decorum hot cakes. (pic heavy)

[decorum]

A few days ago I began to wonder if I could make a solid fuel type fire-lighter using odds and ends I'd got lying around.

This is what I came up with:

The container is a baking case and the fire lighter comprises wood shavings soaked in and bound together by melted candle stubs, topped with a cotton wool ball.

Because of the cotton wool the cake will light from a ferro-rod.

The hot cake fully alight.

It took 8 minutes to boil half a pint of water.

Although very blackened the kettle was easy to wipe clean.

Still going well at 15 minutes.

At 18 minutes the cake was still alight - mainly a hot coal now.

At 20 minutes the coal is just starting to become smokey.


The hot cake is also a very good fire-lighter for those occasions when you really need a quick sure-fire way of lighting a fire.

The one thing that I forgot to add? The piece of tin foil for the cake to sit on!
Without the foil some of the wax, instead of being used as fuel, dripped uselessly onto the floor.

 

[oops56]

Gee cooking on the floor wife must bo out somewere.:werd:

 

[decorum]

Nope, not out - just exceedingly tolerant .

 

[British Red]

Cool - playing with fire.

Aint it grand to be a grown up

Red

 

[SOAR]

Cool fire cakes fella!.

 

[BushTucker]

That seemed to work quite well, food for thought.

 

[decorum]

Cheers all - it's fun finding things to do with left overs
One of the daftest questions I've heard recently was 'What're you going to do with that then?' (Obviously refering to the hot cakes) I thought I'd make a funny and growled 'BURN IT ALL!' - I don't think he realised I was joking .
Next I'll see what I can do with sea grass

 

[David.s]

fire lighter comprises wood shavings soaked in and bound together by melted candle stubs



by soaked in candle stubs do you mean the wax ? (im kinda new to this) how excatly did you put it together.

looks like a great firelighter

thanks

 

[commandocal]

Ive done this kinda before made a monster of a candle, i put 3 standard candles in a bean tin and let them melt then with wood shaving i had from these planks of wood i mixed in until the tin was 3 quarters full and chucked a cotton wall ball on didnt burn for 15 minutes though lol maybe 7 at that

 

[decorum]

Hi David,

Bowl in a partially water-filled sauce-pan - exactly the same method as melting chocolate.

Have a look at this site - for chocolate use wax and for rice crispys use wood shavings.
Please Note: This is only an example of how to do it and not how I did do it - most importantly my melting bowl had a smaller diameter and was much, much deeper than the casserole dish lid shown!.
http://www.makeschooleasy.com/cook/chocolatecakes.php

Hi cal,

For somethings smaller is better - the bigger and hotter the fire the quicker the fuel that you're using will be consumed

 

[David.s]

thanks decorum, will have a good when i get a spare wee while.

 

[commandocal]

I am going to make some choco crispie cakes now decorum

 

[Matt Weir]

Very nifty I like them! As you mentioned sitting on foil would save some wax from dripping away so would it not be better to use a small foil 'cup' rather than the greaseproof cake cup? Or would that give too good an insulator and as said burn the fuel too quick?

 

[decorum]

This is a version of what I forgot to add for the initial pics:

A combination drip-pan/wind-shield. Because the heat was more contained and directed it brought the burn time down to 13 minutes.

 

[greenphotos]

Just a quick question from a newbie... I thought the angle of the supports on the hex burner should be vertical - otherwise you risk them collapsing and spilling things... ?

Mark

 

[John Fenna]

My hexi stand has two-position "dimples" and "pimples" so it is designed to hold vertical or angled......long time since I used it though!

 

[Alex.W]

cool idea! I might have to try this. Do you still have the baking case in the new version?

 

[decorum]

Hi Alex,

Yes, in the windbreak picture, the hot cake is still in its paper case.

 

[Northern Giant UK]

I use something similar for starting a fire in poor weather but I would imagine the cake papers a bit too loose for easy transportation and being thin and loose they would burn pretty quick so. . .
Next time you're out and the kids are screaming for a burger at a certain fast food emporium grab a few of those nifty little waxed paper ketchup tubs and fill them with wood shavings candle wax and top em off with cotton wool for a neat little bundle that works well.

Just a thought : )
Kev

 

[john scrivy]

one cotton wool ball split into 4 each peace soaked in moltern candle wax Hey presto its all been done before I know - each peace will burn for 5 to 6 mins yes I know it wont boil a cupper but will with a carfully placed bundle of wood youve got it