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  1. #1

    Default Anyone use nail polish remover on cotton balls for fire starter

    So, I recently got a new wood burning stove for an upcoming hike (Balkans)
    And my old fire starter from the Zipp Stove company still works but not as good.
    So, someone suggested I try nail polish remover (one or 2 drops) on cotton balls.
    I tried it and it worked like magic. (burnt with a good flame for about 2 minutes)
    I don't have much (none) experience with nail polish remover and don't know how safe it is.
    Acetone sounds like some dangerous chemical to me.
    Has anyone else tried using it as fire starter?
    Pros?
    Cons?
    Thanks in advance.
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  2. #2

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    You can also use vaseline to rub into the cotton balls to make a fire started. After making them up you can store them in a small zip lock or a film canister. I have not tries nail polish remover on cotton balls but wonder if it would not evaporate from the cotton ball over time. Acetone has some strong smells and it might cause damage one some hiking gear too.

  3. #3
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    Yes, go with Vaseline. The acronym is PJCB, for petroleum jelly cotton balls.

    Melt some Vaseline and dip the cotton balls no more than half way into the Vaseline. You want to leave some dry fibers within the cotton ball to make them easy to light, and if you dip more than halfway the fibers will all become saturated with Vaseline. They'll still light, but it makes it a little more difficult and they won't light with a firesteel (ferrocerium rod) nearly as easily.

    A very nifty technique is to place a freshly-dipped PJCB onto a small sheet of waxed paper to let it cool a bit, then wrap the waxed paper around it as if it were a piece of candy, just like they do saltwater taffy. Put a few of these in a ziploc bag and they don't stick together. The waxed paper also adds to the fire starter's burn time. These will burn srongly for about 4-6 minutes.

    fire starters02.jpg fire starters03.jpg
    Last edited by cmoulder; 06-08-2017 at 06:36.

  4. #4
    Registered User KDogg's Avatar
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    Acetone evaporates too quickly.

  5. #5

  6. #6

    Default

    I had tried some petroleum jelly only could only find the scented and it didn't seem to work very well at all.
    I didn't heat it into a liquid and dip it though. I"ll try that.
    The acetone worked really great.
    The problem I see with it is that it only seems to come in glass bottles and they are too heavy.
    I imagine it will eat though plastic and that is why I can't find it in a small container.

    I don't want to carry enough for the whole trip (we are doing a 1500 kms hike in the Balkans ) (almost 1,000 miles)
    That's why I thought the nail polish remover would be something I could easily find along the way.
    I think it would be easier to say "Nail Polish Remover" in Bosnian, or Montenegrin than "denatured alcohol" or propane/butane.
    But maybe Vaseline is one of those words like "coffee" that is understood everywhere.
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  7. #7
    Registered User Just Bill's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fiddlehead View Post
    I had tried some petroleum jelly only could only find the scented and it didn't seem to work very well at all.
    I didn't heat it into a liquid and dip it though. I"ll try that.
    The acetone worked really great.
    The problem I see with it is that it only seems to come in glass bottles and they are too heavy.
    I imagine it will eat though plastic and that is why I can't find it in a small container.

    I don't want to carry enough for the whole trip (we are doing a 1500 kms hike in the Balkans ) (almost 1,000 miles)
    That's why I thought the nail polish remover would be something I could easily find along the way.
    I think it would be easier to say "Nail Polish Remover" in Bosnian, or Montenegrin than "denatured alcohol" or propane/butane.
    But maybe Vaseline is one of those words like "coffee" that is understood everywhere.
    Yar, melting it and dipping is the trick. Get a cookie sheet and cover with wax paper or foil and make a big tray of "fire kisses" (twist the tip of a cotton ball like a Hershey kiss shape and dip). I wanna say they are about 2 g each and can easily be bundled into pill bags to put in mail drops. But probably not helpful for this trip it seems...

    I would think that petroleum jelly would be commonly found. If not... I agree with the others that acetone sounds like a bust but if you were hard up I would only "field apply" it and store it in it's original container.

    I have to imagine that Heet or similar could be easily found. You can field apply that to cotton balls too. Might be easy to find birthday candles or other fire starters along the way too in a pinch.

  8. #8
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    If you light a cotton ball soaked in Vaseline as described, it will burn. Guaranteed. And I'll bet you can find it everywhere in the Balkans. Unscented Vaseline is common — I have never even heard of scented versions.

    Acetone is a bad idea. The vapors are much more volatile and it is absorbed through the skin.

