If you enjoy sitting around a fire, you'll love these inexpensive and helpful little fire starters that can be made using cardboard egg cartons, dryer lint, and old candles. Plus, they work great!
Yield: 12Fire Starters
Author: Beverly
Equipment:
Clean Empty Tin Can
Sauce Pan to use on the stove
Scissors
Materials:
Cardboard Egg Carton (with the lid cut off)
Dryer Lint
Old Candles (or crayons, or other wax)
Instructions:
Begin by filling each section of the egg carton with some of the dryer lint.
Put the candles (or whatever wax you are using) into the tin can. You may wish to cut the candles into smaller pieces. Then place the can into a pan that has an inch or two of water in it.
Heat over medium heat on the stove. As the water in the pan heats up, it will begin to melt the wax in the can. Keep the water in the pan at a high simmer or a gentle boil until all the wax is melted. (Do not get any water in the can). This step can take 20 to 30 minutes. I use a wooden skewer to then remove the candle wicks from the melted wax in the can.
Next, pour the melted wax over the dryer lint in the egg carton cups, covering the dryer lint as completely as you can. Be sure to use an oven mitt when handling the hot tin can. You may wish to lay down something such as an old towel to protect your work surface from drips of wax during this step too.
Let the wax harden up which will probably take a couple of hours.
Once the wax is completely hardened, cut apart the egg carton sections using a scissors to create 12 individual fire starters.
To use the fire starters: Place a couple of the fire starters in your fire pit with whatever kindling or small logs you want to get started, and then light a corner of the fire starter. The wax and lint in the fire starter should keep it burning steadily for about 10 minutes so that larger pieces of wood can easily catch and start burning.
Notes:
Be sure to only use the cardboard type of egg cartons for this project. The styrofoam type will not work.