Starting your fire

[Ken524]

Re: Starting your fire

I grabbed a box of "Fatwood" sticks at Walmart the other day. They work great. It only takes on or two sticks to start a roaring fire.

Fatwood is simply dried out pine that contains a high concentration of resin. When they burn, they have a nice pine smell that reminds me of Christmas.

Fatwood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[fullback66]

Re: Starting your fire

Anyone try the drier lent yet?
works good.
fb66

[Ken524]

Re: Starting your fire

Anyone try the drier lent yet?

Alright... I'm up for it. My oven is already damaged goods so I'll give the lint a whirl .

It'll be a few days before I try another fire. That will give me some time to collect a few handfuls (with 6 in the house, I should be able to collect quite a bit!)

[fullback66]

Re: Starting your fire

Ken,
Why do you say your oven is damaged goods?
fb66

[Ken524]

Re: Starting your fire

Why do you say your oven is damaged goods?

Just joking. I'm in the middle of repairing a cracked/separating entry arch. I'll restart curing fires in a couple of days to see if it'll hold.

[jazzfan]

Re: Starting your fire

I have a very low tech and non accellerant fuel method to start any fire that I build, and I teach the method to all customers that I build masonry heaters and bakeovens for, and anyone that will listen.

We call it the Top down burn, and it is the cleanest burning (as in no clouds of smoke) method to get your appliance's firebox up to speed. Fire start up is typically the dirtiest part of a burn, untill it gets up to speed.

I'm sold! Only recently had a chance to try this - It was the least smokey fire I have ever seen. And it is logical, when you think about it. The pre-ignition smoke is below the fire proper, and gets burned as it rises.

Thank you jp!

[jeff]

Re: Starting your fire

Brother Robert.
Eucalyptus (gum trees), RS?
Mate,here in Heaven, river red and spotted gums are but two of many eucalypts used not only as fuel but also for smoking. Hickory is OK at a pinch....
Just kidding. Hickory is ok.
So send me the species of Eucalyptus you've been lumbered with, and I'll try to ascertain the root of the problem.
We have had two unpleasant fire experiences recently. Neither involved eucalypts, but both were disastrous. (And they were camp fires, not oven fires!!
Jeff.

[jeff]

Re: Starting your fire

Brother Robert.
Eucalyptus (gum trees), RS?
Mate,here in Heaven, river red and spotted gums are but two of many eucalypts used not only as fuel but also for smoking. Hickory is OK at a pinch....
Just kidding. Hickory is ok.
So send me the species of Eucalyptus you've been lumbered with, and I'll try to ascertain the root of the problem.
We have had two unpleasant fire experiences recently. Neither involved eucalypts, but both were disastrous. (And they were camp fires, not oven fires!!
Jeff.

[jeff]

Re: Starting your fire

Brother Robert.
Eucalyptus (gum trees), RS?
Mate,here in Heaven, river red and spotted gums are but two of many eucalypts used not only as fuel but also for smoking. Hickory is OK at a pinch....
Just kidding. Hickory is ok.
So send me the species of Eucalyptus you've been lumbered with, and I'll try to ascertain the root of the problem.
We have had two unpleasant fire experiences recently. Neither involved eucalypts, but both were disastrous. (And they were camp fires, not oven fires!!
Jeff.

[talisker63]

Re: Starting your fire

What about someone posts a picture of the stack for the top down burn?
Before they light it and some progressive shots as it ignites?

Please?

[Dutchoven]

Re: Starting your fire

I think I will be firing today...plan on trying the top down burn and I will try to post some pics
Dutch

[gjbingham]

Re: Starting your fire

There's an illustration of a top down burn setup at the bottom of page 3 of this document, called the Council Campfire Fire Lay. The Boy Scouts renamed a very old world method of fire building.

http://www.mbcenter.org/pub/pdf/notes_firebuilding.pdf

[jpmanley]

Re: Starting your fire

I just came across this great plug for the top down burn.

Top down


Pat

[david s]

Re: Starting your fire

Thanks for the top down info. Must try it. I find a little garden flare oil is helpful for starting as is a length of copper pipe that you can blow a blast of air exactly where you want. Also use it to blow the ash away from your cooking area.

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Starting your fire

There's an illustration of a top down burn setup at the bottom of page 3 of this document, called the Council Campfire Fire Lay. The Boy Scouts renamed a very old world method of fire building.

http://www.mbcenter.org/pub/pdf/notes_firebuilding.pdf

Not a bad document George...interesting it's from the Phillipines