Fire by magnifiying glass

[sxmolloy]

Not sure if that how you spell magnifiying but I'm sure you know what I mean....Any hoo the reason for this post was that I was playing with my sons large magnifiying glass in the garden the other day (when we had sun) and was trying to start a fire using this.

I managed to get a flame from tumble drier fluff but could only get smoke from birch bark. Does anyone know of any natural materials that can be ignited using this method?

Cheers....Stu (sxmolloy)

 

[jdlenton]

I bet you could ignite some bullrush(greater read mace) or thistle down so that it could be blown into flame in a dry grass or bark tinder bundle off to get a magnifying glass from the science dept.

James

 

[leon-b]

i have made fire by a magnifying glass before but it was using tissue paper dont know about natural tinders im sure someone on here will know though

 

[Neanderthal]

Have a look in my Gallery, there are a couple of pictures of interest.
I've been using a large fresnel lens (nearly A4) and could set fire to a lump of Oak.

 

[sxmolloy]

thanks neanderthal...but...erm..... how do it look at your gallery?

Sorry

 

[vasmith]

Hi,

I have been playing with cramp balls and magnifying glasses..... and on a sunny day can get smoke (therefore a hot ember when you blow on it) in about 3 seconds. Its amazingly quick and easy.

 

[redcollective]

Does anyone know of any natural materials that can be ignited using this method?

Cheers....Stu (sxmolloy)

Ants. Sorry. lol

Yes - the fluff from thistles (be quick to get it extended onto something else though). Jdlentons advice on making a tinder bundle is dead on the money.

Used to light just about anything as a kid (dry grass, twigs) but that was under an Australian sky.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

i would have thought anything if dry and fibrous enough.

birch bark should work if you use the thin papery bit and scraped dust with it.
i'm gonna have to go and try it now!

 

[rich59]

i would have thought anything if dry and fibrous enough.

birch bark should work if you use the thin papery bit and scraped dust with it.
i'm gonna have to go and try it now!

Having played with fire over the years I have found that anything that works as a tinder (taking a glowing ember to a flame) will work with a magnifying glass. That does mean that you need to blow on the hot spot to help it spread.

 

[ArkAngel]

The fluffy bits from clematis (think that how it's spelt) will take well when used with a magnifying glass......

......and as a few good fights will testify when i was a kid my best friends neck burnt quite well using the same technique

 

[GreenManOfTheSouth]

Hey peoples, afta finding this site, using a burning glass was the first 'woodsy' type thing ive tried, results as follows:
1. dried scraped hazel bark (byproduct of arrow making) - rolled and rubbed it to golf ball size - got a coal then blew it into a flame ~ 'bout 2-3 min total
2. dried grass: more difficult - needs to be rolled more to make it tighter ~ 5 min to flame
3. Lichen: dont know what it was called - looked turquoise and beard like, straight off the tree was hard to light but did get a flame after about 10 min. tried again when it was dryer with a pinch of powdered charcoal in it - took about 3-4 min

NB. this was using a magnifying glass about 2 inches/ 5cm accross in our winter sunlight - so thats not bad!!

 

[JohnC]

Ive got an ember with fluffed up bark using the mag. glass on my SAK card.

You may have seen this before
http://www.frojel.com/Documents/Document03.html

 

[Chance]

Dried grass.
It's a bit cart-before-horse, but charred fibres are helfpul recipients of the sun's rays. My barbecue is started within a couple of seconds using charcloth and dried grass (and slightly longer without the charcloth).

 

[Badgerone]

Hi Im new to this but here goes, :werd:

English birch is very hard to light due to the moisture content grind it up and leave it to dry OR look for some North american inport Birch the tree gives of a thin outer flesh this will light with a spark.
Ive been collecting it for weeks while walking arroung the estate at work.

It is good to teach children with as it is as good as tumble dryer fluff.

Ian

derbyshire