New Way to Use Sap to Start a Fire
Sap is a fantastic material to use for starting fires, but it can be dangerous and messy if you’re not careful. There is a way that you can create a self-contained fire starting device that incorporates the benefits of sap while reducing risk as well. Let’s take a look at how you can build your own in just a few easy steps.
Required Material:
Sap from a coniferous tree
A metal container or can
Paper towel or toilet paper roll
Painters masking tape
Wooden matches
Strike pad from the matchbox
Charcoal
Preparing the Canister
The first step is to prepare the fire-starting canister and trigger mechanism. To make the trigger, cut off the section of the matchbox that has the strike pad. Place it with the abrasive side up on a flat surface. Place a strip of tape across the top third of the strike pad so they stick out vertically beyond the top of the pad. You want half of the tape to be secured to both sides of the pad and the other half sticking out to serve as the pull-tab trigger.
Next, take two or three matches and place them over the strike pad so they rest side by side along the vertical length of the pad. Take another strip of tape that’s about three inches long and place it horizontally across the top half of the matches. Center the tape so it extends out from each side of the strike pad.
The next step is to cut the paper towel or toilet paper roll to the desired length. Attach the strike pad on one of the outer sides of the roll with the tape you just used to secure the matches. Position the pad so that the pull-tab will stick out from the top. Take some more tape and cover the bottom of the roll. You can also fold in the bottom and then tape it in order to provide a thicker base. Set the canister aside.
Preparing the Fuel
Take your pine sap and place it into the metal container and heat. Remove any large impurities that maybe floating on top as it softens. Once the sap melts, you can add the charcoal.
Take enough charcoal to fill the canister about 2/3 the way up and grind it down until it becomes a powder. It’s okay to have a few small chunks left, but avoid making it too chunky, or it may not ignite properly later. Pour the charcoal into the tin can or container and mix thoroughly with the sap.
Carefully pour the sap/charcoal mixture from the container into the canister that you’ve just made. Fill until it reaches about 2/3 the way up, and coat the outer edges with a little bit of material. Allow it to cool for a minute or so until it starts to thicken. Stick a couple of matches into the material until the heads are just below the surface. Tape off the top, but make sure that you don’t tape the pull-tab. Allow to cool to the touch before handling the canister.
All you need to do now is hold the canister in your hand, pull the tab firmly and quickly, and the starter should ignite. Make sure that you take care not to come into contact with the sap as it starts to burn or when the internal matches ignite.
You should have a few seconds to place the canister on your tinder or kindling and it will produce a nice, long burn that should get your fire going. You can also modify this trick by either eliminating the pull tab or the matches inside of the canister. Feel free to experiment with different configurations until you find the method that works best for you.
