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rocket stoves

What's your favorite "tinder" for your rocket cookstove?

Rabi'a Elizabeth Brown

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Location: Granada, Andalucia, Zone 10/11

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posted 2 years ago

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I am brand new to the rocket stove world!

My stove will be my alternate cookstove, and I do have a nice tile terrace outside where I'll be able to use it in safety.

Firewood and pellets are plentiful and cheap here in southern Spain. But as a firestarting newb, what are my best bets for "tinder"? I don't leave much used paper lying around the house.

Some ideas so far:

* Used paper towels stuffed in toilet paper tubes
* Dried plant material from down near the (clean) river
* Char cloth made from cheap T-shirts from the second-hand store
* Some of the ideas in this article: The best tinder materials for starting a campfire. Some of the suggestions sound toxic, though.

What do you use?

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Rabi'a Elizabeth Brown
Aspiring permie, autistic, lifelong word nerd
Granada, Spain

Megan Palmer

gardener

Posts: 1533

Location: Zone 9A, 45S 168E, 329m Queenstown, NZ

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posted 2 years ago

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I don't have a rocket stove but pine cones are my favourite tinder for our wood burner. The cones burn for longer when they have had slum gum, (the dirty wax left over after rendering beeswax) poured into the scales of the cones.

We also use the dried leaves of yucca, flax and cordylines tied into bunches and fruit tree prunings.

Rabi'a Elizabeth Brown

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Posts: 51

Location: Granada, Andalucia, Zone 10/11

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oh wow, I have plenty of small fruit tree farms nearby, and I'm betting the farmers wouldn't mind someone trundling off some of those prunings, God willing. With consent of course.

And I would never have thought of pine cones. Brilliant.

Megan Palmer wrote: I don't have a rocket stove but pine cones are my favourite tinder for our wood burner. The cones burn for longer when they have had slum gum, (the dirty wax left over after rendering beeswax) poured into the scales of the cones.

We also use the dried leaves of yucca, flax and cordylines tied into bunches and fruit tree prunings.

Anne Miller

steward

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Location: USDA Zone 8a

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posted 2 years ago

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If I had a rocket stove, I would use my junk mail as tinder as I get plenty of junk mail.

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thomas rubino

master rocket scientist

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Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A

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Well, I would just split down a piece of nice dry firewood.
A tiny amount of paper, maybe some pitch collected from trees (if you have any)
Thin split dry wood will start with a match.

Of course, if it's available to you a handheld propane bottle with a torch head works outstanding!
It's what I use to start all three of my RMHs

For all your Montana Masonry Heater parts (also known as) Rocket Mass heater parts.
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Rabi'a Elizabeth Brown

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Location: Granada, Andalucia, Zone 10/11

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Look at what I gathered in 30 minutes! There’s dry grass at the bottom of the bag.

I live near a river but we get a ton of sun, which bodes well for future tinder gathering God willing.

(source)

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Rabi'a Elizabeth Brown
Aspiring permie, autistic, lifelong word nerd
Granada, Spain

Carla Burke

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Posts: 9315

Location: Missouri Ozarks

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We use junk mail, used paper towels, etc. Keeps the stuff out of landfills, it's dry, so doesn't cause smoke, it works for us, and we can't seem to escape the stuff, otherwise.

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