Every fall the ground gets coated with colorful leaves, a scattering of acorns, and of course, plenty of pinecones too. These wooden-petaled seed protectors are a distinct feature of fall decor, but they can serve a lot of practical purposes too! Whether you’re looking for a cute party favor or a thoughtful housewarming gift, this pinecone fire starter project is the perfect craft to put a surplus of pinecones to good use. Learn how to make your own pinecone fire starters by following the directions below and start the winter by staying warm and toasty!
Here’s What You’ll Need:
- Dry pinecones
- Spool of candle wicking
- Scissors
- White beeswax or paraffin wax
- Double broiler
- Spoon
- Wax paper
Let’s Get Started!
Step 1: In your double broiler, bring water to high heat and begin melting your wax.
Step 2: As your wax melts, prepare your pinecones by securing a small loop of 9”-long candle wicking to the top, wrapping the remainder of the wick through the pinecone petals to secure it.
Step 3: Once your wax is ready, hold your pinecone from the wick loop at the top and dip it into the wax. You can use a spoon to help submerge the pinecone.
Step 4: Remove your pinecone from the wax and let the excess drip off back into the pan. Then set the pinecone on a sheet of wax paper to dry for about 15 minutes.
Step 5: After fifteen minutes of drying, dip your pinecones in wax again. Depending on how thick you want the wax, dip each one between 2-4 times, drying each time in between dips.
Step 6: If you’re using your pinecones as gifts, use twine to adorn them with festive tags. If you’re just going to be using them as campfire starters, they’re ready to go!
Try These Fun Modifications!
Psychedelic Fire Starters: Immediately after dipping your pinecones in the wax, coat them with salt. Different kinds of salts (ie. epsom salt, table salt, salt substitute) will produce different colors when burned!
Decorative Fire Starters: Add in candle dye blocks to your melting wax before dipping to give your pinecones a chic, aesthetic quality that will make you question whether you actually want to see them burn!
Fragrant Fire Starters: Add essential oils or candle fragrance oils to the melted wax to give your pinecone fire starters a pleasant aroma as they burn. Some scent ideas include cinnamon, frankincense, or pine needle!
Have you made your own pinecone fire starters? Let us know how they turned out by leaving us a comment. And if you have any other fun pinecone craft ideas we’d love to hear those too!
