almost undefeatable fire stater

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Enthusiast III

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South Dayton, NY, USA
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Ronald
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Howard
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26138

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USMC 85'-89'
Just about any chip that is fried in oil will work, also the dryer lint and cotton balls and egg carton bombs. Along with womens tampons, pull it apart and it starts easily. I carry several different ways to light a fire. A simple bic lighter is best unless it gets wet. A magnesium block and striker works good at times also. I also carry potassium powder and brake fluid....1T of powder and pour 1T of brake fluid on it and sit back and watch....poof. Fire. I also cheat sometimes and carry a little propane bottle with a torch head on it...lol.
 

Pretzel

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Member III

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Greenville, NC
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Eric
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D.
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25592

Dog hair makes up a significant portion of my dryer lint so it's unpleasant to use to get a fire going. Fatwood is my go-to when stuff is too wet for ground tinder.
I haven't tried the Nesbit tablets or other military surplus bricks but I see them in use with many camping/backpacking youtube videos.
 

Submariner

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Enthusiast II

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Montesano, WA, USA
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Wayne
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Harper
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Have not heard of fat wood, could you explain what it is?
when you have some wood, look for the parts that are full of sap. Once that is dries/seasoned then it just takes a match and it goes. If you smell the wood , It will have a turpintine smell to it. Usually you will find this type of wood from a tree that has been cut down in the spring when the sap is flowing really good. I hope I have given you enough info on this
 

bgenlvtex

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Launch Member

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Texas
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Bruce
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Evans
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when you have some wood, look for the parts that are full of sap. Once that is dries/seasoned then it just takes a match and it goes. If you smell the wood , It will have a turpintine smell to it. Usually you will find this type of wood from a tree that has been cut down in the spring when the sap is flowing really good. I hope I have given you enough info on this
@PapaPaul here you go.
Pitch pine, fatwood, conifer consisting almost entirely of sap, you can see that the pitch was just smearing when I cut this. Lob Lolly Pine has massive amounts of sap in it and is VERY heavy, this piece is just from a relatively small limb I cut. 0306211209_HDR.jpg0306211210_HDR.jpg
 
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FishinCrzy

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Advocate I

2,595
South Carolina, USA
First Name
Rob
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Duncan
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19015

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StateHazmatResponder
The best "fat wood" around here comes from old growth longleaf pine. The stumps from trees cut 100+ years ago are still scattered through the woods. When I have a chain for the saw that is at the end of it's life and can't be sharpened anymore I will cut a few short lengths from a stump so that it's easy to split. I only split enough to last the season because it tends to dry out some so just leave it in larger pieces. There is some fat wood in all conifers to some degree probably but the longleaf has the most by far. I pickup pieces of the heartwood from other pines when the summer wood has decayed away and it's essentially the same . Fatwood, lighter knots, and other names are used. "He's tough as a lighter stump" takes on real meaning if you've ever hit one with a bush hog! I have torn down several old houses to get the heart pine flooring and beams. Termites don't digest it too well and it is beautiful. The scraps are good fire starter too.