Fire starting tips from readers

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Making charcloth and charcoal 
First I will cover the items/materials you will need. For charcloth you will need 100% cotton cloth cut into 2"x2" squares. For the charcoal you will need ...

Build a Fire 
I think the best way to build a fire is to first build a tepee. Once it is lit and burning good build a log cabin/pyramid fire structure around it. These ...

Campfire Safety 
Basic campfire safety should be a skill for everyone heading out on a camping adventure. Did you know that more than four out of every five forest fires ...

Cotton balls 
My tip is to take some cotton balls, cover them with petroleum jelly and then stuff them into a film canister. They light easily and burn for a long time....

Fire starting stick 
I don't have a lot of wilderness experience yet, but I would like to share one thing I learned one night during my shift to keep the fire going. I had ...

Pop can 
If you have a pop can and tooth paste, take some tooth paste and polish the bottom of the pop can. Make it as shiny as possible. Find some dry tinder, or ...

Cabin fire 
After all the years I have spent in the boy scouts and having them tell you a tipi is the best way to start a fire, I disagree. I do agree that a tipi ...

Fire starting using a flashlight and steel wool 
I have a way to start an easy fire. I have use this tip on a hiking trip. You need a flash light and some steel wool. Anyway if you can go with out it ...

Bow drill fire making 
The first thing you should do is to get a flat piece of wood. Put a shallow hole in the middle of it and make sure it is not all of the way through.
Take ...

Start a fire with damp wood 
I make my own firestarter using dryer lint, packed into cardboard egg carton segments. I then melt wax into each segment until well saturated. Before the ...

Prison Match 
If your lighter runs out of fuel or you've only got a spark, you can make a "prison match" with a square of toilet paper, or tissue or even birch bark ...

Good fire starting material 
If you need no start a fire fast, dry tinder is critical. Put dried moss or birch bark in your pocket as you walk. You can light it with a simple spark ...

Birthday candles 
You mentioned lighting a candle to save on matches. I use the "trick" birthday candles in my personal survival kit. Because they re-light after being blow ...

Dryer lint 
My simple tip is that I take empty pill bottles and pack them with dryer lint and put a few small bottles in my pack. Makes for the best tinder to start ...

Corn chips  
For fire starters you can use corn chips. Also, steel wool works good: 000-0000 size. For wet weather I use small pieces cut from an old bicycle inner ...

Battery to ignite a flame 
You take 2 "D" batteries and open (they can be dead or still good) then take out the carbon rods be carful not to break them! Take a "9 volt" and take ...

Solid fuel tab 
A great way to make sure you get your fire started is to use a solid fuel tab, such as those made by Esbit, along with your tinder. They burn for at least ...

Steel Wool 
With just a piece of Steel wool, touch it with the terminal ends of a 9v battery and you have sparks.

Fire Piston 
All you need is a Fire Piston. They work every time with out fail and last forever. Please look at web sites:
www.wildersol.com/Index.html
www.onagocag....

Tealights 
Always carry tealights they are invaluable. If you light a match, light a candle, this will help save your matches.

Double the number of your matches 
Most paper matches (like those you get at the bar or hotel room) can be split into TWO halves. It's easy. Rip the match out of the book, split it in half ...

Start a fire with ice 
If you have no matches or lighter you can use ice to start a fire. Take an ice piece in your hand and form it into a lense to magnify the suns rays like ...

Fire with a lens 
I have a quick skill you can do when you are going to go in the woods. If in an urgent situation happen and you have a camera or video camera with you,...

Start a fire even in wet conditions 
The best way to ignite a fire is to use a lighter or similar and prepare your fire so it will catch immediately. The above taken into account you are bound ...

Start a fire  Not rated yet
If you have a a cotton ball and a cigarette lighter it's easy to start a fire.

Take the cotton ball in your hand and put the lighter so the metal part ...

Pyramid fire  Not rated yet
It's very effective to lay down 2 layers of sticks beneath the pyramid and then build up the pyramid. Once you've built several levels of the pyramid ...

Hot bright flame  Not rated yet
A little unknown trick if you ever require a flame that burns hot and bright and lasts a long time; use knots (the portion of the branch that is attatched ...

How To Make An "Indian Fire"  Not rated yet
You will need three things; a dry, dead, good sized limb (about as big around as your forearm), two smaller dry, dead sticks, and a knife (preferably ...

Commonly Overlooked Tinder  Not rated yet
Cigarettes are a good source of dry tinder that are often overlooked. A smoker may feel like they are going to die if they don't have one, but if they ...

Baby light my fire  Not rated yet
I like to find multiple uses for what I carry. One valuable resource is an old bicycle inner tube. I cut it cross ways into bands. In the Nam days they ...

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