2torial #0702: Learn2 Make a Fire in a Fireplace (Continued)   Light and maintain Using a long wooden match or a lighter, reach around and light the newspaper on the side of the fire towards the back. Your goal here is to set fire to the whole perimeter of newspaper, simultaneously--so have a friend help you if you like. Have them start on the other side, and move around the perimeter of the fire, moving to the front, finding exposed edges of newspaper to set on fire.   Start up the draft: Once the newspaper has caught fire, it's time to crank up the draft. This flow of air is created by the warm air that rises up the chimney, and by air from the room that's drawn into the fireplace to replace the air that just went up the chimney. If you have a fireplace with glass doors (or a wood-burning stove) then shut one door, and close the other partially. Look and listen to what follows. (If the fireplace doesn't have doors, then you have to fan the flames gently with a bellows, your lungs, or a cowboy hat that you happen to have on hand. Whatever implement you choose, you'll get best results if you direct the air at the very base of the fire. This will increase the oxygen supply to the fire, causing it to burn more intensely. More hot air rises into the chimney, and the draft starts to flow. ) Hearing is believing. You should hear the sound of air being sucked up the chimney, and you should see the effect of the draft on the fire: it'll fan the flames and spread the fire to the kindling and the logs. If you completely shut the second door at this early stage, it may have a smothering effect on the fire. Let the fire burn this way until it gets established.   Feed the fire: Watch the fire for when it really starts burning: it'll reduce the kindling to a bright pile of coals, and will burn deep into the large chunks. You can now put a screen on an open, doorless fireplace, or open the doors of a wood-burning stove and put on a screen. It's also ready for another large split log, or an unsplit log up to five inches (10cm) in diameter. This should be good for 30-40 minutes for a smaller piece of softer wood like maple or elm, or up to two hours for a fat chunk of hickory, oak, or cherry wood. If you have some problems getting the logs to catch fire, take a careful look at what's happening. Are the logs hissing and sputtering? If they're well seasoned but damp on the outside, they won't easily ignite. You can remedy this situation by placing other damp logs just outside the fireplace or stove for them to dry out. But if you do this, DON'T leave the room unattended for a long period of time. They could dry out and heat up enough to catch fire. (An unlikely event, but who wants to deal with a burning home?) If the logs are burning a little but smoking a lot, they may be green and not fully seasoned. This situation isn't so easily remedied, although it's worth trying the dry-out tactic. Whether the logs are wet or green, your best bet is to throw another big handful of kindling on the fire, under the logs if you have the tools to manage that. Then get the draft going. The fire may not be hot enough to set up a draft using fireplace or wood stove doors, so you'll need to get down and blow with a bellows or your lungs. If you're making the fire purely for heating purposes, then close both doors of the fireplace or stove and leave the vents open (they're probably open already). Closing both doors produces a fire with maximum heat production. Put out the fires: When it's time to leave or go to bed, put your fire to bed also. Don't close the damper, even if the flames seem mostly extinguished--you'll be inviting huge clouds of smoke into the room. For fireplaces with doors, close both doors and clear away any combustibles from the edge of the fireplace. Wood-burning stoves, do the same. For an open fireplace, wait until the fire has died down considerably, and carefully set the screen in place. Move any combustibles (e.g. matches or drying logs) away from the hearth. That's firestarting in a nutshell--not as easy as simply lighting a match, but not exactly rocket surgery either. As long as you choose the materials carefully, and follow common safety precautions, a roaring fire is a superlative cure for many modern ills.Now get out the marshmallows!       -end- Learn More! or All steps at once (printable version)