A fire starter keeps a flame going for five to 10 minutes. That allows larger pieces of wood to catch fire and build up enough heat to continue burning. Two types of ingredients make up a fire starter. Get a fast-burning fuel such as wax, paraffin, petroleum jelly or bacon grease. Saturate the fast-burning fuel into a slower-burning fuel such as dryer lint, a cotton ball, cardboard or a pine cone. Store until ready to use.
Dry pine cones burn too rapidly by themselves to effectively start a fire. Adding wax to the cones lets them burn long enough for larger logs to fully ignite. Pine cone fire starters are attractive and make nice Christmas presents for someone with a fireplace or wood stove.
To make cones into fire starters, you add melted wax. Paraffin or bits of burned down candles can be melted in clean empty tin can. Since hot wax is flammable, placing the can of wax into a saucepan of hot to boiling water to set it to boil will prevent it from getting so hot it erupts into flame. You could also use a double boiler, but then you would have to get the wax out of the part of the pan that sits in the boiling water bath.
When the wax in the can is melted, dip the cone a few times. This is like making a drip candle. You could hold the narrow end of the cone with tongs and dip into the wax, then pull it out. Let the wax on the cone begin to dry and dip it again. Repeat five to 10 times. Put the cone on a paper towel to dry. Cinnamon scent added to the wax will allow the cones to act as a potpourri up until they are burned.
Fill egg carton holes with dryer lint, or put lint halfway into a small paper cup. Melt wax in a clean empty tin can that is set in a saucepan with water. When the wax is melted, pour it over the dryer lint until it is saturated. Let cool. Break the egg carton into individual cups. Store in a sealable plastic storage bag.
Cotton balls can be saturated with hot wax and allowed to dry. After they are dry, storing them in a sealable plastic storage bag will keep them safe until ready to use.
