How to Make a Fire Starter from Duct Tape
Duct tape is the perfect material to use for a fire starter. Not only does it burn slowly, but it can also be used to create canisters that can be packaged and transported anywhere. The following example illustrates how easy it is to make this type of fire starter, and you can complete this project in a few simple steps.
Required Material:
Roll of duct tape
Lint from a dryer
Charcloth or cotton
Getting Started
The first step is to peel off a 6 inch long strip of duct tape and place it on a flat surface, sticky side up.
Carefully roll the tape into a canister that’s around an inch wide, but make sure that the sticky side is facing outward.
Next, pack some dryer lint into the inside of the canister. Try and press as much material as possible inside so that it will be dense and slower to burn. Consider how many canisters you are making in order to divide up the lint evenly and ensure that you have enough material to work with. It’s also important to be careful when handling the canisters and packing the tape in order to protect the sticky surface on the outside.
The next step is to take your charcloth and attach it to the outside of the canister along the sticky side of the duct tape. Take as many strips as you need, and cut them accordingly in order to cover the entire surface of the canister. If you don’t have charcloth and want to use cotton, pull some pieces apart and affix a generous coating around the tape, adding as many layers as possible.
All you need to do now is light the top edge of the canister when you’re ready to start a fire. Combining the lint, charcloth and duct tape provides a multi-layered fire starter that can burn for more than five minutes. It is light, doesn’t contain any flammable liquids or fuel, and it can be packed and stored in small freezer bags or an Altoids tin. Nothing could be easier, and the most time-consuming part of this project is to make the charcloth.
Making Charcloth
To make a batch of charcloth, take some fabric, preferably 100% cotton, cut it into small strips and place it into a metal tin or container. Poke a hole in the center of the lid and cover the container. Place the container over a flame and let heat. Once the fabric inside starts to burn, smoke will start to emit from the vent hole you’ve created. Allow it to “cook” until the smoke stops emitting from the hole. Remove the container from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before opening. This will prevent oxygen from rushing into the container and igniting a fire that could consume your supply. However, your charcloth is perfectly safe once it has cooled.
The reason that you want to consider using charcloth as opposed to cotton is that it is easier to light. It will also burn more slowly, extending the useful life of the fire starter you are trying to make.
Try this simple project for yourself, and you will quickly discover how beneficial they are during a survival situation. It also adds an extra layer of redundancy to your fire-starting options in the field, and we need as many options as we can get during a survival situation.