Posted 2013-11-17 8:40 AM (#155829) Subject: campfire help
Veteran
Posts: 178 Location: Richmond, Ky
here's something to keep in mind the next time you're camping and want to start a campfire. If you happen to be around some pine trees look on the ground for there cones, these things make dandy campfire starters. Guess you could store some up during the year for future use also.
Posted 2013-11-17 1:27 PM (#155830 - in reply to #155829) Subject: RE: campfire help
Elite Veteran
Posts: 656 Location: Rayne, LA
What we do is take a beer can and cut the top off. Fill it with gasoline. Put it in the center of the fire ring and mound pine cones all around it and stack logs in the shape of a teepee around this. Light the gas and it makes a candle style flame.
Posted 2013-11-20 11:23 AM (#155887 - in reply to #155829) Subject: RE: campfire help
Member
Posts: 23
2nd the dryer lint idea! A friend put dryer lint and melted candle wax in the cardboard egg cartons. then cuts up the egg cartons and 1-2 of the "candels" work great to start fires
Posted 2013-11-22 1:33 PM (#155922 - in reply to #155830) Subject: RE: campfire help
Regular
Posts: 96 Location: Grapeland, Texas
First time I saw someone use the beer can and gas I stayed way back, I was skeptical. It amazed me how well it works. I have never tried it but have seen a lot of people do it.
Posted 2013-12-22 11:28 AM (#156345 - in reply to #155829) Subject: RE: campfire help
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
As a boy scout, I learned to light a fire with no more than two matches. With today's Meth labs and EPA safety regs, the match companies have changed the formulas for their matches. Gone is the red and white phosphorus that we used to be able to strike ANYWHERE and get the match to light. It drives me crazy that today I have to strike 7-8-10 matches to even get one to flare up and stay lit. Most just seem to smolder through the match head and die. And forget striking a match on the back of your leg, zipper or even a rock. You almost always need to strike on the box.Folks have commented to me that matches are old school and that I should just carry a butane lighter. The problem is those don't work well at higher elevations. So if I get caught in a summer thundershower and get wet and want to dry out on a 11,000 foot ridge top. The dang butane lighters don't have enough atmospheric pressure to push the gas out to produce a flame. I'd be interested in other matches that work.I've always felt that gasoline was a little too flammable and dangerous to light fires with. I do keep some charcoal starting fluid in the trailer and can squirt a little of that on damp wood to help. With the Pine Beetle damage to western forest. There is always some trees with dead brown needles. They seem to have enough pine sap in them to ignite easily and burn hot enough to get a fire going.
Posted 2013-12-29 3:04 PM (#156465 - in reply to #155829) Subject: RE: campfire help
Elite Veteran
Posts: 656 Location: Rayne, LA
One more thing about the fire. Use a piece of copper tubing about a foot long and put a piece of garden hose inside the copper. Add this to the fire when the fire is good and hot to see many bright colors. The real way to do it is to drill small holes in the copper and crimp the ends. This makes it last longer but is harder to reload for the next night.
Posted 2016-08-24 9:01 PM (#168150 - in reply to #155829) Subject: RE: campfire help
Member
Posts: 11
Gasoline is so flame able, combustible and dangerous. Diesel fuel is so much less combustible. Much, much safer around camp fires, and will run mosquitoes. A gallon can stuffed with old rags and saturated with diesel fuel will burn for hours. You can pour diesel fuel directly on wood to build a fire. Gasoline is so unpredictable.
Posted 2016-09-09 11:25 AM (#168343 - in reply to #155829) Subject: RE: campfire help
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 326 Location: central IL
I also use firestarters now. Tried making my own using an old deep fryer to melt candles I then poured over sawdust. Added some chemicals to give the campfires color. Too much trouble. Instead, bought a huge length of copper pipe cut into shorter lengths. Hubby cut holes into each one and then inserted pieces of old garden hoses. I bent wire clothes hangers strung into an end of the pipes so I could handle when hot. They can be used over and over. BTW, I stick them in pool noodles to keep the mess out of the bucket I haul them in. Or you can just hang them up, too, as I did here for a photo to share.
campfire help
