Do you love going on camping trips? One of the skills you need to master is how to start a campfire. If you really want to go back to the basics – the kind of methods that prehistoric men use – you can rub two pieces of wood together and generate enough heat from friction to start a fire. But this is a very tedious way of starting a fire and can take a lot of time, not to mention it will test your patience. To make a fire easily, you’ll want to use a fire starter.
There are many camp fire starters available commercially. But why not make your own fire starter using wax paraffin? It’s so easy to do and it’s also great home project. Just follow the instructions below–just one of the interesting life tips you’ll find in o5.com.
Prepare the wax paraffin
Melt a block of wax paraffin. You can also opt to just scrape off any wax paraffin you find in your home and use that instead, there’s really no difference between using new or used wax paraffin. You can melt the wax paraffin in a number of ways. You can melt it inside a pan you’ve put on top of a stove. You can use a double boiler, or you can just zap it inside a microwave oven. Whatever method you use, the result you’re looking for is for the wax paraffin to completely melt and turn into a liquid. Don’t allow it to boil because the intense heat could change the chemical makeup of the paraffin and result in a defective final product.
Get a vessel for the paraffin
Meanwhile, prepare the vessel for the paraffin. Use either cupcake paper or an egg carton. If you’re going to use cupcake papers, place it inside muffin tins. As for egg cartons, line the carton with aluminum foil or wax paper. The next step is to put fillers inside. You can use wood shavings, shredded paper or even dryer lint. Try to fill the depressions in the cupcake paper or egg carton with the filler.
Make the paraffin molds
Pour the liquefied paraffin on to the containers you’ve made making sure that you fill each one up. Allow the paraffin to cool down. One alternative you can do is to put a wick on to each one to facilitate easier usage.
Store the fire starters in a container and put it in a cool, dry place. Grab some of your home-made fire starters whenever you go out camping or hiking.
Photo from nydailynews.com