Slick trick for starting a fire.

[Brushwacker]

Sometimes I have a hard time getting a fire from kinda burning to really going good, I used to think I would get some old fashioned bellow until I found something way better, an old hair dryer! I turn it on low and point it right at the hottest part of the fire, sometimes playing around with it a bit to get the flames bright white and bushy. I usually hold it in that position for about 2-3 minutes and by the the fire is usually roaring away. I start most of my fires with bark broken up into little nuggets, the hair dryer really gets these going good and hot and helps the bigger kindling get going. I also try to only use split stuff for starting fires, it seems to catch much better. The other thing I noticed is the dryer really reduces startup smoke.

That works great ! Better then gasoline! :jawdrop:

 

[danrclem]

I Start Wood Fires With Hand Held Propane Torch Works For Me

I've used the hair dryer but I with you on the propane torch. It works a lot faster for me.

Danny

 

[mayor]

Handfull of planer shavings......then top that with small dry kindlin from the local lumber mills trim making dept. Light it with a match.

before that......I used too use a mapp gas torch. I've used blowdryers too..they work well...but will melt easily.

 

[sawinredneck]

Hedge is always a BEAR to get started!!!! I have found that Magnensiem shavings over bits of Titanium (really small ones) gets it going every time:jawdrop:

(Seriously, DO NOT TRY THIS!!! YOU WILL BURN DOWN YOU'RE HOUSE!!!)

I have yet to find a good method!! And of course, being the foreward thinker I am, most times I want a fire it's raining or snowing already. So the little pieces of twigs etc. I saved for this, are good and WET already!!! Because I put them on top of the wood pile, outside!
I did get lucky, last time the power was out, I had some ceader fencing left from a job, man did that get it going!!!
I'll have to try the MAP gas next time!!!!

 

[charlesfarm]

Just a few drops on the arm chair and rug, when he opened the door to get the hose cold air rushed in; game over insert quarter. My point is not to have odd things in the proximity of a fire box. I left my lighter on top of the stove once. oops and I burn low temp as well, just clean more often.

Ouch ... that sounds like a terrible lesson to learn. I had some paint thinner sitting in the same room as the stove before reading your post (been doing some remodeling). It's in the garage now.

I guess you can't be too careful!!

God bless,
Chris

 

[Wood Doctor]

Top Down Starting vs. Bottom Up

The 'top down fire' method is what I use and it works great.... of course dry kindling helps and fire starting method.

The top down method starts with the big wood on the bottom....smaller wood on top of that and then kindling on top of that. The top gets going very nicely and starts the secondary combustion process(in stoves so designed) and this burning kindling and small wood just lays down on the larger wood on the bottom all the while staying in the secondary combustion mode...

.... for starting a fire in a cold stove, the top down method is far superior and the quickest way to get your stove into the 'no smoke out of the chimney' zone.

Gadzooks! That's an idea that has never dawned on me and it defies principle. Heat rises, so I always figured the kindling should be underneath the larger logs and that the bed of coals would be made faster with the kindling on the bottom.

Then there's another problem. If newspapers and cardboard sit burning on top and the draft is strong (as it is in my case), wouldn't that tend to create more fly ash going up the chimney and then dropping back down on the smoke shelf?

On the other hand, if the newspapers and cardboard are under the heavier kindling and logs, the fly ash is trapped underneath and eventually pulverizes to fine ash so that it is less likely to make it to the chimney.

Just my $.02. I believe this topic is worthy of further discussion.

 

[Mountaineer]

That there top down method is the cat's pajamas. Don't use too much paper so you don't get burning piece up the flu. Since yer startin on top, you can always throw a little more on top if it's burning out. Your starter newspaper or what have you is gonna burn fast and hot and get some warm air moving up that there flu so you aint eatin smoke while its smolderin under a pile o logs choked fer air. I started usin it when it got hard to get the big bottles of acetelene.

 

[Wood Doctor]

How about a compromise?

In my case with the extra strong draft, maybe a compromise is worth trying:

1) Large logs on bottom
2) Newspapers and cardboard next
3) Kindling on top

Now, the kindling blocks the fly ash and lights easily. Seem worth a try?

If so, I'll try it on the next fire and report back the results. BTW, I have found that used typewriter paper burns hotter than newspapers and lights the stove faster whenever I include it.

 

[Mountaineer]

Hey, you're luck to have the priveledge of that there strong draft. You'll prolly be fine whatever ya try. When I used to run an ol wood stove, I'd sometimes have to open a door to keep from eatin smoke until it got goin. Tryin different ways, the top down always worked without a smoke-out.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Fireplace Draft

Hey, you're luck to have the priveledge of that there strong draft. You'll prolly be fine whatever ya try. When I used to run an ol wood stove, I'd sometimes have to open a door to keep from eatin smoke until it got goin. Tryin different ways, the top down always worked without a smoke-out.

