Easy Smoker Lighting

[jd101k2000]

Seem to have found a REALLY easy way to light a smoker.

Ensure metal trivet is in the bottom of the smoker.

Corrugated cardboard about 2-3 inches deep either coiled or shredded.
Blow torch until well alight. Lots of puffing to make sure it is alight.

Then a handful of pet bedding - wood shavings. Check that the hamster is not in it, or better still use fresh. ;-)

Finally an inch or two of pure pine cat litter pellets (unused).
All alight in a few minutes and keeps going for ages.

In a two hour inspection may top up with cat litter towards the end of the two hours. Keep a box with cat litter in it with me - flip lid of smoker pour in more pellets, couple of puffs and it is going really well.

Tons of cool, white smoke. Keeps alight. Perfect.

 

[Geohorn]

I have a green woodpecker nesting in an apple tree and it has been chipping out the centre of the trunk. I collected a full bucket of apple tree chips and use that along with egg carton and rolled up corregated cardboard. Lighting the egg carton is first job then light the underneath of the cardboard and when its smoking heavily throw in a couple of handsfull of apple tree chips.
Last visit to the appiary it stayed alight for an hour and a half!!

 

[enrico]

I keep having to order things from thorns just to get their packaging, burns so well, plastic bits smell nice too!:
The best tip I can give is a long knecked gas fire lighter, £1 each from my local shop. Reaches right to the bottom of the smoker and lights easily with one click without taking gloves off!,

 

[Cellectronic]

I keep having to order things from thorns just to get their packaging, burns so well, plastic bits smell nice too!:
The best tip I can give is a long knecked gas fire lighter, £1 each from my local shop. Reaches right to the bottom of the smoker and lights easily with one click without taking gloves off!,

Their shredded cardboard burns really nicely.
I have been collecting toilet roll inners from work , I think people here spend too much time on the loo.

 

[abm]

does anyone think cardboard is a tad harsh, fumes wise...???

my old mentor only ever uses hessian bags...

 

[bontbee]

does anyone think cardboard is a tad harsh, fumes wise...???

Yes!

 

[Karsal]

Used bought and home made corrugated cardboard rolled up. Lit perfectly smoked for over and hour giving off cool white smoke. Trouble was the smell was quite acrid and most of the neighbours took their washing in.
Looked like Red Indians sending smoke signals. May try to find an alternative. Once I've got rid of the Cherokees from next door.

 

[Swarm]

I find corrugated cardboard very harsh, it also creates a lot of tar. Egg boxes or other pulp type card is kinder.

 

[jd101k2000]

I do get a lot of tar on my smoker. I find that burning it with the blow torch makes it flake off easily.

 

[Finman]

.
I have used 50 years soft rotten birch, and I need not think about others stuffs.

.There are different qualities among them too , but I get from forests allways material. Rotten birch stump is good too.

Rotten birch gives a moderate smoke. White smoke is gasified tar. If tar is too much, it glues the smoker cap tightly.

Fat smoke ( tar) attaches too onto surfaces of combs and gives a nasty shimney aroma to the honey.

I can dry up the rotten wood in microwave oven if needed.

 

[madasafish]

Old can in bore of smoker. Holes drilled all round. Wire at top so it can be removed from smoker.
Remove can. Fill:
layer of wood shavings
rotten wood
bit of dead oak.

Blowlamp under bottom of can which is perched at 45 degrees to vertical upon top of open smoker.
Shavings light. Flames and smoke. in 10 secs.
Replace can in smoker using wire.

Close smoker and puff smoke..

Total elapsed time from starting to fill can: 30 -45 seconds.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What size oak tree?

 

[Ben90]

I keep having to order things from thorns just to get their packaging, burns so well,

This is also my main fuel.

 

[jd101k2000]

I must admit that when I am getting low on fuel I do think, 'what can I order next?'
However, I think that the budget is (well over) spent for this year. Only way to get more fuel would be to grow the number of hives kept. To fund that will need an up-turn in the weather.

 

[enrico]

Quite like finmans idea of drying wet rotten wood in the microwave. Bet that makes the insects explode! Might give it a go! I do use rotten wood when I need a smoker to go for hours!
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Out in South Africa they use dried elephant dung when available (one turd fills a normal size smoker snugly)
Bit of a shortage of that around Brynmair so I use rotten wood - plenty lying around, just put in the greenhouse for a while to dry out. Lights easily with nice cool smoke.
just remember if collecting it in an area frequented by dog walkers that not everything that is brown and sticky is a stick

 

[Finman]

just remember if collecting it in an area frequented by dog walkers that not everything that is brown and sticky is a stick

If you see that, pour good fatty bouillon on it, and the next dog will eate it.

 

[Madge]

Out in South Africa they use dried elephant dung when available (one turd fills a normal size smoker snugly) ...

That must have been a tiny, tiny, tiny, wee baby elephant's poo.

 

[Hachi]

I've been told cardboard is treated with a fire retardant chemical as part of the manufacturing process. Does anyone in the industry know if that's true or not?

 

[ijcooper]

That must have been a tiny, tiny, tiny, wee baby elephant's poo.

Or they use smokers the size of an elephant's rectum!