  9. #9
    Registered User tarditi's Avatar
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    you can also use pomade - an old school hair product often found in dollar and discount stores

  10. #10
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Look in the travel section of pharmacies for a small squeeze tube of Vaseline, petroleum jelly, etc. Make your fire starters as needed. Surely you don't need a fire starter for every fire. If so there are better solutions.
    Somewhere online there are video instructions for the dryer lint, paraffin and egg carton section fire starters. You wouldn't want to carry a 1,000 miles worth of those.
    I buy fire starters in a supermarket. The Duralog clones. Cut up into smaller pieces in a Ziploc bag. Supplemented with wax from Baby Bel cheese.
    Have a great trip.
    Wayne


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  11. #11
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Back in the Dark Ages, mid 90s, pharmacies in Budapest were as well stocked as Walgreens, Wrong Aid or CVS. Probably totally irrelevant to the Third World.
    Wayne


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  12. #12
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    Way too involved. A bit of dryer lint and a spark should be all you need and even the dryer lint might be considered a crutch.

    When I started down the road of making fire starters, my Boy Scout sons ridiculed me mercilessly. Any form of chemical accelerant demeans your fire making talents.

    I now carry a Light My Fire Firesteel and a pocket bellows. Your time would be better spent learning to use these tools than making cotton ball fire starters.

    However, in the HYOH spirit, Light your own fire.

    Good Luck

  13. #13

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    I saw a good idea yesterday. Wrap some TP around a wooden match, then soak the TP in wax. Turns it into an windproof match/candle. A bunch of these would take up not much space and be reasonably light.

    I used to make 1/2" x 2" strips of cardboard and soak those with wax for starting my wood stove.

    Or you can use Fritos.
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    for a fire starter-----the ones ive been using for the last 30 years are egg cartons with sawdust in them, and then pour melted wax on them which will harden...

    will last about 45 minutes or so which gives plenty of time to get a good fire started....

    just made another batch of 13 dozen of them back in march....

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    Quote Originally Posted by OCDave View Post
    Way too involved. A bit of dryer lint and a spark should be all you need and even the dryer lint might be considered a crutch.

    When I started down the road of making fire starters, my Boy Scout sons ridiculed me mercilessly. Any form of chemical accelerant demeans your fire making talents.

    I now carry a Light My Fire Firesteel and a pocket bellows. Your time would be better spent learning to use these tools than making cotton ball fire starters.

    However, in the HYOH spirit, Light your own fire.

    Good Luck
    Pretty much everything we carry into the woods is a crutch, so there's that.

  16. #16

    Default

    Fritos?
    Thanks for all the suggestions.
    I'm going to try the melted vaseline (I'm sure they'll smell nice with the scented variety I find here in SuperCheap stores)

    I am quite good at starting fires, having learned in the Boy Scouts.
    But, here, I'm trying out my new stove in the wet jungle as it's rainy season in Thailand right now and it's not as easy as you might think.

    So far, I've tried the old sticks from the Sierra Stove company (work, but need a big piece to get the wet wood going)
    And the scented vaseline in which I just put a smudge on a cotton ball (didn't work well at all!)
    And the finger nail polish remover worked GREAT.
    Just couldn't find it in a lightweight bottle and I guess it's because it would eat through plastic. (I was a bit shocked at the price as a fairly large bottle of it was only 45 cents!) (maybe THAT's why I really would like to make it work! LOL)

    So, I will melt some vaseline tomorrow or whenever I get some time.
    Thanks again everyone.
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

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    I use mushers secret too protect my pups feet and also works as fire starter as it's similar to petroleum jelly...I've always just wiped the balls with some as I also use the cotton balls on dogs paws before use.....double duty....though I rarely have a fire...


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  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by fiddlehead View Post
    ...Just couldn't find it in a lightweight bottle and I guess it's because it would eat through plastic. (I was a bit shocked at the price as a fairly large bottle of it was only 45 cents!) (maybe THAT's why I really would like to make it work! LOL)
    ...
    Nail polish remover here IS in plastic bottles. I haven't even seen a glass bottle of it in 30(?) years. I rarely ever use it, and don't know if it's still acetone though.

    -FA

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    When in the Balkans, do as the Balkans do....use bacon grease :-)

    The rainy season where you are going will test your boy scout skills . Better get get some Tinder-Quick Tabs and a Spark-Lite . I did a test to see how water proof they were:
    Last edited by zelph; 06-09-2017 at 15:44.

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Miles 2 Go View Post
    ...... you can store them in a small zip lock or a film canister......
    I haven't seen a film canister in years.

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