31 replies to this topic

[Bmerf]

In the barn stove, I use homemade fire start. This is no more than cut up pieces of 2x material that is ripped down to approximately ½ x ½ x 8-10 inches and placed in a metal bucket with a lid during the summer. Inside the bucket with the scraps goes about a cup or two of diesel fuel, enough to cover the bottom of the bucket with ½ inch of fuel. Let sit for week or two. The scraps absorb all the fuel.

 

Lay two pieces of wood in the bottom of the stove in a v shape. Then add a piece or two of homemade fire start, some smaller kindling next, and a few pieces of wood on top. Light the fire starter and close the door. No “gas” flash, the starter burns hot and long, kindling makes nice coals catching the bigger pieces on fire, Seems to work good on damp wood. I never have tried this in a house, only in the garage. Don’t notice any funny smells, other than the normal smells of the garage.

[IamSherwood]

I do it the boyscout way. Kindling on the bottom, and bigger stuff as it gets built.

I keep a small propane torch handy, for lighting it. One of these good ones.

 

[Kurtee]

Not using wood to heat with I can't be of much help other than that dryer lint makes excellent kindling or is that tinder. Catches fast

Edited by Kurtee, December 26, 2012 - 07:29 PM.

[Kurtee]

I have a coal stove and that can be a pain to start. I use a bought fire starter that helps alot. For my outside fires, two cycle gas works wonders. The oil mix gets rid of the flash point and burns hot.

Careful with that and don't fool yourself, gas is gas, the flash point is still low.

[EricFromPa]

I use a couple balls of news paper and Oak/locust bark then a couple of smaller pieces of wood.Light the paper and the bark lights rite up.

 

Our Big old boiler hasn't been used in years.All we're heating with is one of the old Wonder Coal heaters with a home made heat exchanger and blower.

 

The house is really old and the ceilings are 10ft down stairs and 7ft up stairs.It's really easy to keep it heated but cooling it off is another story lol.

Edited by EricFromPa, December 26, 2012 - 08:26 PM.

[Clippnalawn]

I like to criss cross stack kindling like a Lincoln log cabin then stack bigger pieces on top, really let's the air and flame come from the bottom up. This year I also started using "pitch wood" which is pieces of wood from old dead fir stumps. As the outer layers of the tree start to decay away all the pitch keeps pulling closer to the center and completely saturating the wood fiber... It smells amazing and burns hotter than any of the sawdust/wax commercial fire starters I have tried. Best part is there are old dead stumps all over the pacific north west just rotting away...

[tinner]

I have gas as well, but I try not to get to close to an open flame.

Know what your mean, keeps the blue flame from shooting out.

[nra1ifer]

I start mine very much like you do. If the stove is cold with no hot coals, I load the fire box with several pieces of dry red oak, leaving a few gaps at the bottom and in the middle of the stack to stuff small pieces of kindling. Open the damper, light the kindling, close the door most of the way and let the wood start nicely. Close the door and damper it down as it gets going good.

 

If I don't have kindling at hand, I usually have some fire logs around, so I'll cut a couple of chunks off and use that to start the fire. Doesn't take much, and works well.

 

I'd suggest leaving the gasoline in the shop for the GT's! However, I have heard of people soaking kindling in kerosene. But, I'd much rather use pieces of a fire log as a starter, if I didn't already have some dry kindling.

 

I have a pedestal stove with a pipe heading up to the ceiling. A magnetic thermometer on the pipe 14" from the top of the stove is a tool to use to gauge the burn.

 

I LOVE being able to use our stove to heat the house! I'm enjoying it right now. It's about 25 degrees this morning, feels good by the fire. We were gone for several days until last night, so it's taken some time to get the house heated again, but it sure was good sleeping last night, under a pile of blankets (our bedroom is away from the stove so it stays cooler in there, but we like it cooler there, anyway. )

 

Here's the stove I have....

 

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Edited by nra1ifer, December 27, 2012 - 07:54 AM.

[JDBrian]

That sounds pretty identical to what I'm doing. I usually try to leave a few gaps in the layers so the embers can fall through. One key thing is to have dry wood. The first year I had this fireplace I bought wood that was still wet and it was a constant fight to keep it going. 

[nra1ifer]

That sounds pretty identical to what I'm doing. I usually try to leave a few gaps in the layers so the embers can fall through. One key thing is to have dry wood. The first year I had this fireplace I bought wood that was still wet and it was a constant fight to keep it going. 

 

Ditto here the first year. Makes it a real booger to have a decent fire. Over the years I was able to make a nice cover for my wood out of some discarded privacy fencing. I can cover enough to last at least a full season of constant heating. I probably have 4 years worth of wood stacked outside, and I move more under cover as it gets used.

[Chuck_050382]

My stove is a old power pole transformer with a barrel stove kit. I kind of use a combination of the two methods. 

 

Place 2 bigger pieces on the sides then a smaller piece between them. then add a wax and wood shaving fire started between the big pieces, next i stack kindling around and above the fire started making a grid, then I will put 1 or 2 log on top that. I used my propane torch as a big lighter to light the starter. I typically leave the ash/bottom door open for a few minutes as it gets going.

 

It works pretty good, I've been making a lot of fire starters from paraffin wax or from old candles and either shavings from the jointer or planner. I've read where people use dryer lint, but that can sometime have hair mixed with it especially if you have indoor animals and burnt hair stinks.

[Reverend Blair]

Sweep up some sawdust and wood shavings and soak them in diesel (never gasoline!), mix amongst some largish kindling and light.

 

Alternatively, my Dad used to have a small, shallow steel tray you filled with kerosene and slid under the log rack.  Put split wood of any size over it, light the kerosene, and the fire starts right up.

[skyrydr2]

Walk over to the wall and push the lever over , done!

I did have to burn one at one time though and actually...... I really miss that hot dry penetrating heat .
I started that the old boyscout way as well, and we tryed to keep it cooking 24-7 so we didn't need to light it every day.
Those are crumpets cooking on top of it.

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[Amigatec]

The FIL uses bark to start his, he says it starts easy and he has plenty of it. I would to add a wok stove here.

[jd.rasentrac]

I take an old newspaper and conifer shavings to light the fire