Homemade Wax Fire Starters

Broken crayons can be used to make wax fire starters.

Making wax fire starters is a good way to recycle leftover wax. Starters are also an easy way to ignite a camp fire with a single attempt. All you need to do is, place a fire starter in the middle of a pile of dry kindling. Light the paper cup the starter sits in. The fire will burn for approximately five minutes and spread to the kindling. Wax fire starters are relatively easy to make. All you need are a few materials and wax. You must be careful when melting and handling the wax as it's flammable and hot.

Things You'll Need

• Cupcake papers or paper muffin cups
• Wax candle scraps, wax crayons or paraffin wax
• Metal coffee can
• Cooking pot
• Hot pads
• Hot pad gloves
• Wooden spoon
• Muffin pan
• Cookstove
• Wood shavings

Instructions

1. Fill a cooking pot halfway full with water. Place it on the stove over medium heat until the water comes to a boil.

2. Fill a metal coffee can one-half to three-quarters of the way full with the pieces of wax to make homemade wax fire starters. Break any large pieces into smaller pieces so they'll melt quicker.

3. Put on hot pad gloves. Set the coffee can full of wax carefully into the boiling water so it doesn't splatter. Stir the wax with a spoon occasionally as it melts. In the meantime, put the muffin pan on a heat-resistant surface or on hot pads. Place cup cake papers or paper muffin cups into each section of the muffin pan.

4. Remove the coffee can full of wax from the boiling water once the wax has completely melted. Remove the pot from the burner and set it aside. Shut off the stove.

5. Add the wood shavings--you'll need just enough to make the wax chunky--and stir them in until they are thoroughly coated with wax.

6. Pour the wax and wood shaving mixture into the papers or cups. Fill each section until it's almost full, leaving a little headway at the top. Allow the homemade wax fire starters to cool and harden up completely before you use them.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use fire starters in interior wood stoves or fireplace inserts.

• Use extreme caution when working with hot wax.

References

• All Free Crafts: Recycled Wax Fire Starters