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Making your own firestarters
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jhl192
Posts: 1,006
I normally use the BGE Electric Firestarter but the other day it was raining and I thought better to drag out the extention cord. A small box of BGE firestarters are $6 or $7 and it seems like they are just sawdust and parafin wax. Does anybody on the forum make their own or have a better source. I would like to place 3 or 4 around the charcoal pit and get a more distributed burn in lass time. Any ideas? I used my weber chimney starter the other day and that worked good but does not really fit too well.
XL BGE; Medium BGE; L BGE
Comments
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if you want to save money on the sawdust wax starters, buy a whole duraflame type log and chip off what you need. even cheaper and already found in your house is paper towell and a very light drizzle of veggie oil
fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it -
A paper towel, with a couple teaspoons of cooking oil, folded in quarters then twisted into a wick. Cheap and works better than the parrafin squares.__________________________________________It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.- Camp Hill, PA
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This is faster
Salado TX & 30A FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers. -
If I'm in a hurry, I use a heat gun to start a few spots then hit the bottom vent with a gas leaf blower (idle is plenty good). Pretty nice fire after a few minutes. Then I have to make sure the deck isn't burning as well.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
I use 60 ml of 99% isopropyl then I hit the coals with an air matress pump for about 30 seconds. It's good to go in about 5 minutes. Sometimes it gets a bit sparky but it's usually not that bad.
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I have had absolutely no luck with the paper towel and oil. Does it have to be veggie oil? Is it a very , very light amount of oil, like a fine mist all over the towel, someone help!
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Too much oil = no burn??? , not enough oil = towel burns to quick??
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Backpackers make firestarters by soaking cotton balls in vaseline. Might need a couple to fire up an egg. Also, you can fill the compartments of an egg container with drier lint and then poor in melted wax.
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30 weight motor oil.
Just kidding. I've used plain old veggie oil just until the paper towel was damp. It worked fine. I would compare it to a wick from an oil lamp. Its just burning the oil until its all used up, then the paper burns.
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The paper towel & oil route has worked perfectly for me. I can see getting an electric starter tho.
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I've been using these that I get at Ace Hardware. They work great. 144 squares for $14.00. I cut a square in half and start the lump in two places and have yet to have a single issue getting my fire started.
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Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!! -
This may take the discussion down a different path, but I bought a Looft Lighter and have been using it for the past few months. Very happy with it. Downside is the $80 ticket price. Upside is a really quick start. 60 seconds is all it takes for a really nice glow to be generated. For hot cooks (300+ degrees) I start 3 different spots in the lump. For low/slow, only one or two.
XL and Medium. Dallas, Texas. -
I like the Diamond Strike-a-Fire sticks. They are $2.09 for 12 at my high-priced grocery store. I break them in half and get 24 starts.
I saw another brand at Wal-Mart, but I haven't tried them yet. I intend to.
Tim
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KingtUT said:I have had absolutely no luck with the paper towel and oil. Does it have to be veggie oil? Is it a very , very light amount of oil, like a fine mist all over the towel, someone help!
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DonWW said:This may take the discussion down a different path, but I bought a Looft Lighter and have been using it for the past few months. Very happy with it. Downside is the $80 ticket price. Upside is a really quick start. 60 seconds is all it takes for a really nice glow to be generated. For hot cooks (300+ degrees) I start 3 different spots in the lump. For low/slow, only one or two.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html
______________________________________________I love lamp..
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