If you keep the fatwood in a block, could you accidentally drop the fatwood in a puddle and have it be OK?

FYI, I have not experimented much with fatwood.

You have to soak fatwood for a looooong time before it won't light. The best stuff is literally dripping with pitch/resin. Water beads off it. You can get it to soak up water if you leave it for in the wet for weeks.

I don't generally have flares with me, even the small ones. They're pretty bulky and take up space that I would rather dedicate to fatwood and ESBIT tabs. I always have UCO Stormproof matches in a waterproof container (with extra strikers), a couple lighters and a ferro rod.

How do you carry your cotton balls?
How do you make your cotton balls?
Maybe you can use LESS petrolatum so they require less manual fluffing....

Have you tried just ripping your cotton balls in half?
If you can grip your ferro-rod and scraper, you should be able to rip a cottonball (or square) into two pieces, and catch a spark in the middle ... same level of motor skills ... maybe tie some string on two ends of a cotton ball to help you rip it in half

For an alternative tinder in the similar form factor of cotton ball,
How about a fuzzy/hairy paper towel,
lightly lightly greased with vaseline on one side,
folded over until it fits into the palm of your hand ( 2 inch by 3 inch?), strategically wrapped in waxpaper,
which is taped on one side with some ducktape?

It stores flat/thin
It is easy to prepare
It should catch a spark from a ferrocerium rod (like from a butane lighter )
It should not require "fine motor skills" just grip it and rip off the waxpaper cover to expose the spark catching paper towel
Bigger target for sparks than a cotton ball
It should last at least few minutes of "strong" flame
If you roll it into a tube/crayon/candle/shotgunshell
2minutes from ducktape
1min+ from paper towel
2min+ from petroleum jely/vaseline
2min+ from waxpaper
it should burn for 7minutes easy
set it into your tinder bundle to catch the drips

Alternative wrapping option, just grab the fat ducktape handle ends and pull out the flat fuzzy paper towel from its waxpaper sleeve, light it, then throw the waxpaper ontop

And the ever popular ducktape shotgunshell

ducktape for waterproofing, and overall shape
papertowel to catch spark, and a bit of vaseline to get flame going
a rolled papertowel only (or cottonball) and you can fold this flat
and it should spring back into round


toilet paper should also be flat and fuzzy enough to catch aflame from a ferro rod spark


or for a jumbo version (think buddy burner without melting wax)
same deal with a paper cup (or metal can),
filled with wood pellets,
with greased paper towel or cottonball on top (flat not required),
taped over with packing tape or ducktape (for a lid/handle)
shoot a spark in the hoop and cook your meal on top


If the cotton balls you carry now work for you when you're warm,
keep them, but add a single jumbo fist sized tinder that you can practically cook with right onto your ferro rod and scraper,
so if you're really cold and wet you can start a fire before you start shivering,
and even if you start shivering ...
after you dry out and warm up,
you won't wait as long next time and your finger
will work well enough to use your regular tinder


yeehaaw

Waxed paper by itself burns well for fire starting.

Fir pitch is harder to collect than pine pitch, and can smell funny if carried in your gear, but will work if you are not in a pine forest.

BOATMAN
I was thinking more of safety factor. Pre splitting would be an option that I would opt for. The other day I bought some fix all by super glue and noticed that it said extremely flammable, so being me I had to test this. Sneaking outside I put a very small dollop on a rock and hit it with my mini bic I EDC and it went up fast and burn for a surprisingly long time. Much hotter and longer than hand sanitizer. But it did smoke a lot. I've been thinking that a tiny snippet of straw with some of this sealed inside would be a nice addition to a PSK, both for field repais and for emergency fire starting. Has anyone else tried this?

Deathwind
Krazy Glue makes single use tubes already.No repackaging needed.I think they come four to a pack.As soon as super glue hits oxygen it starts to cure/harden.Don't think it can be repacked.Good idea though.I like the multi use concept for all gear.


BOATMAN
John

When I'm off-roading, one of my pants pockets carries an Altoids tin fire kit that's secured with duct tape and a ranger band. The exact contents vary somewhat, but it generally holds an assortment of: char cloth, a candle stub, birch bark, fatwood, jute twine, pine shavings, horse hoof fungus, a tampon and some nuggets of pine pitch. It makes a great tinder bundle that I know I can rely on when it counts. It will burn for several minutes and the tin itself makes a mini hearth and windscreen.

In another pants pocket I carry a ferro rod and a BIC. I discovered storm-proof matches last winter and they'll be in the pack forever more, too, when foul weather is in the forecast and frozen fingers make a BIC too difficult.

Love love LOVE fatwood and esbit tabs, especially with a lighter or matches. They're my minimum fire prep. They've never failed me, and I really like that they'll both take a spark if you scrape them to make powder, like you do a mag bar.

I'll put this here because I didn't want to start yet another "fire" thread:



Thoughts?

I had never heard of this. Searched youtube for videos, using search term "burning crayon." Yes, they will burn, debatable for how long. I noticed that it was hard to get them started: it took a while with a lighter. It appears you need the paper wrapping to act as a wick.

On a scale of practicality, I'd put it very near the bottom.