Making Pine Cone Fire Starters

Setting a nice roaring fire will be easier than ever with a flammable aid like a pine cone fire starter. The decorative piece is nice to look at, so it can sit beside your logs and not deter from your home décor, and yet it's also functional. Tossing a few pine cones in with your logs will have flames rising in no time. With a few tips, you can create your own pine cone fire starter to give as a gift or use at home.

Set Up

Find a clean work area and cover it with newspaper, followed by a layer of wax paper. Cut paraffin into chunks and set it in a double broiler. The intent is to melt the paraffin.

Coloring

Use candle tint or crayons (peel off their paper wrapping first) to add color to the paraffin. You can scent the paraffin with a few drops of cinnamon or other season appropriate scented oils.

Dipping

Gingerly dip the pine cones into the paraffin using tongs. When dipping, do not shake off excess wax it will be very hot and could cause burns. You can dip the pine cones as many times as you like so long as the wax has cooled for 10 seconds from the previous dipping. You should have at least 5 dipped pine cones to fill out a basket.

Packaging and Final Touches

Place the pine cones in a nice basket and decorate it with holiday flowers or sprigs of evergreen. Garnish the handle with ribbon or another decorative detail. Warn the recipient that this is not to be stored too close to the fire, as it may ignite if left too close to open flames.

References

• Building pine cone fire starters