Remote Fire Lighting Techniques
Have you ever been to a campfire and saw the fire being lit remotely? It is very impressive to the Scouts and everyone in attendance when the fire is timed to be lit with the program. Here are some tried and true methods I have used over the years to light fires for camp programs, ceremonies, and basically because it’s cool!
Also, be sure to follow all safety rules and check with your local authorities about the rules. In our city, open fires were prohibited unless it was a cooking fire. We would cook s’mores after the fire burned down and the ceremony ended. We also use metal trash can lids and portable fire pits to protect the area.
Use the three principles of campfires with all these remote fire lighting ideas – practice, practice, practice!
1. Basic stuff that burns well
The first consideration in remote fire starting is to use the best tinder. The goal is to get a fire blazing as quickly as possible from a single flame. These items will work well – just be sure they are dry!
- Dryer Lint. Fluff it up a bit and use it around your fire starter. Burns like crazy.
- Very fine steel wool. Fluff it up and use it to start the lint on fire.
Fire starters. Cotton and vaseline, sawdust and paraffin, dryer lint in paper egg cartons with a little beeswax to hold it in place are just a few fire starters. These would go above the lint or other initial starter to further spread the flames.
Paper towel tubes. Split the tubes so they fold into a v shape. Add some dryer lint and position the “V” so that it will act as a furnace and route the flames to your fire lay.
2. Electrical Starters
An electrical fire starter is anything that will create flames when an electrical current is applied. A piece of 2×4 will serve as a base for most of the electrical starters. Use a battery that provides plenty of amperages to ignite – a car battery is perfect. Run the wires from the battery through a switch and out to the fire lay. Try to conceal them some it is not obvious what is occurring. SAFETY WARNING Do NOT connect the battery until you are ready to light the fire. Here are some things you can use to start a fire remotely with electricity.
Very Fine steel wool. Fluff out a piece of 0000-grade steel wool and weave two wires (with about a 4” bare end) through the steel wool. Do not let the wires touch. Connect to the battery and when the switch is closed, flames will result.
Match Book. Weave a very fine wire in and out of the match heads and hold it in place with glue or tape. Attach each end of the wire to the battery.
Wooden Matches. Rubber band a quantity of wooden stick matches into a bundle. The bigger the number of matches the larger the flame will be. Mount the bundle into a hole in your 2×4 so that the match heads are upright. Weave a thin wire (the spring from a ballpoint pen works) around the match heads and connect to the battery wires.
Model rocket engine starters. These are easy to use, just add alligator clips and wires. Generate a brief flash of high heat when embedded in lint, steel wool, or matches.
Flaming Arrow. Drive a long nail into the ground and attach some heavy monofilament fishing line to it. Thread a spool or small pipe onto the line and attach the other end to a tall tree or another high item. Build your fire lay with an open space for the spool to slide in and ignite the tinder. Attach a weight to the spool or tube and test it to see how it slides down the fishing line. Tighten the line until it slides well. (you can also use eye hooks on an arrow shaft as the slider) Attach a fire starter to the slider. When the fire is to be lit, an assistant lights the fire starter and slides it down the monofilament to start the fire. Be sure to move quickly so the flames don’t melt the monofilament (I use a 100# test) and NEVER have the slider come over the heads of the audience. This is surprisingly effective if the speaker captures everyone’s gaze by moving props or his hands to draw people into the story.
The totally remote Flaming Arrow. Just like the above, except the fire starter is an electric one. The slider is secured by a very thin fishing line or the thin wire of the fire starter so that when it burns through the slider is released.
The Flaming Staff of Amazement. OK, the name might be an exaggeration but the effect is still amazing. Take a walking stick-size dead branch and drill out a large hole in one end. Then drill a small hole through the side of the stick that intersects with the long hole. Thread a two-conductor wire through the small hole and fish it out at the end of the long hole. Attach your favorite electric fire starter and slide it into the hole. Attach a battery and switch to the other end of the stick and conceal the wires and battery. Build your fire lay so you can light the fire by poking the stick into the fire lay easily. At the appropriate time – Raise the staff and (command the fire; ask the great spirit for the gift of fire; or whatever fits your ceremony) and flip the switch. You should get a flame. Move the stick and put the flaming end into the space and light the tinder. rubbing the end of the stick with wax will help as well as using a match head array at the end of the stick.
Potassium Permanganate and Glycerin. Both of these are drug store items and when mixed, will create a fire. Put about 2 tablespoons of Potassium Permanganate in the lower tray and about the same amount of Glycerine in the tipping cup. Surround with tinder. When it’s time, pull the string to tip the glycerine into the tray.
Rocket Igniter and Fireworks. Insert a rocket igniter through the wall of a small paper bag with wires on the outside. Use tape to secure it. Carefully take a “Colored Flower Bloom” or “Giant Fountain firework“ apart and put the contents inside the small bag so the igniter is covered by the contents. Insert the bag into your fire lay with plenty of tinder around it. Attach wires and use your battery to ignite the flames.
Iodine and Aluminum. Crush a teaspoon of iodine crystals into a very fine powder. Combine it well with 2 teaspoons of powdered aluminum. This mixture must be kept completely dry! Water will cause the mixture to ignite. Within 10 minutes of the fire lighting, mix the chemicals and make a small volcano of the mixture in the fire lay. Be sure to make access to the powder available. When it is time, tell a story about how to light the fire. Usually, the story is about how fires are started by matches and put out by water – but not this time.
3. Candle Starters
Candle starters were one of the first starters I used. Light a candle and cover it with a #10 can. Use a piece of monofilament to pull the can away to start the tinder. This is cheap and easy but takes practice to make it work. The base is important as it needs to be smooth enough to have the can slide out on cue. The tricky part here is how to position the tinder so it is easy to light and not put out the candle.
4. Remote-Remote Starters
No, I’m not trying to pad my word count! A Remote-Remote starter is a fire starter that ignites away from the fire and then is applied to the fire.
5. Chemical Starters
SAFETY WARNING These are awesome – and dangerous. Do NOT attempt these methods unless you are completely comfortable with the process. Be sure to check with all local authorities before using these techniques. NEVER use liquid flammables in a fire.
All chemical starters use a variation of dumping a chemical into another chemical. The basic concept is to secure a tray to a block of wood and secure a cup on pivots above the tray. When you tip the cup forward with a pull string, the contents of the cup spill into the tray, and the resulting reaction starts the fire. Practice this one a lot and once you get the desired mechanical device, be sure to practice the actual fire starting so you know how and where to position the tinder.
References:
10 fire safety tips that could save your life (or at least your eyebrows)
The Remote Match
MAGIC CAMPFIRE STARTS
HOW TO MAKE 7 AMAZING DIY FIRE STARTERS
17 Homemade Fire Starters To Keep You Toasty
How To Make A Remote Fire Starter!