Well, I can give you an idea of how strong the draft is (or can be). Before I installed the wood stove, the builder had constructed a simple fireplace opening. In late October, 1987, the painters were painting the downstairs area where the FP is and had a drop cloth laying across the mantle and hanging down on the hearth to cover it from splatters. The damper to the chimney was open.

A front came through with a north wind and the draft was so strong that it pulled half the drop cloth into the fireplace opening and right up to the damper before it stopped. The painters said they had never seen anything like that before.

 

[Wood Doctor]

TreeCo's Starting Method Works!

I have to admit that I was totally skeptical. Now I confess that I have been starting wood stove fires for at least 35 years using an inferior method--newspapers & cardboard on the bottom, kindling next, large logs on top.

For my stove, connected to a chimney with a strong draft, a compromise method to TreeCo's "top down" approach works ideally:

1) two or three large logs on the bottom
2) newspapers loosely surrounding cardboard (if any) next
3) kindling on top

That works best for me because the kindling holds the newspaper fly ash in the stove and lights the whole assembly almost twice as fast than the method I have been using in the past. Note also that my stove receives air through the bottom under the shaker grates, through a side loading door port, and finally through the secondary combustion chamber.

Thumbs up and thanks to all!

 

[ropensaddle]

I Start Wood Fires With Hand Held Propane Torch Works For Me

Yeah I have used that when I run out of pine knot! I am too
cheap to buy fire starters, I will pull out several pine knots in the
summer and split them into shreds, a little dab will do yah! Sometimes
they come out easy if they have been cut a long time ago and they
are the best,you can smell the turpentine ozzing

 

[Wood Doctor]

Glad to hear you like it!

I got the idea from Woodheat.org and am just passing it along.

You have no idea how surprised I was at how well this works, especially in my stove. I called several of my woodburning friends who I know are "bottom up" stove lighters and told them about it. They scoffed at it but said they would try it themselves after I twisted their arms. They are using old barrel stoves made from a kit, but I can't imagine that it won't work in those as well.

I tried this compromise method with several large log species, slow and fast burners, and all of them worked. Even the cardboard was optional. I'm still shaking my head a little trying to figure out why it works, but your explanation is dead on.

I guess the hot coals from the kindling make it to the large logs and that's what they really need to get going. If they rest above the kindling, the flames don't nececesarily get the job done and the hot coals don't get to the logs nearly as fast. Incredible.

 

[bowtechmadman]

Start fire in sept. let it go out in may. One start a year and I can't usually remember how i started it. Some leaves and twigs I believe i used this past october.

 

[cmetalbend]

Well if I'm in ths shop I just use the acetylene side of the torch.

 

[bore_pig]

When picking up sticks in the yard late fall, I put the sticks in a pail. Pail goes in back room. One five gallon pail and I'm good for the winter. I've only had to restart once since November though.

With a catalytic stove, you're not really supposed to burn any carboard or paper at all are you?

 

[joe4str]

Fire Starter

I take a 5 gal. pail and fill it with dry sawdust (from woodworking shop). On top of that I pour 2 gal. of biodiesel. It soaks into the sawdust so it doesn't evaporate.

A small scoop of this stuff works every time. I suspect it may be more cost efficient than the duraflame.

Learned this method from one of the owners of Charmaster wood furnaces.

 

[Stihl here]

fatwood works well

I buy fatwood at lowes for $5.00 a box and it will last almost the whole winter. Just light it with a lighter and place split hardwood on it and it works very well. no paper,no kindling!!!

 

[Wood Doctor]

I take a 5 gal. pail and fill it with dry sawdust (from woodworking shop). On top of that I pour 2 gal. of biodiesel. It soaks into the sawdust so it doesn't evaporate.

A small scoop of this stuff works every time. I suspect it may be more cost efficient than the duraflame.

Learned this method from one of the owners of Charmaster wood furnaces.

Very interesting. I wonder if a gallon of cooking oil, perhaps thinned 50% with charcoal lighter might do the same thing as the biodiesel. Any ideas on that?

I'm always loaded with extra hardwood sawdust from the workshop.

 

[Mr. Firewood]

I find the best way to get my OWB going after it has gone out completely is to get a few fatwood firestarters and a old car tire, get a pile of fatwood burning good and throw the tire in and start chucking the wood in as fast as you can, cause that rubber burns hot and fast, it smokes for about 15 minutes but after that shes off and going again!