After making the solid fuel stove, I wanted to make the fuel too. Here is what I came up with. It uses mostly common items and is easy to put together and use for cooking. It burns strongly and will work in all solid fuel stoves. It's also a great fire starter for wet weather. Thanks for watching!
Love this stove ! Great idea ! And I really like the fuel tab; question, how about seeing if crushed (not too fine) charcoal briquettes would substitute for sawdust and see how long it would burn. I do not have access to sawdust but do the charcoal. I think I am going to make it with the charcoal and will let you know how it faired for me. Let me know if you try this. Grandma in Texas
I really like and appreciate your excellent channel. Please correct your statement regarding lids on cups . The boil time of water is identical regardless of the presence of a lid . There's no difference between the boil time with a lid or without a lid . That said ,a lid is good for preventing loss by evaporation and also for keeping debris and bugs out of your water and food.
@@davidjacobs828 Evaporation means Heat loose, If you prevent IT .. im Sure its also Fasten the process because you dont loose Heat from evaporation.. Whats your explanation of it or what is your Proof? Greatz from Germany and have a nice Day opo
@Timothy Mckee I can do that. I have a fireplace and so have access to ash and left over charred wood. Thanks for the tip. I am always looking for things to make and give to my grandsons who love to camp. I think making our own firestarters is something we should know how to do and to also keep in the emergency section of our basement. Thanks again.
I like these type of projects. It is something I can do with my children, because it is simple and keeps their interest. It also makes them feel invested in our overnight trips. Thanks for awesome videos. Please keep them coming.
PLEASE don't encourage small children to play around with stuff like this... Next thing you know they're messing around when you aren't there to supervise...
James, this is a good project and a nice follow-up to the solid fuel stove video. To my mind, improvisation and creating your own gear, whenever you can, is the very spirit this thing of ours. Bless you, Brother.
Great video! I remember back when we made these 30 years ago in Boy Scouts. We used paraffin and sawdust in small paper sacrement cups. They are also in the US Army Special Force's Incendiary manual 1964. I always liked them more than alcohol or White gas in my pack. Keep up the good work.
@@olinseats4003 , I was a Deputy in Texas(Many years ago) and we learned about fire fudge in our Arson Investigation class (along with a bunch of other things) Actually a very interesting course.
Thanks for sharing this. I had an accident with an alcohol stove some years ago and have switched to solid fuel since then, and have been looking for videos of how to make my own. This is PERFECT! Thank you
Thank you so much James for the making of these fuel tabs for that DIY stove you came up with . You're a genius and I can't wait to see you reach that million subscribers because you deserve it and much more . Peace be with you .
Went to Walmart last night with this cookstove in mind and all the hacks for the stanley cookset. Couldn't find a koozie big enough. And the peerless sink strainer is now almost 5 bucks. Once I get back to work from winter layoff I'll be starting all these diy projects. You have quickly become my favorite channel thanks for your input and instructions.
Oh, this is definitely on the list! I love experimenting with different firestarter and flame extenders, but haven't tried anything with solid fuel tabs yet. My favorite ready-made tinder/ extender (so far) is cotton rounds saturated with coconut oil, dipped and sealed in candle wax... Using them as usual (break open, fluff up, spark) I have gotten 8-10 minute burn time in a stiff breeze. They do get messy in warmer weather, which in Louisiana is 85% of the year lol, but a sandwich baggie or something will keep them from making a mess... And any oil on my fingers just gets rubbed on either my knife blade, or my beard! LOL I did see someone who suggested substituting beeswax; that way you've even got a second potential use for them- emergency calories in a survival situation! Chewing the wax and extracting the calories and large amount of fats from the coconut oil might save your life, who knows.
You could do that as long as it's just beeswax. However, I would most definitely not recommend using the method that I used for anything that goes in your mouth.
@@WayPointSurvival hahaha no, not a good idea- I meant beeswax coating over a coconut oil soaked cotton round! One would want to spit out the cotton, I imagine, but the oil is full of fats and calories.
James speaks so well and with authority and confidence, I thought he was prior military. He sounds just like many instructors I had when I was in the military.
James, i made one of those little stoves and it became my favorite for heating up water for my afternoon coffee! I also added a small pan underneath to catch anything falling off through the burner holes.
Adding a couple of binder clips to the aluminum foil screen (attach to the feet of the stove) will keep it from being blown off. As always, awesome video! Thanks James! God bless and stay safe!
