Best Fire Starter on the Market
If you are looking for the best fire starters, you’ve come to the right place. Bud, our 12 year old, has mastered the art of firestarters. He has the process down to a science, and they are one of his best selling products. If you are searching the internet for fire starters for sale, or if you are looking for directions on how to make firestarters – look no further for how to make the best firestarters.
What are firestarters made of?
Bud’s Outfitters firestarters are made of wax and wood shavings. He has built a great reputation within our community, and he is often gifted old candles, old wax melts that were already used, and wood shavings.
Of course, you can make firestarters from many materials, such as toilet paper rolls with lint, newspaper stuffed into paper towel rolls, or by simply balling up sheets of newspaper with junk mail.
But – you won’t get as awesome a start to your fire without Bud’s firestarters. They are perfect for wood stoves, coal stoves, campfires, or bonfires.
If you are looking for instructions on how to make the best firestarters yourself, we will detail those instructions below. We will talk about if firestarters are safe, how to make firestarters with wax, talk about how firestarters work, and how to use firestarters for your fireplace or campfire ring safely.
Of course, we’ll tell you where to buy fire starters, too!
But – you won’t get as awesome a start to your fire without Bud’s firestarters. They are perfect for wood stoves, coal stoves, campfires, or bonfires.
If you are looking for instructions on how to make the best firestarters yourself, we will detail those instructions below. We will talk about if firestarters are safe, how to make firestarters with wax, talk about how firestarters work, and how to use firestarters for your fireplace or campfire ring safely.
Of course, we’ll tell you where to buy fire starters, too!
Are firestarters safe?
Firestarters are as safe as the person using them is informed about fire safety. Zadok, our blacksmith, is a wildland firefighter and Safety Officer with Keystone Wildfire Crew out of Pequea, PA. He was also a structure firefighter and EMT in his younger years, so we are very conscience of fire safety.
As with any outdoor fires, you want to make sure your area is clear of overhanging branches or tree cover, that any brush is clear of your fire pit, and you want to make sure that the weather conditions are safe for having a fire. Is the humidity high or low? Is the wind strong or gentle? Is the grass dry or wet? You want to make sure that the wind is gentle, the grass is not dry, that the humidity is high enough (probably 30-35% depending on your area) that the surrounding area isn’t dry, and that your fire ring is clear of debris.
If you are having a fire outside, you want to have a fire ring of some sort. It can even be a ring made of rocks, if you don’t have an actual fire ring.
If you are having a fire indoors with your professionally inspected fire place or stove, you can certainly use Bud’s firestarters, also. Always have your fireplace, chimney, and stove inspected every year. This is of the utmost importance for the safety of your home, your neighbors, and your community.
Before lighting your firestarter, check your surroundings, be sure to have a way to extinguish your fire closeby, and if you ever have questions, contact your local fire department for advice and tips.
To use your firestarter, simply sit the firestarter with your kindling, and light! It’s THAT easy!
As with any outdoor fires, you want to make sure your area is clear of overhanging branches or tree cover, that any brush is clear of your fire pit, and you want to make sure that the weather conditions are safe for having a fire. Is the humidity high or low? Is the wind strong or gentle? Is the grass dry or wet? You want to make sure that the wind is gentle, the grass is not dry, that the humidity is high enough (probably 30-35% depending on your area) that the surrounding area isn’t dry, and that your fire ring is clear of debris.
If you are having a fire outside, you want to have a fire ring of some sort. It can even be a ring made of rocks, if you don’t have an actual fire ring.
If you are having a fire indoors with your professionally inspected fire place or stove, you can certainly use Bud’s firestarters, also. Always have your fireplace, chimney, and stove inspected every year. This is of the utmost importance for the safety of your home, your neighbors, and your community.
Before lighting your firestarter, check your surroundings, be sure to have a way to extinguish your fire closeby, and if you ever have questions, contact your local fire department for advice and tips.
To use your firestarter, simply sit the firestarter with your kindling, and light! It’s THAT easy!
How to Make the Best Firestarters:
Are fire starters bad for chimneys?
If you are going to use your fire starter indoors with your coal stove, wood stove, or fireplace, again, we recommend getting your indoor fire vessel inspected yearly.
We personally use our firestarters in our home’s coal and wood stove all the time. We have our stove and chimney inspected every year by DS Stove out of Gordonville, PA. They thoroughly clean our chimney, inspect our bricks, clean the interior of the stove, and they give us any feedback necessary for care or future use.
We highly recommend you find a trusted resource in your area to inspect your stove before using our firestarters or burning fires at all.
Are firestarters toxic?
This is a question we get often, and we feel like this is somewhat subjective. We are pretty crunchy in our home. We feel like since the firestarters burn up, go up the chimney, and no one is inhaling it, we don’t worry about it. Even if you’re using it in an open style fireplace, it still burns up in a couple minutes, and the toxicity level is likely nothing. Again, this would be up to your comfort level.
How to Make the Best Firestarters?
Firestarters aren’t hard to make, BUT they do take some time, space, and resources.
Bud has a great setup in our barn. He’s got a small single burner stove, a big pot, a pour pitcher, an old wooden spatula, souffle cups, wood shavings, and wax. This supply list will get you making firestarters in no time. We love these 2oz souffle cups.
