An important part of manhood has always been about having the competence to be effective in the world — having the breadth of skills, the savoir-faire, to handle any situation you find yourself in. With that in mind, each Sunday we’ll be republishing one of the illustrated guides from our archives, so you can hone your manly know-how week by week.
As the holidays draw near and the coldest days of the year start trickling in, the idea of warming up by the crackling flames of a picture-perfect fire is too alluring to resist. But without the right preparation, that ideal fire can turn into a room full of smoke accompanied by nothing more than a few wispy flames. A fireplace fire operates differently than your typical campfire, so it makes sense that building one should require a few tweaks to your standard procedure.
With indoor fires, it’s especially important to start with well-seasoned wood that won’t smoke you out of your living room. Along with good wood, you can help reduce smoke by using an upside-down fire-building technique. With kindling on top and large logs on the bottom, the flames won’t pass through cold wood, which only increases smoke production. The right technique and a few preparation tricks can go a long way to making your next cozy fire worthy of a Norman Rockwell painting.
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