How to Make Fire Sticks
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Because fire is so important to survival, it is always a good idea to have a fire starting aid in your survival kit. To this end many of us carry what is known as a “fire stick” as part of our standard survival gear.
In this article I will show you how to make your own fire sticks at home using commonly available materials.
Why Carry Fire Sticks?
Lightweight and waterproof, a fire stick can help kindle a blaze in even the worst conditions.
If you need to build a fire in a hurry, for example if you fall into a stream during cold weather, you can quickly gather combustible materials and use your firestick to start a fire even if the wood you are using is damp.
In fact, a properly made fire stick will burn even if it has been submerged in water. Anyone who has ever traveled in very wet conditions can appreciate the advantage to that.
Even during non-emergency situations sometimes wood can be stubborn to kindle. A good firestick will burn for eight or ten minutes at least, providing plenty of heat to dry and ignite wet wood if used correctly.
Other uses for firesticks include being a quick source of heat. You could make a winter survival debris hut and light the firestick inside. By letting it burn completely before crawling in, the shelter would be pre-heated and much more comfortable.
Buying Fire Sticks
You may have seen or even used the commercially available firesticks or firestarters. These are typically made of pressed wood particles and wax. Coghlans markets these aids for “starting fires quickly and easily” in a variety of outdoor stores and online marketplaces.
Making Firesticks
Because the formula for making fire sticks is so basic, you can easily make your own at home using commonly available materials. This should satisfy the do-it-your-selfer who enjoys making his own survival equipment.
What you will need:
- Wax. Pretty much any candle wax will do. I like to recycle wax from leftover stubs and broken candles.
- Corrugated cardboard.
- String. Do not use man-made fibers as they often emit toxic fumes when burning. Cotton or other plant based fibers is what you want to use when making firestarters.
- A double boiler to melt the wax in. If you do not have one you can easily make your own by using two pots of different sizes.
- A means to cut the string.
- A source of heat to melt the wax.
The most time consuming part of making firesticks is the melting of the wax but you can do this while working on the rest of the project.
Assuming you do not have a double boiler, make your own using two pots of different sizes. Partly fill the larger pot with water and put it onto your source of heat (stove, fire, or what have you). Next put your wax into the smaller pot and place it so that it is floating on the water in the larger pot. Put this combination on your source of heat so that as the water warms it melts the wax.
While the wax is melting you can prepare the fire starters. First obtain a piece of corrugated cardboard, preferably without the backing on one side. If all you have is cardboard boxes you can easily remove the paper backing from one side using a pair of needle nose pliers or similar tool. This is what I did and it worked very well.
Then cut the cardboard into strips about six or seven inches long and two inches wide as shown in the picture. Roll these strips up and tie them with a natural fiber cord.
Carefully dip the cardboard rolls into the hot melted wax and let soak for several seconds. I like to use the pliers on my favorite survival tool, a Leatherman wave multi-tool, to hold the cardboard by the string as I dip it. Remember the wax is very hot and can burn you if it touches your skin.
Shake the cardboard a bit the help the wax penetrate into the spaces of the cardboard and then take out to cool.
Once cool the wax has hardened inside and around your home made firestarters you can quickly dip them into the hot wax again for an additional coating. This will cause your firestarters to burn even longer, though it possibly is not necessary and will add some extra weight.
Testing the Homemade Fire Sticks
As a test I used a match to light one of the home made fire starters. It caught fire very easily and burned with hot flame from one end to the other over a period of about 9-minutes. This is plenty of time to dry out even wet kindling so that you can build a fire.
I recommend carrying two or three of your fire starting sticks in your survival kit wherever you go. Though you may have a great amount of firemaking experience, an extra margin of safety could very well save your life in an emergency.
Yelm WA
The firesticks were easu to make and fun too! The wax made our home smell good as wel.
New York
This is a great idea. I have heard of fire sticks, but never thought of making my own.
Bay St. Louis MS
I am a minister and I was looking for a proper method to build a fire, as a illustration for a message. I was pleased with your site, so much so I sent it to a fellow minister in Washington State who is preparing to go homesteading. He will make these fire sticks, I am sure, as he is very methodical in his preparedness. Thanks so much for the excellent pictures, I am a visual learner. Be blessed..Phyllis Toth
CA
Great Idea. I was wondering is it OK to make the fire sticks longer than 2 inches? If so would it work as a torch?
Survival Topics - you can make them as long and as large as you would like. Of course if wieght and/or bulk are an issue then that would be counter productive. Firesticks could be used as a torch, especially the larger size you mention since they would burn and give off light for an extended period of time.
Damascus Oregon
This goes back to my Cub Scout days. A small tuna can with the same corrugated cardboard rolled up inside and soaked with hot wax makes a good camp stove. A when you run out of fuel you have a small pot or cup. As I remember they would burn for about 20 minutes.
California
How do you think sap/pitch would compare to wax? I know pitch will catch fire and burn, but maybe it would burn too fast. I ask because in a survival situation it's pretty easy to make pitch from sap and charcoal but wax is probably hard to come by.
Survival Topics - Good observation. Pitch from conifers such as pine, fir, and spruce is an excellent aid for starting fires. A small glob or lump of pitch can burn for several minutes with enough heat to dry out and ingnite tinder.
Montreal Canada
Hello there, I have been making my own firestarter for a while, I am using wax like you but I use hamster wood litter that I put in a paper muffin cup. I then drop hot wax on them, no need to put a string to light them, there is always a piece of wood that you can use.
MN, USA
Another method that I like is to take old egg cartons, fill the holes with the lint from the dryer lint trap, and pour the wax over the lint. It soaks in, you cut up the carton into the individual eggs compartments, and put into ziplock bag. Work great, and all materials most of us have at home.
australia
These firesticks worked great and even provided enough heat to cook my beans. What do you think about using citronella oil on them and keep biting insects away at the same time?
Survival Topics - Good idea! Give it a try and let us know how it works!
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Queensland, Australia
I wonder if pre-waxed vegetable transport boxes would have enough firestarting wax already?
Survival Topics - good idea. I do not have any on hand but if you give it a try and let us know how it goes.