Fire is a critical resource in a survival situation, but the problem is that when you desperately need it, the conditions are usually wet and miserable. It can be challenging to find dry wood at the best of times, but when the forest is soaked, the wood you find will often be damp. If the kindling has too much moisture, getting it to take a flame is very challenging. The DIY waterproof fire starter can solve this problem!
In these situations, a good waterproof fire starter is just the ticket to get water-logged kindling to dry out and light. Like this fire:
Many commercial options exist and are very effective at being waterproof, easy to light, and effective. Still, with a few household items, you can make a totally waterproof fire starter in less than half an hour. I have used these fire starters for many years, and I don’t go into the woods without a tin of these fire starters in my kit.
What am I looking for in a Fire Starter?
When I set out to create my own fire starters, I had a few criteria that I felt were requirements to include in any of my kits. My conditions were that they are totally waterproof, able to be lit with a ferro rod, simple to use, and easy to make.
I wanted these DIY waterproof fire starters to be perfect for starting a self-feeding fire or a Swedish fire. If you do not know about these two highly-effective survival fires that can save you in the wild, check out the Wilderness Survival Guide. It has step-by-step instructions for the top 3 types of fire you need to know in a survival situation.
What are My Fire Starters Made From?
When I was a young boy, we would make fire starters by dipping rolled-up strips of newspaper in wax. These fire starters were practically free and waterproof. Unfortunately, they could not be ignited through sparks, instead requiring a flame to get going. So, as I began to rely on ferro rods for my fire lighting needs, I set out to find a DIY fire starter that could be easily lit with a shower of sparks from my ferro rod.
After some experimenting, I found that cotton makeup removal pads could be broken apart, forming a bird’s nest of cotton fibers that take a spark quite nicely. They become totally waterproof when they are soaked in molten wax and allowed to dry. All that’s needed is to break the pad apart, which exposes it to fibers on the inside, and to hit it with a flame or spark. The fire starter will burn for several minutes, perfect for coaxing marginal kindling to take a flame.
Even though they worked quite well, I felt they could be better, so I soaked the pads in an accelerant before dipping them in wax. I like to use what I have on hand, so I chose WD-40 as my accelerant.
The final version of my fire starters was easier to light and burned longer than those with no accelerant.
How to Make my DIY Fire Starters
Chances are, you have everything you need to make these fire starters in your home right now. They are simple to make and take less than half an hour to put together.
Materials Required for the DIY Waterproof Fire Starter
- Cotton makeup removal pads
- Wax (I like to either use tea light candles or three-wick candles that have burned down to the point where they will not light anymore but have wax still in the bottom.)
- WD-40
A Note on Safety
This process involves melting wax which must be done using a double boiler method. Using a double boiler prevents the wax from burning or reaching its flashpoint temperature. Also, while melting the wax, you should know the location of the nearest fire extinguisher and never leave it unattended.
Molten wax can be hot enough to cause burns if it gets on your skin, so you need to use pliers or tongs for dipping the pads in the wax.
How to Improvise a Double Boiler for the DIY Waterproof Fire Starter
If you do not have a double boiler, you can easily improvise one using the implements you have in your kitchen. All you need is a stove or hot plate, a pot, and a bowl that will fit snuggly over the top of the pot. The bowl should be glass and heat-resistant, but a metal bowl could also work.
The steps to setting up a double boiler are as follows:
- Fill the pot with an inch or two of water. Ensure that the water level will not touch the bottom of the bowl when you place it on top of the pot.
- Bring the water to a boil and place the bowl on top of the pot.
- Place the wax in the bowl to melt.
Instructions
1. Lay out the makeup removal pads you want to use on a sheet of parchment paper.
2. Set up a double boiler and place the wax inside to melt.
3. Spray a bit of WD-40 on each of the pads. You don’t need to soak the pads; a quick shot is sufficient.
4. Set up a wire rack next to the double boiler. This is where you are going to place the finished pads to dry.
5. Once the wax is melted, dip the pads in the molten wax one at a time. As you remove the pad from the wax, allow the excess wax to drip off and place them on the wire rack to cool and the wax to harden.
6. Repeat the process for all the pads.
Using the Fire Starters
To use the fire starters, rip the disc partially in half and pull it apart to expose the fibers inside. The trick is to create as much surface area as possible for the sparks to land on. In most cases, a shower of sparks will light these fire starters immediately, but sometimes it will start smoking, but there will be no flame. If this happens, blow on the fire starter, and it should burst into flames.
Testing the Fire Starters Water Proofness
I took one fire starter and placed it in a glass of water for twenty-four hours. I then removed it and was able to light it using the process I described above with no problems. After which, the fire starter burned for 5 minutes before the flame went out.
Final Thoughts
These are my favorite DIY waterproof fire starters, and I have at least one in every fire kit I build. They are easy to make, practically free, and very effective at getting a fire going.
Now up to you. Let us know what you use for your DIY waterproof fire starters. There are so many options available and different people have different preferences. What is yours?
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I’ve made these with charcoal lighter fluid instead. Works well.
