FireStarters -tutorial

I had the kettle on because I needed more fire starters. I made cotton pad fire starters 5 years ago. I still have few left. I do have made up a fire more often 240 times in five years but I don't always need to use fire starters. Since January 2019 I've been saving more candle ends and now it has came the time to melt them for the new project.

You need an old kettle which you use only for candle project. Notice: you can't use it or any other equipment you use in this for cooking anymore. 

Just mild heat is enough to melt the candle ends. If there will be even tiny mini-bubbles, it's getting dangerous hot. Make sure you have fire blanket next to you.

Trashes in the soup are ok. It is easy to avoid them and later on you can use some stick to get them out.

Before starting cover a tray by baking paper. If you want to make more decorative ones, use paper tissues. In that case take off the uppermost layer of a paper tissue. Place it upside down (print facing down) over the baking paper. Dip the cotton pads in the melt candle wax. Use a tool, not fingers!

When they are cool and set you can cut the pads off. It turns out zero waste if you use the left over paper tissues also as fire starters because for sure there are candle wax drops all around them.

When finished, you can make a small cut on each. You can fold the pad when lighting it on. It starts better when the fire faces the pad inside first.

It is an easy one evening project. I made 200 fire starters this time.

By choosing different kind of paper tissues you can create different kind of outfit.

They are suitable also for gifts too. Useful, low budget and eco friendly gifts. 

CottonPad FireStarters

To make your own CottonPad FireStarters you need to save all the candle waste and few empty Pringles cans. You also need an old pot. I bought one from a second hand shop. After this you can't use it anymore for cooking.

Wash the cans by hot water and decorate them by craft paper (or pretty pics from old magazines etc.) You don't need any new candle wax or anything. Just melt the candle waste in a pot. Don't put the pot straight on the fire/heater. Use pot-in-pot method. Place the candle waste pot into a bit bigger pot where is some water. This water begins to boil and warms up your candle pot. Then the candle waste begins to melt. Use some tool to pick up any trash from the melting wax. Be careful; it is H O T.

Dip cotton pads in the melt wax. I used old extra forceps which I don't need anymore for cooking. Place the pads to dry on the baking paper. For about 100-120 pads are enough for one Pringles can.

Cut the dried and hardened pads. In this way it is fast and easy to set them on fire and use to light up your fire place. You don't need any color to dye them up. I used white, brown, red and a bit blue candle waste. It turns out usually just grey. But who cares! You are going to burn them anyway so no extra chemicals are needed.

Keep the cans there where it is easy to use them... but not too close the fire place. Pretty cans can decorate your home. Practical and once again; waste is used to make something new and to reduce the amount of pollution on our beautiful but suffering PlanetEarth.