Bloody Brilliant & perfect timing too. I bought a few Asian made hexamine stoves & keep 2 in the car for roadside brews on a trip. I have the soup can cookers (hobo stoves) but these are same as the old hexamine cookers were used in the Army decades ago. I never thought about the Silicone Ice Cub Trays as I used a metal ice cube tray before.
This recipe in a very slightly different form is from WW2, saw dust and gulf wax, poured in to a cardboard tube. However the way point group seems to have spent some time refining the idea in to a nice system.
I'd like to try something similar except for using cardboard toilet paper tubes with corrugated cardboard rolled up and packed inside the tube, wick added for ease of lighting and then dipped in wax several times to fill the voids in the corrugation. Gulf Wax is inherently soft, so a hardness modier can be added, in this case, stearic acid. Just 10% of Stearic Acid added will increase the melt point for higher temperature stability and increase the burn time. Stearic Acid can be easily purchased on Amazon.
Really good tip with the stearic acid, I wasn't aware of that. These do seem to harden up pretty well with all the other ingredients added but it would be nice to increase that a bit.
We made these too in Boy Scouts. We used cardboard coiled up in a tuna can and covered in wax. They are called Buddy Burners and used in a coffee can Buddy Stove. You cook your food and then snuff out the buddy burner and let it cool. Then you put it back in your pack for the next time. The nice thing is that you don't have to worry about spilled fuel and it is reusable until the cardboard and wax is all gone which is about 5-6 campouts.
In addition, maybe save the little metal containers that tea candles come in and use, instead of aluminum foil? They’re reusable, and more durable. You could then wrap the entire thing in foil.
Okay, you've solved the main problem I've had with all the other DYI'ers making solid fuel tabs. The ones you make can be wrapped up in foil then stored in a zip lock bag. I will be using your recipe to make the cubes.
This is SOOO awesome! Thank you so much for figuring this out! When you showed the stove a while back I kind of wrote it off thinking I would never use it if I had to buy the little fuel bricks. Totally changed my mind now! Thanks so much!
@@WayPointSurvival As I was looking at a stash of toilet paper rolls I've saved this morning...I got to wondering if cutting the toilet paper tubes in like 1/2" or so rings and putting the contents into that (making it a round little puck) wouldn't work. Instead of a silicone mold (for people who don't have or want to buy a mold). I'm thinking it ought to work...? What are your thoughts on that? A person would just have to put all the little "rings" on an old cookie sheet (maybe lined with wax paper, or foil) and then fill with the contents before allowing to cool.
Yes, that would work quite well. The only issue would of course be the wax running out the bottom of the ring but if you put aluminum foil on the bottom that would solve that issue as well.
@@redeemedvintageseamstress4728 The TP tube (cut to length) would contain the corrugated roll. Just thread a wick through the corrugated center & loop through so you can dip into a melted pot of wax several times to fill the holes in the corrugated cardboard. Then just snip off the wick to your desired length and wrap with aluminum foil.
If you can't be arsed to buy the little fuel tabs, you won't be arsed to buy gulf wax, coglangs fire paste, saw dust, petroleum jelly, pure cotton balls, and aluminum foil, let alone measuring, melting, mixing pouring and wrapping the contents
Great idea! I once saw a recipe too with just beeswax and then cotton balls or cotton pads dipped in them, in that video they burned like 20 minutes, so that might be a good simple option too!
Beeswax has an inherently longer burn time as it is harder and has a higher melt temp than paraffin wax. That being said, you could probably make a beeswax burn tab 1/2 the size of the paraffin tab and get the same results!!! I also believe beeswax burns with less smoke but that can also happen due to an improperly trimmed wick!!!
I wish I'd seen this before buying fuel cubes. Will make these for summer. Made a second sink stopper stove, picked up a small toaster oven slotted shallow pan. Voila! I have a two burner stove that will cook a full meal (once I've made these fuel cubes with cotton balls) in no time! Yee haw! So much fun, so little money spent! Thanks so much!
I've been carrying Petroleum Jelly saturated cotton balls in my fire kit for close to 50 years. 30 years ago I began carrying two vacuum packed tender bundles which smash flat & weigh practically nothing. Whether it's a bow drill, pharo-rod, magnesium starter, wax tipped matches, zippo or good old Bic lighter, I've never failed to get a fire started when necessary....even in the rain.
