Can I Use Mineral Oil and Sawdust to Make Fire Logs?

[dingpud]

OK, so paraffin is a hydrocarbon, and is a solid form of kerosene or mineral oil... I wanted to try making my own wax logs for starting our wood stove.

Could I take dried out sawdust, mix it with a small amount of mineral oil, suck the moisture out of the "shape", allow for it to dry, then light it? Would that work?

Any help or guidance would be much appreciated...

Thanks.

 

[nimmysnv]

Hi,

I think it is a right way to make out paraffin wax logs and this will possibly a best way to do, as if in future I have to make this then I will do accordingly.

Thanks!

 

[alxm]

OK, so paraffin is a hydrocarbon, and is a solid form of kerosene or mineral oil.

Well, no, paraffin wax is a hydrocarbon mixture where the chain length is 20-40 carbon atoms. Kerosene and mineral oil have a shorter chain lengths, 5-20 or so. So they're similar but not identical substances. The latter being more volatile and of course, being liquids. Same difference as oil and tar, basically.

Could I take dried out sawdust, mix it with a small amount of mineral oil, suck the moisture out of the "shape", allow for it to dry, then light it? Would that work?

I'm not sure how well it would all stick together, but it'd certainly burn. Although faster and with a somewhat lower ignition temperature.

But if you want to make something that's identical to those paraffin (wax) logs, you should get paraffin wax (candle wax), melt it, and mix in your sawdust. (I'm guessing you can probably have a pretty high amount of sawdust to wax, maybe even 10:1, and still have it hold together)

That'd hold together better and have the benefit of not being oily and smelly.