These can be really cool if done correctly. The electrical start has 2 variables. The first is the type of battery you decide to use. Most experienced scouters will use a car battery because of the amount of amperage that it puts into your fire. Smaller batteries usually don't have the power to produce enough heat inside the fire, especially if the electricity has to travel a long distance to get to the fire. The type of wire can also have an effect on the results. A heavy guage speaker wire (10) or an extention cord should carry enough power to make it work. You should probably experiment with different wires to see what works best for you. You will also need a switch somewhere along the wire.

Next you have to determine what to use inside the fire for an igniter. Steel wool with fluffed dryer lint placed around it will work if set up correctly. I find that dryer lint works very well, for it will catch with a single spark. Another good tinder is hamster bedding. Back to igniters, another idea is to take a piece of wood and drill a bunch of small holes and stick as many red-tipped matches in as dense as possible. Then take a small wire and run it over the match heads a few times and connect it up to your power source.

Basically you can do anything that you want. The basic idea is to have a good power source and something in the fire that will create enough heat to catch some tinder on fire. With this in mind, you can create a setup that will astonish any audience.

A few ideas for what you would say would be to try to call the spirits to come and light your fire. Or you could tell a quick story about a ghost that lives around the area where you are camping, and get the entire crowd to yell out his name. You could also build it up by saying it wasn't loud enough and try to get them to repeat it a couple more times before you light the fire. This technique can also be use to stall if the fire doesn't light.

The switch that is used to complete the current can be controled by a person hiding behind a tree or bush nearby, or there could be a switch that is hidden by the fire, so the speaker can walk over and flip it with his shoe. The possibilities are endless, be creative.

The flaming arrow has several variations.If you are in an area where there are tall, trees close by this is the start for you. I will write about the 2 that I have done before. The first is the simplist to do. Make an arrow. This can be done with a safety flare, which is what I use because it is nearly impossible to put out. The flare can be taped to a toilet paper roll, or anything else that you can dream up. Make sure that your assembly will keep the flare at least 2 inches from the string that it will be hanging on. One thing to remember about flares is that the flame they produce shoots straight out, so if you do this correctly, the chance that it will burn through the string is slim. I have seen this done several times without the flare burning the string.

After you have finished this assembly climb a tree close to your fire. Tie a piece of kite string to a branch, then throw the rest of the spool down to the fire ring. Tie that end to a stake of some sort that is set near the back of the fire ring. *But remember, before you tie off the string make sure you put the flare assembly on.* Make sure that your string is clear of any branches, or other obsticles, and when your checking this, be sure to account for the sag that the flare will produce when it falls. Second the flare is falling from gravity, so tie a string to it and let it fall to be sure it won't go too slow, or stop. Use the string to pull it back up and tie it off on a branch so it won't slide down. Then build your fire around the string so the flare will enter through the back and stop in the middle catching your tinder on fire.

To light the flare, I suggest using a lighter, because when you are up in a tree, trying to use the cap to strike it is almost impossible. The second that the flare lights, cut the string that is holding it up. It should slide down and into the fire. Within a few seconds the fire will burn through the string, and it will no longer be in the way.

This next variation is a much more complex, but much cooler. It can be done in an area where the closest tree is up to 200 yards away. I will explain to you how it is constructed, then tell you about my experience with it.

Constructing this modified version takes a while longer, but if it is set up correctly, it is well worth the effort.

For this version you will need to use some kind of wire instead of kite string. This is a little more expensive, especially if you need a couple hundred feet. I found that using insulated wire works better than bare metal.

Take your wire and fasten it onto a stake in towards the back of the fire ring. Run the other end up into a tree making sure that the wire is clear of branches.

Now the fun part, take a flare, a dowel, a model rocket engine (size B or C), and some duck tape. With this assemble a unit where the dowel is taped above the flare, and the engine behind the dowel. If you want a drawing of this mail me requesting one. Once you have made some kind of assembly (make sure the flare is pointing forwards and the engine is pointing backwards) cut 3 pieces of the wire into about 4 inch segments. Make a loop in the middle, and fasten the 3 loops to the flare assembly making sure you put the loops on the main wire first.

Tie a string to the flare and pull it up into the tree. Now put an ignitor in the engine and hook it up to a battery ignitor. Now you are ready to build your fire. Remember to put plenty of dry tinder so it will easily catch when the dowel hits. I used a bag of pine shaving hampster litter.

*Hint: Have the dowel extend out past the flare so when it hits the stake in the fire pit it protects the flare from snuffing out.

When the participants arrive have one person up in the tree ready with a lighter to light the flare. The MC of the fire should have some kind of script like, "I call upon the spirits of the trees to send forth a ball of fire to light our fire!" This can be adapted and modified to make it more special and magical. Once this is said, the flare is to be lit, wait a few seconds, and ignite the engine. If all this is done correctly your flare should come speeding into the fire ring, it will be dark for a few seconds, then your fire will come alive.

When I did this the first night the engine didn't go off, so we had a backup string ready to be tied to the flare and pull it into the fire ring. Well, the flare melted through the wire and fell. I then had to carry it into the fire. The next night I told the crowd that it didn't work because the tree spirits were being very un-cooperative. I called upon them again saying that I had given the spitits an offering of water. This time is worked wonderfully, and the crowd was very amazed at the preformance.