I use cotton balls dipped In melted paraffin wax to start my wood burning stove. They burn by themselves for about 12 minutes. If I added some petroleum in the dip process I'm sure it would burn hotter and longer, the final dip into wax kinda seals in the PJ, to avoid any evaporation, and they are 100% waterproof( during testing, I dipped em in water then lit it in a rain storm). Similar concept, fewer ingredients. I do like the aluminum foil wrap idea, and the cotter pins/ dish drain stove was brilliant. Good stuff
Just thought, maybe add a small piece of string to the top of the pour. It can act as a wick to get it started quicker than lighting the edge. It can lay flat when dry, just peel up an end to light.
Hey James. Thanks for the video. Have you tried to use dryer lint instead of cotton balls? The only reason I ask is that I've been using dryer lint to help start fires for years and it's absolutely free and abundant. Keep up the the great work!
Sure, you could use dryer lint but you need to make sure that your laundry is almost 100% cotton fibers because synthetic fibers will only melt and not burn.
@@WayPointSurvival Oh good point. At the same time it puts out btu’s no matter what material is in your laundry. Its why modern homes with so much synthetic furniture etc are such threats as content fires.
Nice, I was afraid that with all the wax it would just flame up like an inferno... that's what happens if you soak an entire cotton ball in candle wax alone! Works great as a fire starter even in a good wind but I nearly had my sneakers melt on me from 6 feet away... This recipe much is safer and usable.
I've made those before ,myself. Only difference was I never tried the Vaseline. I used the fiber(paper) egg cartons. Got a great burn time..great info sir. Thanks 👍👍👍
KISS! Keep It Simple Sir! Get tea light candles, place them on top of a cookie (single layer)sheet, place on stove top at low temperature, when the wax is melted (turns clear) add a small cotton ball (or half a large one) twisted into a hershey's kiss shape, holding the stem with fingers or pliers, dip them into the melted wax of the tea candle leaving the cotton stem out of the wax until the wax has started to cool off. This stem is easier to light without being impregnated with wax. Then when the wax is fully cooled push the cotton stem over flattening it. I only do about eight of these at a time because the wax cools pretty fast! Up to three of these tea lights will fit into a standard folding Esbit stove and the tea lights are also great for starting a camp fire, especially with marginal tender! I carry extras in a pill bottle which helps avoid a mess if the tea lights get too warm! I carry a second pill bottle with regular tea light candles (with cotton balls to be rattle free) for my mini tea light candle and/or to make more of these fire starters in the field if needed! Good video, thank you!
brilliant! 😁 im wondering what your going to diy next! i never thought of this! and with the diy stove... wow! saves money buying a stove and tablets! one question, are you planning on making a larger diy stove for larger cooking utensils like a few mess tins (altho i guess some thought could adapt the smaller one to be a bit bigger!) great work! 😊 great channel 😊 excellent teaching and sharing of knowledge! 😊
Excellent video as always! One question James, where would I go to find a silicone mold? It doesn't seem like it would be an easy item to locate. Thanks for any help you can give me!
Amazon, Michael's, Joanns, Hobby Lobby and any craft store that sells molds for soap, epoxy resin, plaster, candles, etc. Depending on number of tabs, I would guess $6-12 or so
Baking cooking section or where ever the cake tin's coking tray's pot's pan's etc are sold of just about every supermarket, or just goggle it Eddie , Send the wife out she'll come with a car load.
I have been making those just with candle wax and cotton balls to use as firestarters and to heat up soups or instant coffee. I might have to try the firepaste in the mix for a little bit more heat. Thanks for the idea.
Try an empty tuna fish can with a coiled cardboard wick and wax. Makes a really hot fire and burns a lot longer than 16 minutes. Of course the fuel pellets are much lighter to carry than a tuna can but as a Girl Scout I have carried them on overnight hikes. One lasts for several meals. The addition of sawdust makes them even hotter. Really want to try your sink stopper stove. It’s genius. Hope my burner fits my strainer.
Waypoint survival: thank you very much for this! It’s kind of nice to have something like this on hand for the times when you expect your fire to be a little harder to set, or for when drought forces prohibition on open campfires. Or even when you just wanna get something to eat quickly and get back to your hike. There’s a whole host of things sitting around the house that might work in this recipe. For anybody can’t find paraffin wax, maybe broken old crayons that the kids don’t use anymore, or even old lip balm you’re fine in your bags that are too old to want to use for anything else; that sort of thing might do; it’s gonna be fun to experiment with this! This is really awesome and well thought out! :-)
Good idea 💡👍 Quantum Mechanic!!! That's what I've always used since I just cut around each as a easy to light 🕯️ material as well!!!👍👍👍🥰🤠🥰🧸🦣🐻 And Howdy Howdy from DeadHorse Alaska, Alvin Texas and Maine sweetie ☺️!!!!
