Pine twigs + birch bark is how I start most fires. It will flare up even when it's wet, and can be lit with a spark pretty easily. Little dead pine twigs can be found at the base of the trees, where they're off the ground and protected from rain. I try to grab a few handfuls when I can (from trees that are well off the trail, etc.), along with little scraps of birch bark, so I am always carrying ready tinder. They go into a little dry-bag so no matter what happens, I can always make a small fire at a moment's notice.

But once you get the fire going, pine is sub-par. It burns too fast, and becomes a smoky, sparky waste of space in a matter of minutes. Once I have a good fire going, I like to use anything but pine... oak or cedar if it's around. Birch isn't half bad either.

But I'm not too picky.

S_T -- I made some of your lint/wax/egg carton fire starters and used them this year.  Thanks for the tip.  They worked fantastic, and like you said, were great during cold, wet periods like I had in June. 

I'll be making more this winter.  One question: what do you use to melt the wax?  I found that the wax temp has to be just so...too hot and it melts right through the lint and the egg carton.  Too cool and it want really absorb at all or set up.  Any hints on the wax part of the deal?

prouboy

Puckster wrote on Oct 11^th, 2009 at 12:17am:


I take an old tin coffee can, and put the wax in after I break /cut it into smaller chunks. I put a inch or so of water in a large pot, and set the coffee can inside. I bend the tin coffee can, so it has a "spout". I used a wooden dowel rod and just stirred the wax till it was ALL melted.
Meanwhile I have the cardboard egg carton on a metal baking sheet, in-case of spills. I take the lint, and use my hands too ROLL it into a small ball,  and set in egg cups. I have all my TRICK candles cut in half and ready to go. I pour just ONE egg cup, and see what happens? Either heat some more or let cool down. Once its right, I pour All the cups and then insert the Trick candle and let cool. I don't use a thermometer or anything, but I suppose you could. More of a FEEL thing.
 Word of caution too anyone who wants to make these, Paraffin wax is EXTREMELY flammable. that's why I use the water bath method, rather than heating in old pot, over a open flame.
 For those who are curious, TRICK B-day candles that you can't blow out, are that way because the fuse is made of powdered Magnesium which once ignited is almost impossible to put out, unless you deny it Oxygen. You light that fuse and even in pouring rain, it will ignite lint/wax, and even the most stubborn fire.

My preference is whatever makes a sweet sound instead of that thud when two pieces meet. You know, that warm, (never fuzzy) snap-happy sound. It's normally white pine - fallen, dead, consistent size ... tarp poles the bark is falling off of. Cedar is great in the rain but it also burns away so quick. Beaver sticks offer a steady flame for a good long time, I just don't like the odor they produce. They stink IMO but he only time I'm that picky is when steak or baking is involved.

Broken branches are fine if they are more convenient or over abundant although they do tend to leave ugly remnants and pop/spark more than split trunks plus they don't stack nearly as nice. Come to think of it, a snap is good but punky logs have well seasoned branches.

Size wise, I'll saw 2, short ~3 inch diameter chunks for a base but almost never expect decent flame from anything more than a third that size unless I plan on sitting there the better part of a day.

For starters I just put three juicy pine cones on a handful of long/fat/stiff pine needles with a birch bark wick between that's long enough for my bic to catch. The wick is the only thing that really NEEDS to be somewhat dry ... have I mentioned being a little fire bug as a kid lately? <insert "tool time" series of three grunts here> Some carry matches and stuff in the food/cook/ditch pack, I do too but I'll usually find some dry bark and foil before I ever get down deep enough for the emergency stuff.

Knock on wood

So it's the branches doing all or most of the sparking. Good to know, db.

Bannock, Interesting rules you sight. I might be a bit of a scofflaw by BW & USFS standards.