Outdoorsman / Woodsman Skills – Homemade Fire Starter
Vaseline and Cotton Ball Fire starter
This fire starter is easy to make and cost next to nothing, it has the extra benefit of being nearly waterproof.
Simply place a small amount of Vaseline in a microwave safe dish and melt on medium heat only until it begins to run. Place 6-10 cotton balls in the melted Vaseline and saturate them completely. Allow the mixture to cool and place the cotton balls in a used film container.
When you need to use them, take several cotton balls out of the film container and pull them apart. Place the Vaseline cotton ball fire starter under your tinder and light. The cotton ball acts like a wick for the Vaseline and will burn intensely for several minutes.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s funny, I just posted a similar tip on my own website, where I’m just starting to gather resources for my hiking club. Your method differs from mine so I hope you don’t mind if I link to your version, and your site in general.
That’s pretty clever! Thanks for the information, it will come in handy for future camping trips.
Lint from your dryer works as well if you don’t have cotton readily available.