FIRE STARTERS PART 1

How to make fire wick fire starters.
In this post I will be showing you how to make fire wicks.  A fire wick is a piece of cotton yarn or in this case jute twine that is coated in wax. 
If you are in a survival situation, these can be very handy to have around. The main advantage of such a simple thing is that it is waterproof.  You can literally take one of these, dip it in water, and still have it light up. The wax repels water and melts easily enough that you can get a flame in a few seconds.  You'll need just a few things to get started.

1.  cotton or jute yarn/twine/rope
2.  wax
3.  container to melt wax in
4. pliers or hemostats

To get started with your fire wick you'll need to melt the wax in your container.  I'm using a tin cup with beeswax on the stove.  If you do it on the stove, be patient and don't melt the wax too fast or it will burn up and get black spots.  Also, you do not need beeswax.  The fire wick will work with any type of candle wax or even old melted down crayons.

Once you have your wax melted, you need to cut a length of twine.  I've got around 2-3 feet here.  That will be more than enough to make a decent amount of fire wick.

Now go ahead and put the entire length of twine into the molten wax.  It just needs to be covered.  When you have done this, it is ready to be removed.  DO NOT use your fingers.  Use the pliers and pull out the fire wick starting at one end.  Drag the wick over the side of the container to remove excess wax.

When you are done, let the wax cool and harden.  Then all you need to do is cut it into lengths that you can use to start fires.  I've cut it into about two inch pieces. 

Now you are ready to start your fire.  These pieces will burn about 3 minutes.  If you need more time to build your fire, then simply cut your wicks longer.  You can use a lighter to get it going or you can fray one end (try to strip some wax) and throw a spark on it.  You can store these in a 35mm film canister or some other container.  They work great in a survival kit due to their size and because they are waterproof. 

Hope you enjoyed this fire wick tutorial.  More ways to start a fire coming soon.