How to Make Pine Cone Fire Starters

campfire image by Petro Feketa from Fotolia.com

A pine cone fire starter may be a cute craft project, but it is also a useful camping tool. Pine cone fire starters do everything commercial ones do, and cost practically nothing to make. Your cone will burn for long enough to ignite damp or stubborn tinder, making it much easier to start a campfire.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Coffee can
Wax
Pot
Water
Essential oil
Stick
String
Wax paper

Step 1

Fill a coffee can halfway with wax. Use any wax, including paraffin wax from the store, old bits from burnt candles, crayons and beeswax.

Step 2

Place the can inside a pot. Add enough water to the pot so that it covers at least the bottom 3 inches of the coffee can. Boil the water.

Step 3

Add a few drops of essential oils to the wax once it melts if you wish to make scented fire starters. Stir the wax with a stick to mix in the oil. If you don't care about scents, skip this step.

Step 4

Tie a string around a brown, opened pine cone near the top. Dip the cone into the wax so that only an inch or so remains uncovered.

Step 5

Pull the pine cone out of the wax and hold it there until all the excess wax drips off it and it cools. Place the cone on a piece of wax paper until it cools completely.

Article Written By Isaiah David

Isaiah David is a freelance writer and musician living in Portland, Ore. He has over five years experience as a professional writer and has been published on various online outlets. He holds a degree in creative writing from the University of Michigan.

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