OK I give up/ Question about cotton balls

After soaking them with PJ whats the best thing to store them in?

I have used both altoid tins and regular plastic zip-lock bags.
With the altoids tin you can really cram them in there.

When putting them in the tin do u put them in something or directly in the tin?

I always have put them directly in the tin and then sealed/closed the tin lid with a strip of duct tape. They seem to keep fairly well in the tin. Although they WOULDN'T be water protected in the tin as I have it setup, this may be a problem...

I don't know if this is the best way to do it, it's just the way I have done it. I once was like you...asking "what is the best way" and I just made something work that seemed to make sense.

I put some of mine in old pill bottles

That sounds like a better idea. More "waterproof" if you will.

I have found that an old 35 mm film canister works just fine. It is compact, seals them in quite nicely, and protects them as well.

Other solutions that I have seen are simply folding them up in aluminum foil.

What's a film canister? Just kidding. It won't be long before people don't know what they are anymore.

PS. They work great for storing cotton balls\PJ

Making a small cigar sized wad in the bottom of a plastic sandwich bag and then rolling it up tight and rubber-banding it closed works pretty well! It has the advantage or being a soft shape that is easy to pack and easy to use as well!

I have also heat sealed it into short pieces of soda straw but that is a lot of work and even though it works well is not resealable in the field!! (It is waterproof which is nice!!)

Most of the other things that I have tried (35mm film can, small Nalgene bottle etc) where harder to pack not as compact or in the case of the film can the lid would pop off if you fell or rolled on it in your bag!

Oh I should add don't soak the cotton a little works better than a lot in this case!!

SD

For small kits I use miniature zip bags. Often electronic parts come in them. I found a bunch of them at a local antique show and flea market. A stuff dealer had them bagged in 50 and 100 bag lots depending upon size for a couple of bucks. The ones I got were 3/4 X 3/4 on an inch and some 1 X 2 inchers. Very handy for a number of uses. The dealer had a number of different sizes available.

I take the PJ balls and stuff them into the finger of a latex glove. I twist and tie off the finger, then cut it off the glove. Waterproof and stores well in the tin.

Plastic straws are a great way to store PJ cotton balls. You can cut them to length and tie a string around the middle before stuffing them to aid in their removal. They seal up real easy too.

How about a match case (the "o" ring variety)? They are waterproof and leakproof in case the PJ starts to melt and get runny. Most of them are about a buck and even have a real small flint embedded in the bottom.

All cool ideas but my favorite is to fold the cotton ball up in a piece of foil. When you need it you just cut a slit in the foil and pull a bit of the cotton out. It's now like a candle that you can set on nearly any surface without risk of fire. If you leave a bit of excess foil on either side you can even blow out the flame, fold over the slit and reuse it another day.

I got these at REI for $0.40 and they work very well:

1/4 oz container

Snap top, waterproof, and wider than tall (I have fat hands and have a hard time getting stuff out of something like a film canister). If this is not big enough, they also carry a 1 ounce and a 2 ounce size.

I'm in the process of making myself a fishing kit for backpacking using these.

In case Raspy and anyone else is interested:

You can get very handy little heavy-duty zip bags at craft stores. I got mine at Michael's, in the beading section (they might have them on line). 200-count box available in two sizes - 3"x5" and 2"x3" - for a couple of dollars a box. I use them for everything.

The little plastic containers that diabetic people get their testing strips in are very similar to camera film containers & water-tight. One added feature is that there is a built-into-the-lid water absorber (like the packets or tiny capsules in vitamin bottles.) The containers are good for holding all sorts of small items. Matches would have to have a little bit of their ends cut off in order to fit, but the water absorber might keep them longer.

Tim

Why are you guys trying to keep a PJ soaked cotton ball dry? Once you get the Vaseline in there water won't be a problem...you just need to contain the mess.

I picked up some Boy Scout "Hot Spark Fire Starters" (Item#: 01167) at a Scout Shop recently for about $2.50 each. Being only a Ferrocerium rod, it's very small, waterproof, and kosher with the TSA. Add a 2 piece of an old hacksaw blade (teeth ground off), and instant fire.

I was testing it out this weekend with my kids and tried it first with some kleenex, but didn't get it going. I then switched to cotton balls. Took a couple of strikes and voila. I then tested with PJ massaged into the ball and it only took one or two strikes to get a nice flame.

Since I was testing it in the sink to put out the fire quickly, I had the idea to take the PJ soaked ball and run it under water and try it. One or two strikes and it lit. I tried running the rod under water and found that it had to be dried first. Finally, I had the PJ soaked ball floating on water, and it also only took one or two strikes to light and burned well until we extinguished it.

Some of the testing was done with only 1/4 of a ball and it lit just fine

Great little addition to the hunting and SAR survival kits, and one is now on my keyring with a piece of hacksaw blade in the wallet.

http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/Item...&item=01167

I agree with Hacksaw, keeping the PJ mess out of other stuff is your main concern.

+1 on the firestraws. Crimp the ends, and they last forever without fuss or muss.

The small containers I get from REI do a great job at containing the mess. They also happen to be somewhat waterproof. I was just stating this fact because I use them for other things too.

Although PJ cottonballs will light if they get wet I don't necessarily think keeping them dry is bad. Besides a waterproof container will contain the mess as-well-as or better than a non-waterproof container.

When you're in WallyWorld, keep an eye on the travel-size aisle, as the contents keep changing. I found some clear 2oz plastic containers (2x2") with easy screw tops. They're probably not tiny enough for the minimalists, but okay for a daypack or larger.

Sue

Large straws (the biggest 7-11 carries), zip lock bags, and cigar tubes. Easy to tuck away in your pack.

why would you want to "reseal" it in the field ???
I do use this system. If I need to use one, I cut it open and that's it : I will use all the coton there is in that piece of straw. Maybe I will even open another one if it looks like one is not enough tinder.

Granted : it's a bit of work to prepare those. But they are easy to store anywhere and they are waterproof.

I've used old prescription bottles.

So far no problems.

Because it usually does not take me very much to get a fire going so why burn the whole thing as you may very well need it later!!

SD

I use Clik Clak candy tins that are about 1.5" in diameter and about a half inch thick. Mints and other flavored small candies come in these. I can force in a large amount of vaseline/cotton and the lid clicks into place. A push on the center of the lid...claks it open. Neat, thin and hold plenty of cotton.

I add the vaseline to the cotton in these tins. Lay in some vaseline, then a pulled out cotton ball, vaseline, another pulled out cotton ball, forcing it down hard. Repeat...this forces out any excess vaseline and really packs the tin full.



As to plastic straws I just cut them long, fold the end over, then secure the fold with a short section of straw. I usually put a short string along the cotton as I force it in...then a gentle pull will remove a bit of cotton easily.

Oh, I see... "the whole thing..." ...
I guess we do not have the same idea about "pieces of plastic straw".
Mine are about 1.5 inches long, maybe 2" maximum....you don't put a whole cotton ball in such a piece !
So, I DO use "the whole thing" to light a fire !! and sometimes need two of them...

thanks -- and great pic. Looks like a magazine ad.