Fire starter pellets/slugs

[MooseMan]

Hi all.

I hope this is the correct part of the forum for this.

I'm not running to make fuel, but I am slowly accumulating product that is not drinkable and other than for clearing fluid and for sac runs, I want to use it for fuel purposes, but specifically, I'm looking to make fire lighters.

I have family that have a coal fire, and I also have 3 close friends that have wood stoves, so I'd like to make them some kind of compact, feints saturated pellets/slugs/blocks of some kind that they can just bury in the kindling and light.
I'd also use these for starting my BBQ and pizza oven.

Are there any already proven methods both for making something like this, and for storing it?

We use Tea Bags - once used - dry them and soak in heads - works a treat
Supply our off the grid neighbours and they love them

For a less sloppy option, you can also get dry porous softwood, like poplar or willow and soak that - takes longer though

Funny how this thread has been resuscitated Eric, I originally asked that question almost exactly a year ago!

What I ended up doing was giving people a nice sturdy 1 litre Aluminium bottle with foreshots in, along with a stern warning never to open near fires and only ever pour onto cold kindling.
So far it's worked well for them and it keeps my fore's collection manageable without feeling like I wasted anything.

[NormandieStill]

I've been burning tea bags faster than I drink tea (which for a Brit is unusual) so thought I'd take a pop at that gel. And I'm damned if I can get it work. I've tried with three different calcium carbonate sources, I've cooked it down until it starts to go cloudy because the calcium acetate won't remain dissolved, and whenever I add the ethanol, I just end up with diluted ethanol with a very faint smell of vinegar.

Anyone tried it and made it work?