We are often asked how to make firestarters with sawdust and wax. We don’t use dust because it’s so fine, but it could probably work. We prefer sawdust because it’s coarser, holds wax very well, and frankly, it looks prettier. People also want to know how to make firestarters with wax. We don’t like to waste around here at all, so we fill the souffle cups with wood shavings, pour the wax on top, and then we will dump the excess. You really only need enough wax to keep the shavings in place and have enough to light.
We are often asked how to make firestarters with sawdust and wax. We don’t use dust because it’s so fine, but it could probably work. We prefer sawdust because it’s coarser, holds wax very well, and frankly, it looks prettier. People also want to know how to make firestarters with wax. We don’t like to waste around here at all, so we fill the souffle cups with wood shavings, pour the wax on top, and then we will dump the excess. You really only need enough wax to keep the shavings in place and have enough to light.
How to Make the Best Firestarters:
So how do you use wax for firestarters? You simply want to put the wax in your pot, melt it, and pour it over your saw dust filled souffle cups. You can really use any wax that you have. You could use already melted/used wax melts from a wax melter. You could use the bottom of old candles that are just left in the jar. If you don’t have any of that, you could buy wax on Amazon. (I do get a very tiny commission off of your Amazon purchases). You can even make firestarters with crayons! Get creative!
Finding wood shavings will be a great way to build a relationship with neighbors. Maybe you have a sawmill in your town or a friend who does woodworking. Folks who do lathe work have the BEST shavings! The type of wood really doesn’t matter for your shavings.
Finding wood shavings will be a great way to build a relationship with neighbors. Maybe you have a sawmill in your town or a friend who does woodworking. Folks who do lathe work have the BEST shavings! The type of wood really doesn’t matter for your shavings.
We have a wood and coal burning fireplace. We do not burn pine or soft woods. We burn hardwoods or nut coal.
Our wood fires are usually reserved for spring and fall when we only need a fire in the evenings and overnight. We have coal fires through the winter. We start our fire in November or so, and the same fire burns all through the winter in Pennsylvania – till usually March-ish.
Our wood fires are usually reserved for spring and fall when we only need a fire in the evenings and overnight. We have coal fires through the winter. We start our fire in November or so, and the same fire burns all through the winter in Pennsylvania – till usually March-ish.
Keep in mind that you can probably burn all seasoned wood in your campfire ring outdoors.
How to Make the Best Firestarters:
Can you mail fire starters?
Of course! We are setup to ship all of the products on our website. If you are local to us in Lancaster, PA, you are welcome to pick up at our house to save shipping.
If you need your firestarters shipped, we can Express ship them, ship regular Priority Mail, or we can do UPS, if that’s your preferred method. If you need extra help with shipping during checkout, please reach out.
We pack our firestarters snuggly in boxes and usually with brown paper that can all easily be burned. We love using all materials and having no waste, so we try to help you do the same!
We sell our firestarters in packs of 10. If you need a lot more than that and need help with shipping because the website quotes high for shipping, please reach out!
We often run stock up sales, too, so follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay posted on those! Mention you read our blog about How to Make the Best Firestarters, and we’ll throw in 5 starters for FREE!
If you need your firestarters shipped, we can Express ship them, ship regular Priority Mail, or we can do UPS, if that’s your preferred method. If you need extra help with shipping during checkout, please reach out.
We pack our firestarters snuggly in boxes and usually with brown paper that can all easily be burned. We love using all materials and having no waste, so we try to help you do the same!
We sell our firestarters in packs of 10. If you need a lot more than that and need help with shipping because the website quotes high for shipping, please reach out!
We often run stock up sales, too, so follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay posted on those! Mention you read our blog about How to Make the Best Firestarters, and we’ll throw in 5 starters for FREE!
How to Make the Best Firestarters:
Firestarters for Camping
Firestarters are super portable, and they are great for camping in RVs, fifth wheels, or tag alongs OR when you’re hiking and backpacking. You can stick a few in your belly boxes of your camper, in your tote with all your tent camping supplies, or in your backpack to hit the trails. They are small, easy to transport, and they are great when you need to get your fire started quickly and safely.
Use our firestarters to start a fire in your campfire ring while you enjoy time with your friends and the outdoors!
Use our firestarters to start a fire in your campfire ring while you enjoy time with your friends and the outdoors!
How to Make the Best Firestarters:
Are firestarters good for party favors?
We LOVE making special orders for weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, or parties! If you are having an outdoor themed wedding, a WILD ONE birthday party, a nature themed baby shower, or the like – reach out! We are happy to custom make firestarters for your special occasion. We can usually make firestarters in a variety of colors that match your theme.
If you need firestarters in bulk, let Bud do the messy work for you! Firestarters are an awesome gift to go home with. You will be supporting a small business and young entrepreneur, and your guests will go home with a sustainable product that is useful!
If you need firestarters in bulk, let Bud do the messy work for you! Firestarters are an awesome gift to go home with. You will be supporting a small business and young entrepreneur, and your guests will go home with a sustainable product that is useful!
Don’t forget your fire poker!
You can’t have a great fire without the best fire poker on the market. Our fire pokers are made to last, made one at a time by hand, and they are perfect for your home, camper, or cabin. Once you learn how to make the best fire starters, you’ll definitely want the best poker to go with them.
