cotton wool fire balls

[wildish64]

I've seen and read about people using cotton balls with petroleum gel , Vaseline or chap-stick rubbed into them to take a spark for fire lighting.

Although cotton balls light up easily they don't burn for long on their own and as i don't have any of the above ingredients i wanted to come up with an alternative that i imagine everyone has got laying around

After rummaging through my workshop trying various bottles/cans i ended up with a solution that has left me with something i'm going to stick with....WD40

spray a cotton ball with this and it burns like crazy,you wouldn't even need a whole one to start a fire as it burns so well.

in fact anything sprayed with it goes up a treat.

[butchthedog]

Keep it away from your tinder balls, whoosh what was that :campfire:

[Ashley Cawley]

I would say be careful with aerosols/flammable gases & sparks, they can be very dangerous and I wouldn't really recommend them for casually lighting fires.


Although cotton balls light up easily they don't burn for long on their own and as i don't have any of the above ingredients i wanted to come up with an alternative that i imagine everyone has got laying around.I would have thought cotton wool and either chapsticks or vaseline would have been more readily available/common house-hold items for most.

[andy202wr]

A great idea is to get some drinking straws, Mcdonald one's are good as they are quite fat. Cut into 2" pieces and seal the end with some hot candle wax. Next get some cotton wool and soak with petroleum gel by rubbing it in with your thumb and for finger. Then using a match push a little of the cotton wool in to the open end of the straw at a time, when you have filled the straw seal the end with some more wax, this will keep the cotton wool dry and the wax helps to light the fire. To use simply push the cotton wool out of the end , tease apart and use a flint and steel to ignight. Simples peeps.

[wildish64]

I have neither vaseline or chapstick..in fact i have never needed either
i meant spray the cotton wool with it and take them with you not actually use the can itself.

I like the straw idea , i just keep it in a small snapit bag

[butchthedog]

A great idea is to get some drinking straws, Mcdonald one's are good as they are quite fat. Cut into 2" pieces and seal the end with some hot candle wax. Next get some cotton wool and soak with petroleum gel by rubbing it in with your thumb and for finger. Then using a match push a little of the cotton wool in to the open end of the straw at a time, when you have filled the straw seal the end with some more wax, this will keep the cotton wool dry and the wax helps to light the fire. To use simply push the cotton wool out of the end , tease apart and use a flint and steel to ignight. Simples peeps.

That is a good idea and an easy space saving way, far better than a tub full of cotton ball's. I am going to give that a go andy.

[FishyFolk]

If you want water proof fire starters:

1. Steal some of your wifes eye make remover pads. they are cotton and double layered.
2. separate the layers half way and smear a gob of vaseline inside. Close the layers. in use, separate layers again, exposing the fluffy inside, light with fire steel. Store in zip lock bags to keep dry.

3. To water proof. Melt candle wax or stearine, and dip the pads quickly in that. For a softer, less brittle pad, mix in some parafine (about 1/10 parafine and 9/10 candle wax, you'll need to experiment a little).

To use, break pad open, expsoe flyffyiness and light. Burns forever...

The idea I have from Norwegian Bushcrafts channel on YT

[Johnnyboy1971]

http://www.kuenzi.com/tips_e.htm

These are dead handy things and you only need an old candle.

[wildish64]

as WD40 is a water repellent you dont have to worry too much about keeping them dry,just stuff a few in a small bag and jam it in any space

[Ashley Cawley]

i meant spray the cotton wool with it and take them with you not actually use the can itself.
I was just concerned with youngsters on here not to encourage them to play with sparks and aerosols.

Perhaps I'll do a short vid on how I carry my cotton ball fire-lighters.

[Ashley Cawley]

http://www.kuenzi.com/tips_e.htm

These are dead handy things and you only need an old candle.On the theme of those, occasionally I have used small pine-cones dipped in a pot of old pot of candle wax, works well.

[wildish64]

I was just concerned with youngsters on here not to encourage them to play with sparks and aerosols.

I didn't think of youngsters,will be more specific in future

[Silverback]

I was just concerned with youngsters on here not to encourage them to play with sparks and aerosols.

Perhaps I'll do a short vid on how I carry my cotton ball fire-lighters.

That would be good, I just carry a small tin of vaseline and some tampons. If i need first aid, anti chafing, lip balm still useful for that, mix the two to make firelighters....simple and more importantly THRIFTY ;)

[rawfish111]

Some good ideas. I've never used more than just the cotton wool itself but I like the sound of some of these.

