Keep cozy through the winter months without frustration over kindling that won’t start
BY Aldona Bird
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
Nothing is cozier than a fire this time of year. Visit with friends safely next to an outdoor fire, or snuggle up with your household in front of a fireplace inside.
But the cozy mood can so easily be dampened by a fire that won’t start. Using match after match to get kindling going gets frustrating. Fire starters can make the process a breeze and are easy to DIY.
There are several ways to make fire starters. You can make pinecones into fire starters, which look great in a basket on a hearth. You can also make fire starters with fragrant content, which give a pleasant aroma as the flames begin to burn.
To make DIY fire starters, you will need:
- Wax
- Wicks (if you don’t have wicks, you can also use cotton string dipped in melted wax and cooled)
- Flammable content such as pinecones, dryer lint, shredded newspaper, paper egg cartons, pine needles, herbs, etc.
Start by gathering all materials. Dryer lint works very well, if you dry mostly cotton clothing. Avoid lint from polyester loads (fleece produces lint but is not eco-friendly to burn). Finely shredded newspapers also work well, as do stems of herbs (think lavender, thyme, rosemary — any that are left after you use the leaves and flowers).
Broken cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves are also nice additions to your fire starters.
Melt the wax. Beeswax is most eco-friendly, but paraffin wax or crayons also work.
To melt wax without ruining a pot or bowl, put wax into a can (such as from a can of soup), and put into a small pot of water. Warm the pot of water until wax is melted. Carefully remove the can to pour the wax — the can is usually quite hot, so use a potholder and care.
While the wax is melting, cut the lid off a paper egg carton — which can be torn and incorporated into your fire starters.
Dribble a few drops of melted wax into the bottom of the egg carton divots, and stick the end of the wick in. As the wax cools, it will secure the wick in place.
Place flammable items into the egg compartments of the carton around the wicks. Do not pack them in too tightly, or they will smolder instead of burning.
Dribble more wax in to hold everything together. If using lint, you don’t need to fully saturate with wax — just dribble on and around. The wax not only holds the materials together, it also slows the burn.
To turn a pinecone into a fire starter, wrap wick in a spiral around the pinecone, leaving about an inch out at the top. The wick does not have to go all the way to the bottom of the cone.
Dip the pinecone into melted wax. You can add as much or little wax as you like. For maximum wax, place pinecones in a lined muffin tin and pour wax over, letting it pool in the bottom of the liner.
Alternatively, you can do one or two dips in hot wax. Let pinecones cool on parchment paper or other easy to clean surface.
Remember to be careful with the hot wax, so as to avoid burns. Also, use care when lighting fire starters.
To get a fire roaring with your homemade starters, place starter under or in a pile of kindling. Carefully light, and sit back to enjoy.
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