C4 works really good also has a long burn time. would have never tried it on my own and was looking for an exit every time they lite it. one guy stuck a pound of c4 on the side of the wood stove.
This is really cool....I like to use the plentiful materials around my area....mainly being, Cardboard & paper....I soak it up , shredd it to a pulp form it into a cube, add my DIY fire gel and voila...done.... Your wood dust/chips are good, if you have access to that in your city. Cardboard is everywhere .
Are you serious?!?! 14-16 minutes from a 1/2 ounce cube? Wow! Volume, efficient, cost, weight; this has to be the all around winner compared to any other means. Thanks for the info and great video.
I made some solid fuel cubes in a egg carton. I used three not so old candles, two heaping tablespoons of Vaseline, some shredded cotton balls and shredded paper out of my paper shredder. I used the wicks from the candles as fuel cube wicks. They boil two cups of water in my hobo stove in 7 minutes, and burn for 10 minutes. Lots of soot though.
Hello from Oklahoma! I learned something similar to this in Boy Scouts back in the late 60's early 70's. But instead of using a silicone mold we used old egg cartons made from that grey paper stuff. I still make them for camping trips and my fire place. I just save the old wax from my wifes candles. Thanks for all you do! God Bless!
I've been making fire starter with paraffin and wood chips for years. I just use wood chips coated with the wax. Just enough wax to hold the wood chips together and form a block. Wrap the block in brown paper. When your ready to start a fire just lift a flap of the paper and light it. Set it down and pile on the small wood to get the fire going. I've started fires in the rain with these, just provide a little cover to get it started. Even just leaning over the fire to keep the rain off for a little while will work.
@@markcummings6856 Depends on how big you make em. I usually make them pretty small, 1inch square by about 1/2 inch thick. That will burn long enough to get wet wood lit. Once, to prove how well they work, I threw one in the lake, then we gathered wood. I picked it out of the water, maybe 20 min's later, shook it off, lit it with a bic and started a fire. Never tried cooking over them, easier to cook over the fire. But if you couldn't have a fire I'm sure they would work. Never timed how long they burn, but if it takes you 16 min's to get your wood to light, you ain't doin it right and you shouldn't be in the woods alone.
Stove pellets, for heating, about $4.00 for 40 lbs probably would work as a replacement for saw dust. It's basically saw dust pushed through holes, the heat provides a glazing that holds the pellets together. A hammer probably would easily reduce them back down to saw dust. Just be sure they are 100 percent hardwood. I got 2 tons of mixed, soft, hardwood, the soft was pine, it gummed up my pellet stove with a tar mess, I used some in my Nano stove, gummed up the legs, feet, tar, resin, stuck to them. You know that gummy feeling of fat wood? Well that is what the black like crude on my stoves feels like, smells like creosote.
Nice that you tried both, the cotton and non cotton version. I use the widely known cotton pads soaked in wax as fire starters. Also I prefer asking friends and family for old candles they do not need anymore. That way you get free wax and they can clean out their shelves!
Just what I needed to learn. Was just thinking about this the other day. Thanks! Down the rabbit hole I go.....I love your channel!! Even if I only remember some of what I watch, I'm still way better off for it.
I kind of do the same thing with plastic straws, Vaseline and cotton balls. Seal up the ends with you heated knife edge. It works when the fire material is damp. Sometimes you have to use more than one
Pretty cool, I'll have check see what my wife has for silicon mold for baking. That is the one thing I looked into that was surprised cost more than I was expecting, almost as much as all the other materials combined. For anyone looking for a good fire starter that you can literally make at no cost I got one for you and the hardest part is probably just remembering not to throw these otherwise useless items in the trash. Save lint from your dryer, save empty toilet paper rolls. Just stuff the lint in TP roll until it's full then don't have to but I dip in just a bit of used motor oil and set on a log or something and let it soak in a bit. Throw one or two these under bit of kindling throw a log on top a quick lite and your done. I made bunch of these for my mother this winter to save her time making fires and she likes it because she just has to spend a second to light than leave for few minutes come back and roaring fire, hasn't failed yet and won't as long as you have something that'll catch fire on top. I haven't taken note how long they burn by themself but haven't really needed to.