[Johnnyboy1971]

Magic biscuits are a good simple way of helping to light your fire.
There are a few ways of creating these from cotton wool balls dipped in vaseline to face pads soaked in wax.

Items needed are

Candle (supermarket bought for£2)
Vaseline (optional)
Face pads
Old pan
Pair of pliers/forceps to remove from liquid wax.
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd514/johnnyboy1971/DSC_0182_zps0c52d4e5.jpg

First step is to shave pieces of wax from the candle into the pan, i have used a knife for this but also an old cheese grater)
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd514/johnnyboy1971/DSC_0183_zps2459157a.jpg

Then i add a good helping of Vaseline to the mix
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd514/johnnyboy1971/DSC_0184_zps934be990.jpg
place the pan on the heat and melt the two together slowly until there are no lumps of wax or vaseline left, then turn the heat off. The mix will stay liquid long enough to dip the pads.

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd514/johnnyboy1971/DSC_0186_zps2d235dc2.jpg

Next using your pliers pick up and dip the face pad in the liquid and coat all over. The longer its in the more it will soak up, this may be required but i prefer not to as when you break them open it leaves you with some cotton wool to light instead of having to melt the wax first.
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd514/johnnyboy1971/DSC_0187_zps432eb846.jpg

Then carefully lay them out on some greaseproof paper and allow to dry. The greaseproof paper can then be peeled off and your left with flat wax infused cotton pad.

I store some of mine in the bottom of my Wild Wood stove along with some other firelighting bits (thanks BareThrills)
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd514/johnnyboy1971/DSC_0188_zps1ed3ee36.jpg

[butchthedog]

Some good ideas here to play about with, I will be trying a few of them out. Thank's fella's :campfire:

[Sar-ian]

Try adding a block of beeswax, instead of vaseline to the candle wax, as beeswax burns longer/hotter/cleaner. I've also used this when making a bushbuddy, and instead of cardboard, used the wick out of the candle and made it a 5 wick candle....

[David_JAFO]

hello,
Two simple solutions a Tampon (absorbent material usually cotton, rayon, or a mixture of the two)
Brasso Metal Polish (Wadding) look up Wiki for contents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasso
both flamable ignite with very little issue. I've used both for years in my kit.
Regards
David

[Stamp]

Can't see the point in this really, I thought the idea was to use materials that you find while your out? These are free and with a little knowledge easy to find. Cotton wool works great on its out and can be used in an emergency if all else fails.
I would say, spend a day collecting natural tinder and keep it with you, when you get low fill it up again. Plus its nice to get out in the woods rather than mess about with flamable liquids???
Just a thought anyway...

[paulthefish2009]

Hi Stamp and welcome to the forum,the point is that the guys are trying to show methods of lighting fires when for example all around is soaking wet.
I agree using natural tinder is more bushy but there are times when you just need to get a brew on rather than fafing about trying to get something natural to take a spark.
There is a point so there:tongue: Paul

[wildish64]

its more a case of 'as well as' and not 'instead of'
do you take a knife with you or forage for flint when you need to cut something?

[Stamp]

Ok fair enough, I just keep a couple of solid fuel blocks and a lighter in the bottom of my pack. Just incase......

[wildish64]

ohh i was thinking you are robinson cruseo lol

[Stamp]

Could do with being stranded on a desert island, need to lose a few pounds.......

[Proventurer]

Don't want to rain on your parade, but the WD40 probably contains a lot of volatiles which will eventually flash off/dry out which means in a case of any long time storage, you will end up with near enough the same thing as just spreading a blob of vaseline on your cotton balls in the first place!
Of course if you intend to prepare them and use them short term, then they will definately be effective.

[wildish64]

As i said they are kept in a snap-it bag so they are sealed in,the longest i have left the like this was about 2 months in my pack before i used them and they still worked just as well
Even if they were to degrade to the same as vaseline then its still just as good as most peeps use and at worse its cotton wool.
win win as far as i can tell

[beermaker]

like the magic biscuits idea, going to have a try making them soon! also loving the beeswax idea as I have access to plenty of that through work :) One thing I do is keep the fine wood shavings from work when using a plane. I put them in a bucket with some paraffin and let them steep - they're great for getting the incinerator going!

[butchthedog]

I have just made some on Friday, as per Rune's "Fishy Folk's" idea and then coated in melted candle wax. Not tried one yet but they do look the business.

[rawfish111]

tried the pj and wax mix today 50/50 and it worked great.