Pine Cone Kindling

Several years ago an issue of Martha Stewart Living had a project for beeswax-dipped pine cone kindling. I loved the finished product and ever since have been setting aside a Sunday afternoon each fall to make my own beeswax pine cones. This kindling is an awesome fire starter. You put a dipped pine cone on top of the wood, light it, and as the wax melts the wood catches fire. Beeswax burns very clean and of course smells great! 

This is an easy project but it does take some time, especially if you want to make enough to get you through the winter and have some left over. Placed in a pretty container, this kindling makes a perfect housewarming or hostess gift. 

If you are thinking of using any type of wax other than beeswax, don't bother - you won't get the benefit of that great smell or the clean burn. My husband and I started beekeeping this year but haven't collected honey and wax yet so I purchased my beeswax online here. At $40 for five pounds it isn't cheap but this is a great price for really high quality wax and as a bonus, shipping is free. 

For this project, you'll need pine cones, beeswax, and some type of double boiler. I use a thrifted Pyrex bowl and sauce pan. You can also use a Crock-Pot but cleanup will be difficult so you might want to buy one second hand and only use it for this purpose. 

Project Steps

Step 1: If you ordered large chunks of beeswax instead of pellets, you'll need to start by breaking up the blocks of wax so they melt faster. I used a hammer and chisel on a cutting board to do this.

You want to break them into 1 to 2 inch chunks to ensure a quick melt. 

Step 2: If you are using a double boiler, put water in the pan and the beeswax in the Pyrex insert. The water should be boiling throughout the process to keep the wax at a constant temperature so add water as needed. Wait until the wax is fully melted with no remaining chunks and then start dipping. I find metal tongs to be the easiest way to handle the pine cones but you'll occasionally need to scrape the wax buildup off the tongs.

Step 3: After dipping each pine cone in the wax, hold it over the Pyrex insert and move it around a bit to allow the excess wax to drip off. Once the drips stop, place the pine cone on newspaper to dry. Repeat until you've dipped all the cones or run out of wax. 

Step 4: Once dry, place the pine cones in a pretty container. I like to keep mine in a vintage wood bucket right on the hearth where they're easily accessible.