# I have a fat lighter addiction



## ghost8026

I have an addiction of finding and getting fat lighter this is half what me and buddy mine got sunday am


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## fishbum2000

That's a load


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## ghost8026

That's only half what we got also....found few more big stumps we want but gonna take some work to get them


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## kc65

That's money....


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## 10mmhunter

I must admit that I also am an addict.  Of course every fire in my wood stove is started with it. But I love to shave it off thin with a tomahawk and just set it in a bowl. My favorite natural potpourri!


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## Razor Blade

Hello , my name is Scott an i am also an addict.  
I have boxes and buckets full of the stuff. I sit some in the shop just for the smell of it. A little cup full here and there , i cant even walk by a piece of it laying around the pallet shop without picking it up. Yep , i have a problem, so my wife says.... Can anyone feel my pain, can i get an amen. I like to think of it as being well preparred.

Scott


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## ghost8026

Amen to that man...I make pens out lighter and of course start fires...but I want to try make somethin outta that bigger piece I got there


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## fireman32

I to am afflicted. I have a couple of fat lighter logs lining my driveway.


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## 7Mag Hunter

I hate the stuff......Cut 9 pines out of my yard last summer and
most trees had some in it.....
I use it to start outside fires.......Will not use it in my Buck Stove..


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## Larry Tillman

My brothers and I had a camp in the big cypress yrs ago we would search the pine islands for snags and cut them down and drag back yo camp we would burn it 24 7 .


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## drippin' rock

Yep.  Started hunting and using it as a kid with my dad and granddad.  Love it.


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## ghost8026

That's a good load you have there also


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## georgiaboy

I need to get some more.  I carved off a couple of slivers today to get the fire going.  It's good stuff.


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## The Original Rooster

Guilty too. I love the stuff and don't believe you can ever get enough of it.


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## ghost8026

Way I see it get it when you see a oiecer because not making anymore of ot trees don't stay in ground long enough anymore. .so I got a big ol pile stashed in the yard


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## Anvil Head

Fly weight stuff......I bought it professionally several years for Hercules in the SC Lowcountry. Talking 1000's of tons at a time. You kind of get tired of the scent after a fashion. Really gets bad if you put a little time in at one of the mills. I ran the chipper/shreadder hogs at both Brunswick and Hattisburg when the plant workers striked. (Buying is useless when the mills aren't running).
Whatever you do, don't use it for a fireplace mantel. Had a regional manager in SC that didn't heed my warning and wound up doing battle with two different lawyers - one over homeowner's insurance and the other over a divorce. He was a Ga Tech grad and had "smart" plugging his ears.


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## drippin' rock

If you had asked me when I was eight if it should be made into a mantle, I would have told you no way!  Surely he knew how flammable it is. What was his reasoning??


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## ghost8026

He must of lacked common sense when he had that mantle put in


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## georgiaboy

I bet that mantel was gorgeous for a short time.


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## Anvil Head

DR & Ghost.....reread the last line.
Have you ever tried to tell a "brilliant" engineer anything?!?!


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## jfish

I have one also but I don't even burn it.  The burnt looking chop box catface is from somewhere in 1900 range.  They quit cutting these in long leaf pines in 1902 before using cups.  They dipped turpentine tar from the "box"  

The others are just some I had when I took the picture from a couple of outings.  Longest I have is nearly 8' long.  It didn't get that long overnight either.  I also have a "chop  box" stump with three boxes on it but don't have a picture.

The others are logs I have been collecting for a later use.


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## jfish

I have found multiple ones 4 to 7 feet in length that have three catfaces on one three.  Its just something I look for when hunting.  One day I am gonna saw some of them for trim.  I think I am going to make the under side of a bar or the back wall above a bar with the cat faces.  Just a good conversation piece.

My granddad dipped turpentine.  In the 50's was the last he worked before turning 100% to farming.  He and one other man worked 10,000 trees each.  Yes 10,000 each.  The pulled one week and then dipped the next week.  Keep in mind this isn't like today.  The trees were close and there was virtually no underbrush.  A 30 gal drum was about $50 worth.  They dipped approximately a quart to quart and half from each tree.  That's a lot but that's what he said.  Hard work and hard times.  Soon as I can get the stump out that has three boxes on it I will post it.  I am gonna make a coffee table from it with a glass top.  Its in good shape.

The black tar you see run out of it when you burn it was used also for all sorts of things.  I will try and ask some of the things they used it for.  One was a drawing salve but it was mixed with other things also.


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## ghost8026

Jfish those are some good ones.  we have some back on edge river swamp at my huntn club still standing with cat faces on em...if I had access to a tractor I could sure nuff get some good lighter out woods..

Anvil that is very true..yea I work with a bunch of engineers that I could see doin that very thing


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## drippin' rock

jfish said:


> I have found multiple ones 4 to 7 feet in length that have three catfaces on one three.  Its just something I look for when hunting.  One day I am gonna saw some of them for trim.  I think I am going to make the under side of a bar or the back wall above a bar with the cat faces.  Just a good conversation piece.
> 
> My granddad dipped turpentine.  In the 50's was the last he worked before turning 100% to farming.  He and one other man worked 10,000 trees each.  Yes 10,000 each.  The pulled one week and then dipped the next week.  Keep in mind this isn't like today.  The trees were close and there was virtually no underbrush.  A 30 gal drum was about $50 worth.  They dipped approximately a quart to quart and half from each tree.  That's a lot but that's what he said.  Hard work and hard times.  Soon as I can get the stump out that has three boxes on it I will post it.  I am gonna make a coffee table from it with a glass top.  Its in good shape.
> 
> The black tar you see run out of it when you burn it was used also for all sorts of things.  I will try and ask some of the things they used it for.  One was a drawing salve but it was mixed with other things also.



