I've been an active member of the Atlanta Outdoor Club for over a year now. As I've been camping with these folks, I've noticed that there are a lot of VERY environmentally conscious people in the club. I've also noticed what many of them use as a means of starting their fires: dryer lint soaked in kerosene.
Something that most people are aware of, is that it is a horrible thing to put a plastic bottle in a fire. It's terrible for the air we breathe. Something that most experienced campers are aware of is NOT to wear cotton, and that synthetic fibers are the cloth of choice for most outdoor enthusiasts. What many people are either not aware of or not making a connection to is:
a. most synthetic fibers (ie nylon, polyester, etc.) are in fact types of plastics
b. your dryer lint is made of the same stuff as your clothes
c. burning kerosene is just as bad for the environment as burning gasoline
This entry is here to offer an alternative to everyone who normally does this.
Below are the firestarters we used to always make back in my Scouting days. When you light these, the wax will slow down the burn of the paper and the carton. When candles burn, it's mostly the wax that is burning as opposed to the wick. The wick soaks in the wax as it burns. The same principal applies here. Essentially, you've made small, slow-burning candles out of some trash and a small amount of wax.
This same principal can be applied to any number of designs of fire starters. Essentially, all you need is any absorbent, safe-to-burn material. Coat it wax and you have a firestarter. Other things you can use: a cut up old cotton t-shirt, dryer lint after a load of cotton towels, anything made of compressed wood pulp and cardboard.
To make old-school starters:
Step #1: Gather materials
cardboard egg carton
newspaper (or in this case, a brown paper bag)
paraffin wax (leftovers from a burned down candle works wonderfully)
Step #2: Melt wax.
DANGER WILL ROBINSON: Do not use a normal pot for wax melting. You will never be able to get all the wax out and your pot will be ruined. A can is what I prefer to use.
Step #3: Rip up the paper and make little balls about the size of an egg. Fill the egg carton with these.
Step #4: Pour the wax over the carton thoroughly.
Side note: if you're making these things indoors, be sure to put everything on some wax paper or aluminum foil as to not screw up the counter tops in your kitchen.
You now have 12 fire starters.
