That explains quite a bit. Thanks.

Do the vasoline-soaked cotton balls tend to leak when stored in an altoids can in hot weather?? I would think it would melt a bit and get messy.

I've found people use too much vasoline. You only need a little bit, it shouldn't be messy or real greasy at all, if it is you used too much. The vasoline isn't really what catches or burns, the cotten is really what burns with the vasoline helping to prolong the burn time and waterproof the cotten.

By the way, AyersTG is right. Once you are well practiced at starting a fire with a hot spark/fire steel and impregnated cotton you will never want to use matches or a lighter again. It works so well it is simply amazing.

Even dry cotton as long as you're fast. I often use dry cotton with small ferrocerium rods. Catches with the teeny tiniest of spark and will burn for about ten seconds and if you prepare your fire ahead of time properly then ten second is more than enough time. The big downside however is trying to acomplish this in wet conditions. Having your tinder burn as long as possible is certainly advantageous in wet weather. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Ken, Go to McDonalds or Buger King and appropriate a soda straw. Poke the vasoline/cotton down into a chunk of straw. Pinch with hemostat or needle nose pliers and use a match to melt the straw closed.

I've made tons of these containers, all sizes, and never had a leak. Actually, you can open the straw and extend out some cotton and light it like a candle wick (if you're using a match) or, with your hotspark just pull out a plug of cotton and spread it out a bit.

Here is the link to the BSA catalogue

http://www.scoutstuff.org

Click on enter here, go to camping, and then cooking. Look under cooking gear for the hotspark. The site won't do online ordering, but will give you a list of retailers in your area.

Bill