Watch: How to Make Waterproof Matches

Finally, a how-to video that’s professionally made and offers good info, delivered in a reasonable way.

In just a shade above 4 minutes, this one tells us how to transform strike-anywhere matches into waterproof matches that will burn for one heck of a long time after you strike one.

I’m talkin’ about a match that can burn for six, seven, sometimes eight minutes, giving you plenty of time to start a fire to save your life… or just to cook a hot dog.

You’ll need these things:

• Paraffin wax
• Strike-anywhere matches
• Straight pins
• Flammable twine (pink chenille recommended)
• Double boiler to melt the wax (he simply uses two cooking pots)

The twine or chenille acts as a vehicle for the wax, which also serves to waterproof the finished product. Once the match is ignited, the wax in the twine burns for a good long time.

A pretty cool way to make sure you can stay warm.

A life-giving match — in rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.