This weekend we did a alternate firestarting demonstration at our scout outing. I grabbed my wife's half full bag of cotton balls and a small jar of petrolium jelly. I was impressed on how well it worked, especially with magnesium filings from a MFS.<br><br>When I got home, my wife commented that they really were not cotton balls, but synthetic "fluffs." I didn;t even realize such a product existed. Now I have to go and get the real McCoy and see if they are better than the poly balls!<br><br>BTW, they worked with matches, but not as easily. My guess is that the magnesium burns at a much higher tempurature than a match and was therefore more likely to ignite the jelly without the ball palying a significant roll. I would hazard a guess that real coton will work better than the poly for starting fires with matches. (And work equally well with MFS).

A little bit of naptha (a.k.a. lighter fluid) works wonders with cotton balls soaked in P.J.

Guys,<br><br>On the off chance that you didn't already know--the cotton ball thing works much better when the majority of the PJ is squeezed out, leaving only a thin film. The cotton ball should be pulled halfway apart before a spark is struck to it. This increases the surface area, allowing for more oxygen so the fire can spread more easily. Give it a try if you haven't already.

The cotton is just a wick. Just about any fiberous material will work. Those little squeeze tubes of Carmex are a wonderful Vaseline alternative and easy to carry.

Have you tried womens sanitary tampons? Theyre of cotton I think and would double as first aid dressings (press into a wound) and firestarter!<br><br>Stefan, Sweden