Swedish candles---- what am I doing wrong

[elfinwood saws]

They must really stink though!!!

 

we use them to light pathways when we have parties in our woods, smell is not an issue, had good results with silver birch.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I bet if you was to stick fine dry twigs down the slots it would build enough burn to get it going right.

[Tom D]

I made some Swedish candles out of several kinds of wood but none of them will stay alight. What's going on

 

Without reading the rest of the thread I can tell from the pics that that wood is too wet, the way the bark is still attached is a give away. Get a nice dry softwood log.

[Treemon]

How well seasoned is it? What did you use to light it with?

 

Have used larch, spruce and pine so far all with good results, just using a small piece of fire lighter shoved in the top to get it going.

 

Lighting from the top? Flames go up, i read that if you create a small bowl at the base of the cuts and fill it with lighter fluid it burns with such a high heat it has enough "burn" to heat the wood sufficiently to create the flame

[18 stoner]

I would say there are too many cuts in the log also.

 

I tried some like that and it seemed with so many cuts the whole in the centre was too big and the flame didnt "draw" well.

 

A log with just 2 cuts (so it was quartered) seemed to draw and burn much better.

[Chris Sheppard]

Lighting from the top? Flames go up, i read that if you create a small bowl at the base of the cuts and fill it with lighter fluid it burns with such a high heat it has enough "burn" to heat the wood sufficiently to create the flame

 

yes, it does, but it burns out loads quicker. I've always burnt from the top and the last one we burnt, which was only last weekend (a piece of Norway approx 2ft tall and 12" diameter) lasted over two and a half hours with no problems. If the wood is dry enough it doesn't need much heat to make it go well.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

how do you make the hole in the centre?

[18 stoner]

Who are you asking Hama?

 

If its me, Its just where the two cuts cross, nothing so much as a "hole".

[Mesterh]

Doesnt look like a very well seasoned log.

 

I would hazard at a guess that a Swedish log would be cut from softwood therefore being a bit better suited than hardwood.

 

 

I remember seeing a web site that sold these, they had a hole bored in from the side to make a draft.

[nepia]

I think that apart from the wood being too wet the chimney's too wide, so the heat can't concentrate, and the ventilation is way overdone.

I use very dry cedar or Lawson's logs (Lawson's smell great) with a 1.5" chimney drilled down the middle and a 1/2" vent drilled horizontally into the bottom of that.

Drop a lit firelighter down it and it usually goes but they are sensitive to gusts in the early stages.