinder that works 12 months out of the year, and cedar trees are everywhere.
That's way to simple and logical.wouldn't it just be easier to keep a lighter on you than an orange?
Cedar is a bugger to find in our neck of the woods, another thing you can make and take with you is char cloth I keep a small roll in an altoids tin that I use to create the char cloth, fyi do not bother pocking a hole in the altoids tin it gets enough airJust my luck I couldn't find a single tree. Lots of trees that resemble cedar from a distance, but the bark isn't right. Oh well, there's a next time...
Cedar is a bugger to find in our neck of the woods,
Seems to be so far. I never gave it much of a thought until I actually tried looking for the trees on purpose. The rural land I own in Maine has lots of cedar trees, but that's far from here. Up there, they seem to be concentrated in low wet areas including areas that are permanently sitting in several inches of water. I should perhaps try looking in similar areas around here.