If you don't know already, google "Naval Stores".  The whole industry centered around harvesting pitch for wooden ships. Fasinating stuff. I believe there is a thread or two on here about it.


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## Anvil Head

Hercules Inc. was built around the blasting powder industry (still makes gun powder today), however the extract they got from the lighter stumps was used in thousands of different products. Biggest thing being the polymers...used in most everything these days.
But, primarily Hercules was/is known as the "Powder Company". Started with them as a procurement officer right out of college. Cruised most of the lowcountry swamps from Charleston to Savannah. Saw some wonderments. Had some of the most detailed game and fish mapping and aerial photo documentation that could be found anywhere. Got to hunt some marvelous properties by invite (just so they could look at my ap's over coffee).
Were some fine days.
Yeah, wished I'd saved a few cat face trunks. Would have made fine porch posts.


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## jfish

todays haul just messing around.  7 footer with two cat faces.  One triple with 6 footers.  It wasn't the best shape.  Good standing but very soft between faces.  I didn't come without sacrifices though,  one cut palm, pinched finger, and I slipped down in a slough and was wet from the buttocks down.

J


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## jfish

triple and a load


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## ghost8026

Good deal man you findin that in camden


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## jfish

Nah Brantley


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## ghost8026

Oh ok.I get all mine in camden at my club on tue satilla


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## drippin' rock

Here is a Turpentine hack I found at a flea market.  This was the tool used to score the pine tree, resulting in the "catface" look.  This sucker weighs around 20lbs.  Couldn't imagine using this tool all day!


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## ghost8026

That's cool right there d like find one them to hang on the wall


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## jfish

1000 views.  must be others have an addiction


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## cotton top

My father worked for Hercules pwd co. For 30yrs. L
Pushing stumps in south georgia and Florida. I was raised on the camp in charlton do, so to say I love stump wood is is a big truth. Course it made getting fire wood an easy chore.. thanks for sharing your info. I enjoy it bsm


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## Anvil Head

I managed three company crews and bought for one independent while in SC out of Walterboro. Saw to it that a lot of FL headed to Brunswick on RxR gondolas back in the day.


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## SC Hunter

I love the smell of fat lighter. I have a buddy who's dad made him go out and dig up fat lighter stumps around their property whenever he got in trouble. There is a HUGE pile of stumps under their old barn from where he'd dug them and drug them up.


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## ghost8026

Idda stayd in trouble all time if that'd been my punishment


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## Dirtroad Johnson

I'm a fat lighter fan too, great fire starter & like to smell it.


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## HuntinTom

I can just about smell it looking at those pictures -- But, don't let anybody flip a cigarette butt out the window of that pickup going down the road


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## Dawg Tired

Yes I too am an addict,can't split a piece without sticking it to my nose for a smell


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## ghost8026

Few pieces I've found lately turkey huntin that I gotta go get


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## Razor Blade

jfish said:


> 1000 views.  must be others have an addiction



Just a bunch of them that cant admit there addiction yet. Maybe they will come around soon. Lurkers, they will come in. Admitting it is the hard part. Scott


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## ghost8026

Few more pieces added


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## JCBANJO02

OK! im an addict as well. Cant walk past a good stump without bringing it home. I seen earlier someone posted about it being worth $? how much is it worth? I might have to make it a serious hobby if I can make $ with it.


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## Geffellz18

JCBANJO02 said:


> OK! im an addict as well. Cant walk past a good stump without bringing it home. I seen earlier someone posted about it being worth $? how much is it worth? I might have to make it a serious hobby if I can make $ with it.



Not an addict here, but my dad sure is. Not sure exactly how much its worth, but my dad usually gets about $500 or so each hunting season for a pretty good mess of it. About a truck bed full or so if it were all put together. He sells it to a buddy of his that owns a convenience store as he finds it.

There's an old dead tree he's been waiting on to fall. On the wrong side of the property line, but says if it falls on his side, its about a $500 tree.


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## Hooked On Quack

My property is loaded with it, I just take as I need.

Love splinterin it and smellin it too !!!


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## tsharp

What kind of lumber that is?


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## ghost8026

All (heart pine)fat lighter


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## Gaswamp

Hooked On Quack said:


> My property is loaded with it, I just take as I need.
> 
> Love splinterin it and smellin it too !!!



me too


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## TNGIRL

My name is Tomi and I am a fat lighter addict....it's been one week since I busted a basket full......
The first time I ever heard or saw fat lighter was hunting back in 2009 with my Jeff. I fell totally in love......with the fat lighter!!! (and Jeff later on!!) but he'll tell you to this day, I can't go into the woods without finding and dragging some out to take back to TN!!!!
I give my friends baskets of this for Christmas!!! it is amazing stuff!!!!
this is my basket most recently busted on my hearth awaiting a fire!!!! love it.


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## ghost8026

pic this one up today


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## Flaustin1

man yall got some nice pieces.  I know of a HUGE stump on an island in a big river.  3 of us tried to get it but we couldn't budge it.  That's been 10yrs ago.  May have to venture back down that way and see if its loosened up a bit.


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## Pilgrim

Could y'all give me some tips on how to identify fat lighter?  Does any dead pine tree turn into it after a while?


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## ghost8026

No it doesn't all turn into it it depends on the sap content when the tree dies...if you live in an area with pines walk the rows and look for pieces layin or stumps it'll have a grayish color to it lots of times take a knife break a piece off and smell it to see if its fat....also I find alot in cypress ponds. .once you figure how to spot it you'll be able find it all over......yea go check the island and take u a shovel and come along and get it....I gotta few big pieces imma get soon as deer season is over


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