Alternatives to kindling

[rasputin]

Charcoal

[Sea Dog]

I think you're getting to the point where, 9kW stove or not, it's beginning to look better to keep it 'in' all day rather than re-light it every evening! It's only 9kW when full of fuel and with max air open; closed down to tick over, it's still only gonna use a shovel full like most others and your boat will be warm when you come home.

[BruceinSanity]

And you wonder why householders dont want boats moored over winter near their houses with all this crap going on the fire

I don't think anyone was suggesting putting crap on the fire, though I did have a bad moment at the start of the reply about taking a bag with you whilst walking the dog...

 

[bizzard]

Arabs in the desert burn dried camel dung all the time, they simply adore it, and no neighbouring house holders seem to complain.

 

If there's a zoo with camels nearby Mike maybe they'd let you gather some dung, if you turn up with a sack and shovel.

Edited October 30, 2016 by bizzard

[Jennifer McM]

Arabs in the desert burn dried camel dung all the time, they simply adore it, and no neighbouring house holders seem to complain.

 

If there's a zoo with camels nearby Mike maybe they'd let you gather some dung, if you turn up with a sack and shovel.

Don't some people smoke camel dung? I'm sure I've smelt it!

 

We turned up at Kate's Boatyard last week, and picked up a big bag of offcuts for a £2 donation to their tea fund. Maybe if anyone stops at a Boatyard, perhaps it's worth the question?

[bizzard]

Don't some people smoke camel dung? I'm sure I've smelt it!

 

We turned up at Kate's Boatyard last week, and picked up a big bag of offcuts for a £2 donation to their tea fund. Maybe if anyone stops at a Boatyard, perhaps it's worth the question?

That would have been ''Boars Head'' baccy, a terrible stink.

Edited October 30, 2016 by bizzard

[blackrose]

I think you're getting to the point where, 9kW stove or not, it's beginning to look better to keep it 'in' all day rather than re-light it every evening! It's only 9kW when full of fuel and with max air open; closed down to tick over, it's still only gonna use a shovel full like most others and your boat will be warm when you come home.

You might be right, but I've been living with the stove for over 10 years and always found that unless I bank it up using a decent amount of coal (at least 3 shovels) it doesn't stay in that long. I don't think a single shovel would stay in all day until I get back home in the evening. Anyway it's probably worth a try using less.

Edited October 31, 2016 by blackrose

[Athy]

 

.

 

What part of that didn't you understand?

Anyway, I hope it's clear to you now.

None of it.

It already was, thank you.

[Catnip King]

I will try get round to doing a video. I just basically use an entire newspaper every sheet rolled up and tied into knots. Shove those into fire then the old bits of loose charcoal/unburnt coal on top then a fresh layer of coal. Then stick a long lighter in and away I go.

[Taslim]

Charcoal

Mixed with Saltpeter and sugar. It'l make your stove go like a bomb.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Taslim

[pquinn]

Arabs in the desert burn dried camel dung all the time, they simply adore it, and no neighbouring house holders seem to complain.

 

If there's a zoo with camels nearby Mike maybe they'd let you gather some dung, if you turn up with a sack and shovel.

Wouldnt it make more sense to just buy the camel and you could get him to haul the boat and save money on diesel. you could also boast about your camel power instead of horse power.Win,win situation. I'm gonna get on to e-bay tonight. Wonder what the delivery charge on a camel would be?

[Taslim]

Wouldnt it make more sense to just buy the camel and you could get him to haul the boat and save money on diesel. you could also boast about your camel power instead of horse power.Win,win situation. I'm gonna get on to e-bay tonight. Wonder what the delivery charge on a camel would be?

It will probably be 'Post free buyer to collect' but you will need to pay Prince Ahab Medonga Gotlonger by cash transfer.

 

If used as boat power you wouldn't have to spend to much time at waterpoints so another win.

 

More tea camel? Sugar? One hump or two?

[pquinn]

It will probably be 'Post free buyer to collect' but you will need to pay Prince Ahab Medonga Gotlonger by cash transfer.

 

If used as boat power you wouldn't have to spend to much time at waterpoints so another win.

 

More tea camel? Sugar? One hump or two?

The Prince has been paid in full and he said i should recieve my dromedary in six to eight weeks, He was even so good as to provide a lovely picture of the beast.

I cant wait!!!!

[FadeToScarlet]

I often use hotlogs in the evenings- the ones made from compressed sawdust. If you pour paraffin or white spirit on them once they're in the fire, you can start the fire without needing firelighters or kindling.

[MtB]

The thread title "alternatives to kindling" suggests that that was exactly what you were doing.

 

 

Almost right but not quite.

 

The thread title asks for 'alternatives to kindling', ergo, Mike IS wanting to light his stove without kindling, but is seeking an alternative *something* to use instead of kindling.

 

That *something* might or might not involve lighting the smokeless fuel directly.

[Jim Batty]

... At my last 3 moorings over the last 10 years or so I've always managed to find a timber merchant where I can pick up bags of kindling. ...

 

Someone once told me they lit smokeless coal with a firefighter, but I've never managed to do it.

 

Back in September I came across a new shop being fit-out. The guys doing the work were very happy for me to take away as much of their nice, new, seasoned offcuts out front as I could manage. Six weeks supply in this case!

 

My own technique is to bridge two fire starter cubes with three ordinary sized bits of kindling and place about a two-inch pyramid of coal on top. With the bottom stove door a bit ajar for some up-thrust I light the fire starter cubes and off it goes.

 

OK, that's all about using small amounts of kindling. When I run out of kindling I usually resort to four or five broadsheet newspaper pages torn in half (so, single page) rolled up (not too tight) and sometimes folded if need be. A sort of 'raft' of these are placed over a line of three fire-starter cubes and the two-inch coal pyramid built upon this. It usually works for me. It's just messier and more difficult to balance than kindling.

Edited November 8, 2016 by Jim Batty

[Barry]

I can reduce the amount of kindling used by making my own firelighters

 

I use a cheap milk pan to melt old wax stubs or even new tea lights (£1.75/100 from IKEA) and then chuck in handfulls of sawdust till all the wax has soaked in. Then while still hot spoon the mixture into an egg carton and press it down.

 

 

The wax in the mixture sticks the sawdust into the egg carton and acts as a wick to light it. I either cut them into individual firelighters with scissors or tear them apart.

 

I've timed a burn with one (not six) on a cooling tray in the garden at about 15 - 20 minutes.

 

 

Using one to light the squirrel I only need half a dozen pieces of kindling with a few coal briquettes on top and away the fire goes.

 

 

 

 

It might be worth experimenting to see if two or three of these will burn long enough to light coal briquettes without any kindling at all

Edited November 8, 2016 by Barry