I always carry a glob of Vaseline in my wallet and a book of matches, a ping pong ball, 1 fishing hook, 3 marbles, a can opener, alker seltzer, a coupon for lil Caesars hot and ready, etc
What ever happened to the cotton balls and vaseline…? load em up and put em in a good sandwich bag, or a small plastic jar…? What if your wife doesn’t wear makeup??, what if you don’t have a wife??… LOL… LIve long and prosper…
Thank you for sharing. I have made quite a few of the petroleum jelly cotton ball fire starters as gifts for Thanksgiving. It is the easiest and least expensive way to make an emergency Firestarter. I just get a heavy duty zip lock and put in the cotton balls and goop on the petroleum jelly zip closed and start kneading it all together. Some people like to heat the petroleum jelly in a sauce pan and add the cotton balls. I guess either way works. Once the cotton balls are impregnated with the petroleum jelly they work real well with a ferro rod. Just sort of fluff them up a little and spread out the fibers.
That is a lot of unnecessary work.To start a firing the first
time every time in wet conditions use a road flare.
Repurposing is fine just not when you need a fire.
Find me a road flare. Where are they?
Find me a road flare. Where are they?
Road flares are sold in Truck stops. Feed stores and many hardware stores. I don’t know about online I haven’t looked. Boy howdy if you need a fire right now! A flare is the way.
If geezer reads this? Do you ever go to Trade Days in Winnie?
And you’ll be fleeing the forest fire you stated.
I still use the paper egg cartons, dryer lint (from cotton towels) and paraffin.
Filling those egg cartons with a mixture of sawdust and wax works great too.
Gone away from this way of thinking since I discovered that I can light a candle using a minimal amount of cotton wool/Vaseline (about 50 uses per ball) under the candle wick using a Ferro rod.
If anyone has access to pine trees which have been knocked down and you can get to the roots? Find a part as purple as you can find and saw off blocks about four inches thick. They should smell like turpentine. I lay the block flat and drill a hole way into it and tap a ferro rod in. Shave off some of the pine and you have several dozen fires from one block.
If one knows how to survive and has first hand experience, the need for these special tools lessens. I don’t mind reading these articles, but in the end it doesn’t change what I carry because I’ve BTDT and I know what works for me.
I’m very simple- a few tubes of Carmex for my lips (any chapstick will work, too), a Bic lighter, a few matches, and my overall favorite ferro-rod. Of course a few sandwich bags for carrying snacks, which serves remarkably well in gathering tinder. Uh, I think I forgot to mention that you always collect tinder even if you aren’t planning on starting a campfire. In my pack there are a few extras, but over all the need for one of everything is a bit crazy. Keep it simple, it worked for our forefathers & it’ll work for us. You’re there to survive, not to do a showcase for TV or whatever it is they do now for “entertainment”.
Ok boomer
. ..everyone has their favorite “special tools” – what works for you is great, but others may have what works better for them.
It’s always great to trade info and ideas – we aren’t here to judge or diminish…
I’ve used the Vaseline and cotton ball method numerous times, and it works great, I’ve also played with dryer lint and paraffin, which is also good, but is a bit more work. I’ll agree that the undisputed king is a highway flare. I always have a bag of six in my trunk in case of accidents, and carry two, heavily wrapped in plastic, in my hiking backpack.
Years back, when I was a scoutmaster, we spent a miserable night under a torrential downpour, and all the kids (and the other leaders) were wet, cold, and miserable. The wood pile had been covered, but the wind yanked off the tarp, so the wood was drenched. When one of the leaders started talking about driving into town to get a Jerry can of gasoline to start the fire in the now-light rain, I walked to my car, pulled out a flare, and shoved it under the dripping pile. Five minutes later, we had a large fire going, and there were smiles all around.
I’ve tried out innumerable ways to light fires over the last 60 years, but when the chips are down, everything is soaked, it’s raining, and you need a fire NOW, highway flares win by a mile. You can buy them lots of places, and stuff one or two in your kit as a hedge against disaster. If you remember reading “To Build a Fire” in grade school English class like me https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/to-build-a-fire.pdf you know that the guy in the story would have made it, if he’d just had a highway flare. (Just ignore the fact that highway flares weren’t invented when the story was written). 🙂
One should always have a couple Ferro rods handy, but my go to fire starter is an 8oz mini torch, nothing gets wet kindling going like a 2500F butane flame. Plus they don’t freeze up like the little Bic lighters. Just be careful and don’t melt your crack pipe.
I always carry a cylindrical tin in my bum that contains a fishing kit and 1 fire kit. Better safe than sorry.
I used to keep a cigar tin with threaded cap with a few supplies inside it. It became a bother as a bit bulky for pocket carry so I stopped using it. But for a fishing kit, plenty of space for line winding on outside and provides a good grip when handline fishing. Hooks and lead sinkers are easily carried inside it.
a bag of cotton balls and a jar of Vaseline, you have fires, from sparks, quickly, and thousand of them. Road flare, 1 flare = 1 fire, HEAVY DUTY and no real need for tinder just a few logs. Butane torch, good for a FEW fires, little fragile.
how many flares do you stockpile for SHTF ?
A little tin, like certs, fits flint steel & SEVERAL Vaseline rubbed cotton balls.
small space holds THOUSANDS of Vaseline rubbed cotton balls, or jar of the stuff and rub it on when you need and hold the rest for a hundred other uses along the way. Boy scouts HAD fire starting competitions, no matches ! no ferro rod ! flint and steel only, Vaseline cotton balls ALWAYS won.
I use COTTON sash cord dipped in same wax and allowed to soak. Cut to 1 1/2″ lengths, one end lit will last about 3 minutes. I use a BIC lighter – no idea if ill work with ferro rod. Learned this from a book ritten by Len McDougall some years back.