This is a great recipe. Something i would add, were it me. I will save the fluff of dried cattails. When i make my own little firestarters i will pour into my mold and while still a little tacky ill slightly press some of the cattail fluff into the wax making sure to leave a good bit exposed. This way a simple spark will ignite the cattail and that will light up the rest of the firestarter. I could see something of this nature really adding some versatility to your recipe.
We took strips of newspaper and rolled them fairly tight, then soaked them In wax, worked great as fire starters for camping/scouts. Just tear the edge and light. We also made ones similar to these using cardboard egg cartons as molds
What an excellent idea James I'm definitely going to try this and I've already made the little Berner like you demonstrated yours in. Thanks for the great tip and another tool for the survival box. Have a great day stay safe and keep your powder dry!
Yes, went through a big home made Esbitt stage as a broke youngster. Of course then, even if you had the money doesn't mean the stores had the item you wanted!!! If you don't regularly operate a saw, a pencil sharpener and some dry twigs will do the trick.We used cardboard cubes we made and sealed with sellotape instead of an ice cube tray and wrapped them in sellophane instead of aluminium foil as it was cheaper. We would line the stove with an aluminium foil bowl, (if you only used a little mum would give you the foil, savings!). A very time and patience heavy way of doing it, not recommended for those with jobs and responsibilities but has potential for keeping bored (older) children occupied!!!
We've made this but here's a tip. Add more saw dust and also diesel fuel 50:1 ratio also if you use ice cube containers it easier to obtain. This will create a more intense burn boiling your water faster.
we have made something similar ours are just wax from tea candles and cotton balls. We have also made some with those long burn strike any were survival matches though the center with the head just poking out. You just clean the head of wax and strike the match . Makes a nice emergency fire starter :)
Great idea. I didn't read through all the comments, so maybe someone suggested it already, but have you thought about adding some fine magnesium shavings to the top of each cube as soon as it's poured, and kind of push them down a little. Then when you're ready to light the cube, scrape a little of the top off to expose the shavings. I think in windy weather, those mag shavings will really help keep the cube going. Keep up the great work.
I’ve used melted wax poured over dryer lint or wood shavings in a cardboard paper egg carton. Separate the individual cells after it cools and dries completely and store in a zip lock bag.
Yes, that also makes a pretty decent firestarter. However, using only melted wax, dryer lamp or wood shavings does not give you the intensity of heat that you're looking for in this type of fuel tab.
An idea for your wind screen. Make just high enough it does not reach the top of the cup. Put a slot in one side for your cup handle. This way all the rising heat is trapped against the sides of the cup. Should shorten the time to boil.
James, thank you for this video, sometimes the fuel tablet are not available and they also burn half as long as your recipe. I love your videos and hints and tricks.
That's pretty cool right there. I used to save my grandpa's tin cans from mild sweet snuff, and we would refill them with a concoction of denatured alcohol and jello
Excellent! I make candles and often have left over yucky wax. This will be a great way to use it for something. If u have stearic acid u could add some of it to raise the melt point, therefore, higher temp.
Hello 👋 my outdoors friend, thank you for sharing this informative video. You are always a wealth of information for all things outdoors. James, the best to you for your good health and safety. 🤗
This was just what I was hoping you would do a video on in the future, THANKS A BUNCH JAMES!!!!! I am definitely going to give this a shot, I especially love that you could use it in wet weather conditions as well. Your content, knowledge and willingness to share this with AL OF US it just absolutely amazing. These handy tips tricks and hacks I can guarantee has helped a bunch of people already. I may not get to your videos as quickly as I would like to, with working alot, but when I do every one of them is very very enjoyable James, thank you again.
You can also buy bulk hexamine powder which can be melted on an electric hot plate with an oil bath then poured into silicone cube molds, you will essentially be making exact reproductions of the original hexamine fuel tablets. But for those who aren't confident in liquifying high density fuels then the tablets shown here are a great alternative.
Hey, I just made some fire starters like this with candelila and some matches I had lying around. The foil is a good addition, the way they were melting down is why I was only using them as starters.
Got to use DYI burner in Shenandoah NPS... Used purchased log starter block & dry sticks on trail...I also use "dryer lint w/ tissue rolls" packed w/ stuff.. Thanks for burner
I have used tea candles to heat food but even plain ole spam is good u wouldn't believe the recipe's I came up with my mama showed me everything she knew and I would love to come to ur outdoor retreat but I live in Texas
![DIY Fuel Tab [This is Awesome!]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
