Free Fire Starting "kindling"

Free fire starting "Kindling".

When in the big box hardware stores for any reason, I always ask the person at the paint mixing area, if I can have some paint stirring sticks. They always say, "help yourself, they are free".

To which I say, Thank you, is there a limit or could I please have ten". Always the reply is, "take as many as you want".

So using a hacksaw, which makes for less loss to sawdust, I cut them into one inch long pieces, then split some to toothpick size and some larger and some full with. Grab a handful and drop them centered on a paper towel, add a small half spoon of Vaseline and drop into a small ziplock type bag. Then roll that up in a few sheets of newspaper, and into another ziplock bag (I use the cheap copy ones from Walmart. I am in the woods nearly everyday, I actually rarely ever make a fire, but I like having these neat starters in a pocket of my backpack. And there are several in each cache site.

 

Sometimes I add a full pack of paper matches inside the outer ziplock bag. If they get destroyed from the Vaseline, "So'What" just more firestarter.

 

I use those things for all sorts of things. The best ones are thick enough to be fairly stiff and I take them and with spray glue add sandpaper and Emory cloth onto them. It is great for sharpening things and I use them a little like a fine wood file to take corners off. They make longer and heavier ones for stirring bigger buckets of paint I have glued leather to one of them one side is the smooth side and the other side is the rough side, It is a great strop for my larger carving knives and a good use for trimmings off leather when I am cutting up a big piece of leather to make something. I gave one to my Daughter and my Grandbaby is still mad at me for that. I also use those yardsticks that some give away and some sell for a dollar.

 

Diamond match company no longer makes useful matches. They were once a decent company. Diamond "greenlight" brand has green match tips. These tips are too small to light and stay lit. Do not buy them.