please can someone explain to a naive brit what dryer lint is. I have got the idea that it is fluff from a tumble dryer, am I right?However I think that only the minority of brits have a tumble dryer, please explain<br>thanks

Yes, it's the residue that gets caught in the filter of a tumble dryer. Very common in decadent North America.<br><br>I've found that it is very good tinder when dry (i.e. it easily ignites with even a small spark) but even wrapped in a plastic bag outdoors, it seems to absorb enough moisture overnight to make it useless. That's based on very limited observation, though. And I wasn't being particularly careful with it.

I found out that cotton balls make much better tinder than dryer lint.But I don't know how they will do when they collect moisture.

It is rather likely that the type of clothes being dried has a lot to do with the fire starting ability. Some types of cloth burn rather poorly. Just an observation from the peanut gallery. ;>)

Just so. If it is lint from plain cotton it works great. As the percentage of polyester increases, it becomes difficult to impossible. Clean the screen and tumble a load of pure cotton and it is OK. Cotton balls are less fuss, though (but there ARE synthetic "cotton balls" on the market, so read the label closely).

I've used "synthetic cotton balls" and they seem to work just fine as tinder.<br>I have read that the best "dryer lint" comes from cotton clothing, but have never experimented with it myself.

During one of my early attempts to determine how good were the various recommended kinds of tinder, I tried a batch dryer lint which must have been from cloth treated with fire retardants. It absolutely would not burn, even when subjected to an open flame. ;-}<br><br>It really pays to test thoroughly anything on which your life might depend. <br><br>John

I have used dryer lint in my kits for some time.
yes it is true they will absorb moisture and need to be in a sealed canister. you can use a film can (35mm) or try this.
I took plain drinking straws, cut them into 1 1/4" pcs. using a clothing iron I sealed one end. once cooled i stuffed the straw full of linf to 1/4" from the open end and again used the iron to seal the open end. this way each use is sealed to the weather and you dont need to worry about losing lint to moitser in between fires. this will also work with cotton balls that are coated with petroluem jelly as well.
goodluck and enjoy,
woodsman <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />