Things You'll Need:
- Large pinecone
- Paper cups
- Old candles
- Double boiler
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Step 1
Gather your materials. I get candles just about anywhere. Rummage sales, thrift stores, Goodwill. The only requirement is that they are not painted. Painted candles were never ment to be burnt. The pine cone may be a bit tougher. If you camp you may collect some or even in a park or your yard. Paper cups, well they are everywhere.
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Step 2
Now to melt the wax a double boiler is recommended. Melting wax can be a bit dangerous and should be done slowly and carefully. Melt the candles together until you have a few cups of liquid in your pan. Color will not matter. Now pour 1-2 inches of wax into the paper cup. Take the pinecone and push to the bottom of the cup. Hold or weight the cone down until the wax sets. If you want to you can drizzle a little wax over the pinecone for looks and a better starter.
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Step 3
When the wax has completely set peel off the paper cup. You can leave the cup if you wish but if you plan to display them by the fireplace you will want to remove the cup.
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Step 4
To use, place at the base of your wood and light the cone. This will burn for long enough to start your fire.
Comments
4dogday said
on 4/7/2009 Great information on making a fire starter!
yourmamasaidwha said
on 4/5/2009 i think this is a great article and useful if you have many pinecones to get rid of! i could totally pass this one on...thanks for the great share...
Gertrud said
on 4/2/2009 I don't think I want to have the melted wax stain in my fireplace, but it sounds like a good idea to take camping to start a campfire, like you said.
rnmom24 said
on 3/22/2009 Great information. We have a woodstove and an abundance of pinecones in the yard. Will give this a try. Thanks!
elyria said
on 3/10/2009 This is so helpful, forwarding it to my friends!! 5*