I've always read about cotton ball and petroleum jelly fire starters, but I've never tested them out. Since I've been loading up my new day pack I decided to make a few and test them before just throwing them in. Here is how I did it:
1.) Lay out cotton pads on a paper plate and generously apply 100% pure petroleum jelly. I used Vaseline. I recommend coating only one side for easy handling.
2.) Place fire starter anywhere you need a constant flame (for about 45-60 seconds) to facilitate starting a larger fire. I chose my garage floor.
3.) Add flame. I have a creme brulee torch that I carry in my hunting pack.
Here is the flame after about 10 seconds.
Here it is at about 30 seconds.
The homemade firestarters produced about 50 seconds of constant, even flame. I now have four of them stored inside a ziplock bag in my new pack.
If you can get film canisters they should fit in there nicely. Never done it for fire starters but used to put tinks on cotton balls and keep them that way and it worked real well.
i got one for you also..
Take brown paperbags.. Cut them in up in squares and fold the squares into about 3-4 inch piles.. Tie them up in twine rope..
So now basically you got a stacked up folded piece of brown paper tied in a piece of twine the size of your palm.
Melt some candle wax in a pot.
Dip the packets in the melted wax you just made by holding them by the extra piece of twine hanging off and let them dry. Then you got firestarters..
Also you can take a ziplock bag and put the lint that builds up in a washing machine and pack that all into the bag and keep that. it lights up very well.
I just use fat lighter wood
How long will those cotton pads last? What if you forget about them? Will they still light if they are a few months old?
