Bonfires

[pulseczar]

My youth group and I are camping this weekend. I got assigned with making a bonfire and I want to make a bonfire to end all bonfires.

What's the best way to do it?

[TMurphy]

Ok...I go camping 2-3 times a year, and have done so for most of my life. Bonfires have sort of become a specialty.

What we do, is first we start with the day's trash...paper products and food waste, no cans or bottles. That goes in the center. We then stack firewood around the trashpile, creating a round base of logs, and building up. The key is to use good, dry wood, and make sure the fire has a channel for air, so it can breathe. When I get home later, I'll see if I can post a picture of some of the fires we've built, so you can see what I'm talking about.

As for starting the fire...the easiest way we have found is to use Coleman fuel (used for Coleman portable stoves). It burns hot and clean, and doesn't really have much of a concussive effect. If done with caution, it can be a safe way to start the fire. What we do, is douse some of the fuel on the wood (not a lot), and then draw a line on the grass with the fuel, 20-30 feet back from the fire. Drop a match on the line, and it's like something out of the movies....the fire chases up the line, and boom, ignites the fire. The fuel burns long enough to really get the wood going, plus helps ignite the trash. Wait for the trash to burn away before cooking anything over the fire, obviously.

[Naptown Tuba]

My youth group and I are camping this weekend. I got assigned with making a bonfire and I want to make a bonfire to end all bonfires.

What's the best way to do it?

A truckload full of........ VIOLAS

[tubafatness]

What we do, is first we start with the day's trash...paper products and food waste, no cans or bottles.

Let me also add that you should never, under any circumstance, put styrofoam into the fire. The fumes may not kill you, but they'd definitely not help you, either.

[davet]

Starting with flint and steel ALWAYS has all eyes on you!

2nd most attention getting is one of those (magnesium?) bars that you shave and then strike a spark.

Then once a small flame is going take the lid off someone's Rubbermaid container and start fanning. It's almost like gasoline!

As stated before- dry stuff is the key.

For a little extra fun put a butane lighter in your shirt pocket. It will fall into the fire as you are tending it. Then everyone will scramble back until it explodes. I've only seen this done once, but it was memorable enough that I hear the story repeated several times a year.

Another memorable campfire involved a visit by a skunk but you probably don't have time to arrange that before the weekend!

[TubaingAgain]

Used motor oil from a diesel engine works real good. Of course need to start it off with some gas.

[TMurphy]

Ben's design is very similar to what we use, except we use refuse instead of the pine needles.

Ben--you're point about Coleman is a good one. I only mentioned because I have found it to be safer than gasoline--gasoline fumes waft, and explode, a problem I haven't ad with Coleman. Kerosene is probably safer, and of course, the method you described is safest and most reccomended...unless you want to start it in a hurry, and maybe to impress people.

tubafatness--good point on the styrofoam. We don't burn the stuff, like you said, the fumes are nasty and not good for you. Mostly paper and food wastes, like I said.

I have seen the butane lighter thing, it is funny. People run like hell, expecting an explosion, and all you get is a semi-loud "PFFT" and it's done.

[Dean E]

[pulseczar]

Thank you all for the useful input.

As always, XIII applies.

Brian, I'll be camping out at San Mateo Memorial park (roughly 2 hours from you) so if you hear about any horrible disaster about burning tires or aerosol cans Saturday night, it'll be me so don't worry THAT much.

RIP all the members of the Texas AM tragedy. I remember seeing it on TV and in your honor I'll keep it safe as I can.

...though I've always wanted to throw blank shotgun shells into a bonfire. I hear it's better than aerosol cans.

I was thinking coating the other logs with styrofoam melted in gasoline but I guess it's not a good idea...

And to honour Schleppy, I'll line my bed with plastic liner. I just hope your wife does it as well.

[iiipopes]

The best bonfires are several truckloads of cleared brush and timber that have set around all summer to dry out, that have been bulldozed into a large pile, then throw on a gallon of Coleman fuel and a lighted match after it. When it finally dies down to coals a day or so later, you can have a marshmallow/wiener roast for about a thousand.

[tubatooter1940]

The coolest idea for a fire was an old Burt Lanchaster movie I saw late one night.
Burt, an old grampa in the movie, described a viking funeral to his grand kids. He told the about putting the dead viking in his wooden boat with straw and other combustibles-then launching the boat out on the water and firing flaming arrows at the dead one in his boat lit from a bonfire on the beach.
Don't you know grampa croaked, peacefully, that very night and the kids decided to give him a real viking funeral They rolled his corpse out to the beach in a garden cart late that night.
Just as the adult members of the family came screaming up-slamming on brakes, the sun is rising, the kids are shooting flaming arrows, grampa and his old boat are burning brightly and it's too late to spend six grand on a "real" funeral.
It got me misty, real misty.
"toots"
http://cdbaby.com/cd/johnrenohfc

[circusboy]

Make sure that no poison oak/ivy/sumac goes into the fire. The smoke will give those allergic to it the worst case they've ever had.

This would be less dangerous: