Making Coal Fires In The 40S And 50S

[hellywelly4]

In the 40s and 50s my mother used to make coal fires every day, and made special things using newspaper which she folded in a certain way. I can't remember what she called them, the word 'skewers' come to mind, but I'm sure that's not correct.
Any ideas please?

[silka]

We called them paper sticks

[BlackadderV]

I remember the woodman coming round the houses with his horse and cart selling sticks at 1/- per bundle.

[EDDIE51]

Don't know what they were called but I remember them. We never threw newspapers away they were too valuable for lighting the fire.
I had to make them for my Dad and Granddad. Start at the corner of a sheet of newspaper ( No tabloids in those days) and roll it into a long thin tube. Then wind the tube lengthways to make a coil and fasten it by tucking the loose end into the middle like a knot. The finished coil should fit into the palm of an adults hand. The fire was made by raking out the grate then putting a layer of 'paper coils' on top of the ashes, then sticks on the paper and coal on top of the sticks. Once it was alight it was 'drawn' as has been described .

[HansUrbancka]

I was a young boy during WW2 and remember folding and cutting newspaper into square pieces and threading the corners onto a string loop to hang in the thunderbox. (Outside loo at bottom of garden.) Also we
folded paper for 'Firelighters'. :-



Hans.

[HansUrbancka]

I shall try again the YouTube link :-



Hans.

[EDDIE51]

^^^ Someone stole The Mirror from the ladies loo so they had to use
The Express

[BlackadderV]

Another use for newspapers was to save them up and take them to the local chippy who would give you a bag of chips for free, or to the greengrocer who would give you an apple.

[HansUrbancka]

^^^^ I feel as if I am back in WW2 and putting up Blackouts on Windows.!!

There does appear to be a problem with You Tube and I have established the following :-

How to make newspaper firelighters - YouTube

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0_Pxiq5cTI

By Patrick Garratt ·
2 min ·
5,655 views ·
Added 25/09/2010

... This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Pity the link is not working because it perfectly illustrates the concertina items which I feel sure hellywelly has in mind.

Hans.

[tonyav]

See if it works now, Hans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0_Pxiq5cTI

[EDDIE51]

Works now ^^
more or less how I made them but I rolled the long strip up rather than folding it , quicker in my opinion.

[bert_h]

I think that my Mum called them 'paper sticks'.

[HansUrbancka]

@tonyav.....Thanks for getting me out of the black hole.

Hans.

[tonyav]

LOL, your welcome, Hans.

[EDDIE51]

^^ Black hole ?
That must have been the fire grate before the fire was lit with the paper fire lighters.

[tonyav]

Or the coalhouse, EDDIE.

[EDDIE51]

^^ Too true I had forgotten how black that was!

[seadogg]

We do this every night in winter in exactly that way. It is also possible to make them really thick by using several sheets of newspaper and they will keep a room warm in a well regulated stove without wood or briquettes. Mine 'aint that elegant tho'.

[ferlew]

We made them exactly like that, Tonyav.
Spills were what grandad took from a vase on mantle, to light his pipe with.
Apply spill to fire flame, then pipe.

[ferlew]

I just recalled, as a young lass, I worked weekends in a fire lighter factory.
Funny little machine, pop in a cardboard sleeve, scoop in a load of wood shavings, ram down.
Fill a carton, and off they went to be coated in wax, or something.
Saturday cinema money :)

[EDDIE51]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Briquette-Maker-Paper-Log-Recycles-Eco-Fire-Free-Fuel-Brick-Block-Newspaper-/131261511483?_trksid=p2054897.l4275
Get one of these and make newspaper 'logs' that burn for 2 hours each and produce the same heat as wood.