The Gun Counter

What are your thoughts on steel wool vs. dryer lint for a survival firestarting material? Do you see pro v con in either?

I'd probably go with steel wool, it's possible to get it wet and still use it. Lint will just turn into a soggy mess.

I make firestarters from paper egg cartons, filling the pockets with dryer lint, sticking a strike-anywhere match in the center, and pouring melted canning wax over the whole mess. Will start a fire just about anywhere.

we just used to soak cotton balls in bug spray when we were out camping... worked quite nicely, even when wet

Steel wool will light up with a flashlight battery.

I like cotton balls soaked in Vaseline. Easy to catch with a fire steel and works great as tinder for flint and steel.

As my NACCS land survival instructor pointed out one very cold February morning at Eglin, "That's what belly buttons are for. I never clean mine out." Then proceeded to start a fire with the lint he pulled out.

Can't say about the belly button lint, but I've had indifferent luck with dryer lint. Someone told me that it was because my wife uses dryer sheets - something in it makes the lint flame-retardant. I guess that makes sense. I think vent fires used to be a problem. And I know that when my kids were babies all the baby-jammies were flame retardant. I could never light a fire with a baby who was ready for bed.

I make fire-starters out of dryer lint, as dryer lint is plentiful and free. (I don't *use* too many of them, but it's fun.) My recipe involves dryer lint and melted candles (gotten for free) cast together in small molds. Makes little firepucks. Use too little wax and they're vulnerable to getting wet- too much and they're hard to light.

One thing to be aware of is that you should only do this if your dryer lint is all cotton. Burning synthetic fibers is a bad idea.

Greg wrote:I make fire-starters out of dryer lint, as dryer lint is plentiful and free. (I don't *use* too many of them, but it's fun.) My recipe involves dryer lint and melted candles (gotten for free) cast together in small molds. Makes little firepucks. Use too little wax and they're vulnerable to getting wet- too much and they're hard to light.

One thing to be aware of is that you should only do this if your dryer lint is all cotton. Burning synthetic fibers is a bad idea.

Go ahead...tell me it causes global warming! OK...how about the erosion of the ozone layer? Swine flu? Herpes? Acne?