Paper Fire Lighters

[PlayingWithFire]

How to make Fire Lighters from old newspaper.

My apologies if I am teaching you to 'suck eggs' ... but some people might not know this:

Scrunched up newspaper isn't very good for lighting coal fires as the burning paper cannot support the weight of coal, and burns too quickly to heat the coal.

Solution: Roll the paper up tightly (see below) - this makes it more robust and burn more slowely (with a blue flame, the ink I guess). One sheet will burn for 5 minutes. 3 will light a coal fire easily, just at the touch of a match.

Method:
Take a broadsheet newspaper (tabloids are possible but small).
Roll diagonally (maximises the distance from end to end) starting in one corner. Use something thinner than a pencil to start the paper rolling - a nitting needle (without any end, so smooth) is ideal. Too thin and it will get fiddly! Place needle on top of the corner so it is parallel with the diagonal line from the other two corners - clear as mud. Wrap the paper around the middle of the needle, just an inch or so, then proceed to roll the needle across the paper towards the middle of the sheet. The paper will wrap up around the needle, forming a tube. Before the needle is completely wrapped in paper, pull it out! There will be sufficient rigidity in the tube of paper to continue rolling it (palms down, pushing away from you, grip and reposition hands, push again with palms, until whole sheet is rolled into a tight, narrow tube (held by your hand to stop it unravelling).

Try it - it is bloody hard to describe!!!
Good technique will keep the tube tight and even along its entire length - too loose and it gets messy.

Trick:
Holding the tube of paper (like a hollow stick) in one hand, grip one end with the other hand and twist it around your 4 fingers into an oval shape, and continue a second twist, and tie a 'knot' by wrapping the paper through the middle 'hole'. (Dont push the paper through tip first but take a "bite" and push this half through - keeps the paper wrapped tight, like a spring).

You should now have a tightly packed parcel of paper, that will remain so as it burns, with rigidity to support the coal, and allow air into the fire.

Light the tip of paper sticking out and ensure this catches fully, and this will light the main twist.

Oh, hell, why did I try to do this in writing?

Give it a go! Will save you £££ and is fun - good excuse to read the papers again, during the summer / autumn, preparing for winter!

Any questions - please ask me!

~Malcolm
PlayingWithFire

[sunpuppy]

Thanks Malcolm,

The collapsing scrunched up paper has been a particular bugbear of mine this last winter! I'll give your technique a go the next time we have a cold night.

[PlayingWithFire]

Hello,

I suggest you scrunch up one sheet of paper, top it with 3-4 rolled up paper twists, then place small bits of coal on top of about half - these will catch first but covering all of it can choke the fire.

Make it fairly compact, just the centre of the fire - not spread out. Start small. Surround with coal to build a smaller fire place in the centre - this way heat will warm this coal and not be lost to the air at the sides.

Rember, the fire needs Heat, Fuel and Air.

Set a match to the scrunched paper - in 3 of 4 places - and let it gently light the rolled paper.

As the whole lot starts to burn, gradually place individual pieces of small coal (break it up if too big) on top, as if decorating a cake! Obviously, burning fingers is a risk.

Build larger coal pieces around the side to support this dome of a fledgling fire and stop it collapsing sideways. But remember, air needs to get in - from underneath, and escape above.

Should not enough air be getting in and it is not flaming enough for the coal to glow orange, you can increase air flow through the fire by excluding it from above - I use a sheet of newspaper held across the fireplace. This causes suction through the inch or two gap under the paper, and like a bellows this forces air up through the paper and coal.
It will likely roar! This keeps any flame away from the spread sheet of paper but watch for it turning brown as it heats, and whip it away before it ignites!!!

Have all vents fully open to start - and if they can be removed completely do so.

Add the coal in gradually increasing size, piece by piece (with tongs not a shovel) and from the side rather than on top - keep the heat in the centre like a furnace.

Once some of the coal is glowing (dull orange) you can add more coal so it can warm and be pre-heated, and this starts to keep the heat in the centre.

Thats what I do, anyway. Im sure there are other ways but if you were having trouble, this might help.

Start with extra paper fire lighters - why not 6 - but you will want to reduce the number with time to stop wasting your effort.

Smaller ones can be made from tabloids.

Free local papers = free fuel.

(Keep paper dry and bring coal indoors the day before for it to dry out too!!!)

Best wishes

~Malcolm
PlayingWithFire

[greenbean]

Hi Malcolm,
I shall try out your paper fire lighters. You might know of this already but anyway, if anyone is growing sweetcorn this year, then be sure to keep the central stem of the cobs after you have eaten your corn, dry them out for a few months (the longer the better) and then come winter use them as firelighters, they burn for quite a long time (10 to 15 mins as I recall) and are great for getting your fire going. I got this tip from when I lived in S Africa, then all our fires were of corn cobs and dried out cow pats, not exactly what you want to toast your marshmallows over!
Kind Regards,
Pam

[Andy Hamilton]

Hi Malcolm,
I shall try out your paper fire lighters. You might know of this already but anyway, if anyone is growing sweetcorn this year, then be sure to keep the central stem of the cobs after you have eaten your corn, dry them out for a few months (the longer the better) and then come winter use them as firelighters, they burn for quite a long time (10 to 15 mins as I recall) and are great for getting your fire going. I got this tip from when I lived in S Africa, then all our fires were of corn cobs and dried out cow pats, not exactly what you want to toast your marshmallows over!
Kind Regards,
Pam

Cheers pam, I am having a go at sweetcorn this year so I will bear this in mind.