Brainwave - feel free to expand on it.

[relfy]

This thread made me giggle - but I'm with you too Bushwhacker - and I'm going to think about it.

I'm sure there is something in the density of oxygen - isn't it heavier than 'air'? In which case it should just be a case of keeping the bottle the right way up (and a lid) as long as you use it quickly - straight from elodea to ember?
Yeah, its a crazy idea, but such is the stuff of invention. The people who throw out ideas straight away would still be sitting in a cave grunting and eating raw stuff if it wasn't for people around them like you.

....I was thinking maybe try collecting it something like a turkey baster* then you can squirt it at the ember? Lol... and yes you could just blow on it, but exhaled air isn't pure oxygen. Oxygen is far more explosive. And thus I add myself to the lineup of nutheads.

*(in principal - doesn't mean you have to carry a turkey baster around, improvise! A plastic sandwich bag... a wet sock... leather pouch...)

If nothing comes out of it, then you'll have had fun playing

 

[relfy]

So, further to ged's waterfall compressor, it would seen logical that all you'd need to do to collect compressed o2 is to trickle your pondweed generated gas through some water before running the water through a gravity powered compressor. It actually all seems like fairly low level science, some medium level civil engineering, and probably some pretty advanced bushcraft skills. Good stuff

I love this idea , but have a feeling it would only work if you were using water that has been heavily churned recently (e.g. mountain streams), where the water is already super saturated in dissolved oxygen (DO - not the same as bubbles, which are not dissolved). If it was any old water, you would probably lose your water to DO en route down the pipe.... but I've lost the thread anyway, why do we need it to be compressed?

 

[ged]

I'm sure there is something in the density of oxygen - isn't it heavier than 'air'?

A very little. Fortunately, or we'd all have to crawl around on the floor.

...should just be a case of keeping the bottle the right way up (and a lid) ...

The lid will do just fine. It isn't like hydrogen, which will more or less get out of anything. And which, come to think of it, lights rather easily.

And thus I add myself to the lineup of nutheads.

Welcome to the club!

improvise!

That's the idea!

 

[ged]

... but I've lost the thread anyway, why do we need it to be compressed?

We don't, necessarily! I just took the ball and ran off with it (to demonstrate that you can run off with a ball. ) But it's got a few people thinking, and for that we owe the OP our gratitude.

The idea was to use oxygen to help start a fire. It would probably be great for that if we could just get a hold of some of it without all that unhelpful nitrogen. The waterfall thing was just to point out that you can do things with bubbles, and we started off with bubbles. All we have to do now is figure out how to handle them.

I'm thinking that somehow at the end of all this there'll be a bagpipe-like thing under your arm while you're spinning away with the drill, and as soon as it looks like smouldering you squeeze the haggis -- sorry, bagpipe -- and the whole thing bursts into flame.

It's either that, or take on BOC and Air Products and buy a turboflame lighter with the profits...

 

[Glen]

Well natural method might prove very time consuming but if you've found a decent pond with relevant weed I'd sugest using a clear plastic, for surface area but still letting through the UV, set up kinda oposite to a solar still, eg one high point in the middle.

A slightly more practicle method of producing oxygen might be a a hand crank generator/dynamo and the electrolysis of water, possibly in a metal cup and making the cup itself one of the terminals

 

[wattsy]

I wasn't intending for it to be carried around or stored, just used in situ with simple items.

then i've got no idea what your on about. the OP said you wanted to know about how it'd apply to firelighting, then you said you don't want to carry it around or store it, so you won't have it when you need to light a fire? or maybe i've just got it wrapped around my head?

 

[maddave]

That's what they said to Mr. Dyson.

And Sir Clive Sinclair

 

[relfy]

And Sir Clive Sinclair

*Giggles!!!*

This thread gets better and better....

 

[bivibabe]

Could you not use a really really really tiny chisel and split the water so you get some oxygen and nitrogen. Save the nitrogen as fertiliser.

 

[wattsy]

We don't, necessarily! I just took the ball and ran off with it (to demonstrate that you can run off with a ball. ) But it's got a few people thinking, and for that we owe the OP our gratitude.

The idea was to use oxygen to help start a fire.

we already use oxygen to help start a fire - by blowing on it. if it ain't broke don't fix it unless you physically can't breathe out through your mouth you won't need bottled o2 to help start a fire.
come to think of it you could just use a leafy branch to waft air at it, or if you feel you must have a piece of kit for every eventuality, some bellows.

 

[nuggets]

Could you not use a really really really tiny chisel and split the water so you get some oxygen and nitrogen. Save the nitrogen as fertiliser.

from H2O ????

 

[ged]

we already use oxygen to help start a fire - by blowing on it. if it ain't broke don't fix it...

And this from a man who quotes Voltaire in his sig?

We're just asking the questions. I'm looking at your answers and seeing little encouragement.

Cut us some slack, will ya?

 

[spiritwalker]

you would still need an ember to shove in said oxygen, your totally mad it would be far more sensible to shove a pipe up a cows **** and collect methane which when sparked would produce more desired flames :-D

 

[Bushwhacker]

you would still need an ember to shove in said oxygen

That is the line I'm thinking along anyway or vice versa - getting the oxygen to the ember.

 

[Adze]

from H2O ????

Even better - store the liberated hydrogen in a birchbark and pine resin pressure vessel, you can compress it with a bamboo or elder stirrup pump. When you've got enough you could use it for balloon fishing or welding.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Even better - store the liberated hydrogen in a birchbark and pine resin pressure vessel, you can compress it with a bamboo or elder stirrup pump. When you've got enough you could use it for balloon fishing or welding.

We're not talking about splitting water.
The principle is to collect oxygen as the waste product of photosynthesis; it's no more complicated than a solar still.
Did anyone pay attention in science class?

 

[andy r]

Where would we be without certfiable mad men !

 

[Bushwhacker]

Where would we be without certfiable mad men !

Still in the dark ages.

 

[Adze]

We're not talking about splitting water.
The principle is to collect oxygen as the waste product of photosynthesis; it's no more complicated than a solar still.
Did anyone pay attention in science class?

You might not have been, but the thread has moved on considerably, do try to keep up!

You can't float one crackpot idea without at least entertaining the notion of other people's.

 

[relfy]

you would still need an ember to shove in said oxygen, your totally mad it would be far more sensible to shove a pipe up a cows **** and collect methane which when sparked would produce more desired flames :-D

I have to admit... this is now my preferred idea. Just think how that would cut out tedious cooking times - Flame-grilled T-bone steak in a flash! literally