Foolproof Fire Starter
A cotton ball impregnated with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) makes an outstanding Safe, Lightweight Fire Lighter; practical addition in your Survival Kit
Ingredients
- Cotton Wool Balls
- Tub of petroleum jelly
- Ziplock bag / Grip seal bag
How to make a ‘Cotton Ball’ Fire Lighter
- Open your ziplock bag
- Spoon in your petroleum jelly
- Add some cotton balls
- Zip and seal bag
- Gently squish and kneading the jelly into the cotton balls
- Don’t saturate the balls, you need dry cotton fibres
Petroleum jelly in its normal solid state is ‘Not’ flammable but Cotton fibres are.
The combination works on the same principle as a candle –you ignite the dry fibres of the cotton and the heat of the flame melts the jelly – vaporizing the liquid jelly/wax where it combusts
How it works
Lay out your saturated cotton balls
Pull open a cotton ball to expose dry cotton fibres
Use a spark / flame to ignite the cotton
Heat of the burning cotton will melt the jelly
The melting jelly will give off flammable vapors / gas.
**It’s the ‘GAS’ that Burns!!!
What’s so handy out in the wilderness is that petroleum jelly is oil-based; the petroleum jelly cotton balls are waterproof…
