Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Campy Camp Crafts: Pinecone Fire Starters

Today I'm introducing a new theme to A Wayward Wind; Campy Camp Crafts! DIYs with a scouting theme!  I collect many camp and scouting books, and love drawing inspiration from them.  I adore the dedication of completing a long list of tasks a scout needs before acquiring a badge.  Growing up I always dreamed of being a part of Campfire Girls or the Girl Scouts, but alas, my softball and art activities ate up my extracurricular time.

All good scouts needs the skill and know how to build a proper fire.  A good fire is an essential to a camp for both cooking and warm.  And really is there anything more fun than sitting around a campfire with good friends?  This a fun craft to make to ensure that you will have the proper tinder to start a fire, and doubles as a great gift for fellow camping enthusiasts.
Campy Camp Crafts, A Wayward Wind, Pinecone Fire Starters
Supplies are fairly easy to gather.  You could use left over wax from candles at home as well! I didn't have any, so I opted to use natural bees wax. I just love the way it smells like honey. 
Campy Camp Crafts, A Wayward Wind, Pinecone Fire Starters
1. Chop your bees wax up and put it in a left over can.  I put the can in our dutch oven filled with water and made a double boiler to melt the wax. 
Campy Camp Crafts, A Wayward Wind, Pinecone Fire Starters
2. While the wax was melting I wrapped my cones in braided cotton candle wicking.  Leaving enough at top to hold onto for dipping.  3.  Happy dipping! I would submerse my cone, and then let the wax drip off and dry a bit before dipping back into the wax.  A few coats should do the trick!
Campy Camp Crafts, A Wayward Wind, Pinecone Fire Starters
4. Then I placed my cones back into the tart trays and filled the trays up with the rest of the bees wax.  This gives the cones a stable base when using to light a fire.
Campy Camp Crafts, A Wayward Wind, Pinecone Fire Starters
5. Getting your cones out of a metal tray may seam tricky at first.  Just pop the tray in your ice chest for about 5 min, and the waxy cones should pop away easily from the tray.  






















































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