How do you light your bonfires?

woodlandfarms · Mar 4, 2015

Just intrigued as burning season is getting near. For those of you who can, what is your technique? For me, it consists of a gallon of diesel / old oil mix in a sprayer, a propane weed burner and a leaf blower.

MoKelly · Mar 4, 2015

I just use some diesel sprayed on newspaper or cardboard placed in the bottom/center of the pile as best as possible.

I light with a BBQ stick and it always goes from there with no problems.

MoKelly

schmism · Mar 4, 2015

gather up a bunch of dry stuff, or as much as I can find.

Attempt to make a sorta "cave" area on the windward side of the pile big enough to fit some pizza boxes, paperboard etc in. light with a torch stuff dry stuff in around/ontop.

I have been known to get out the leaf blower on occasion but only when the pile was really wet and i was short dry material to start.

davesl708 · Mar 4, 2015

Starting a bonfire is a good time to practice your fire starting skills. Get two sticks and rub them.

I use a propane brush burner to start mine.

KiotiKowboy · Mar 4, 2015

This is the only good use for ethanol gas.

MoKelly · Mar 4, 2015

KiotiKowboy said:
This is the only good use for ethanol gas.

I know you are joking but (don't ask how I know) using gas is not a great idea to start a brush pile fire.

Way too combustable for me.

MoKelly

Beltzington · Mar 4, 2015

woodlandfarms said:
Just intrigued as burning season is getting near. For those of you who can, what is your technique? For me, it consists of a gallon of diesel / old oil mix in a sprayer, a propane weed burner and a leaf blower.

Diesel is hard to beat, I don't see a down side. Last weekend, in the rain, I lit a very large wet brush pile with a quart of diesel and a BIC lighter.

KiotiKowboy · Mar 4, 2015

LOL ... but, actually, I do use gas. Sometimes I will also presoak with old hydraulic oil or old diesel.

kennyd · Mar 4, 2015

Diesel fuel and flares.

/pine · Mar 4, 2015

Old stale gas mixed with used motor oil and a flaming arrow (w/pine tar)...!

jjlite · Mar 4, 2015

Flares work great bonfire / wood furnace.

JD5210 · Mar 4, 2015

Back in Jan. I had a good size pile of branches to burn up. Still having hot coals from the night before in the wood stove, I cleaned out a good portion of them out into a good size metal container and carefully carried it to the pile and dump it on. In no time the pile was burning.

oosik · Mar 4, 2015

Rolled up newspaper and a match.

astrohip · Mar 4, 2015

I pour a little diesel around the pile, then use my flamethrower (AKA propane torch).

truckdiagnostics · Mar 4, 2015

kennyd said:
Diesel fuel and flares.

Use the flares and sprayer with diesel.

CobyRupert · Mar 4, 2015

Old motor oil
-recently have also used a leaf blower to "help" it along. Works great.

Ed of all trades · Mar 4, 2015

The forestry service here uses a mix of gas and diesel, don't know what the mix is. Then they put it in a heavy iron pot with a screw on lid. There is a piece of 1/4" pipe welded to the lid with a loop bent in the middle. In the end is a piece of rag twisted into it. You pour some mix out so the rag is soaked and light the rag on fire. Then you just pour out burning mix and it drips out fire. Works well, just walk along and leave a trail of fire behind you.
BTW the spring no burn season has started here.

SPIKER · Mar 4, 2015

I use used oil hyd fluid or ATF & have old gas that I clean parts with mixed in. Use pump up sprayer and it is one great flame thrower. Just to make sure there is not too much gas to oil ratio, the spray is great & can really go FAST! I also save up old bills, Government Warrants, subpoena or Jury Duty summons or other paper to toss in :/

...

M

MossRoad · Mar 4, 2015

I just pile up some dry stuff a couple feet high, put some dry leaves at the bottom and stick a match to it.

I'd stay away from gas.... thought I'd try it as a teen to light a pile of wet oak leaves. Poured a large cup of gas on the pile and walked back to the house to get a match. Gone maybe 1 minute. When I threw the match onto the pile all I remember seeing was a very bright flash followed by (the best way I can describe it) a brief vision of a leaf pile X-ray. I distinctly remember light coming from around the edges of each and every leaf. Then I noticed the WOOF sound, the smell of burning keratin ( my eyebrows and hair ) and I was laying on my back with burning leaves falling on me. Never did that again.

grnspot110 · Mar 4, 2015

Only time I've used gasoline was some chainsaw gas once when it was so cold I couldn't get raw diesel fuel to light!

Starting a fire with gasoline is way too dangerous! Experience from 29 years as a firefighter!