Fire challenge - under water primitive fire!

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xylaria

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
rich59 said:
I have now succeeded with the lens method. I took a glass jug - 2/3 filled with water. Then I sealed a piece of char cloth in a small screw top jar with the char positioned in clear space with a stone. I then plunged the jar under the water. Finally I focused the sun's rays through air/ glass/ water/ glass/ air onto the char cloth. The char cloth changed to a gray colour. On taking it out of the water and openning it up to more air I confirmed it was still alight.


I have an idea for a friction method.....


:35: Congradulations Does that mean you have to give yourself the underwater firelighter scout badge?

I bet everyone else thought this was an april fools thread :nana: :lmao:
 

Glen

Life Member
Oct 16, 2005
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rich59 said:
I have an idea for a friction method.....


Well done on the lens method. This friction methos idea will be interesting keep us posted please.

I've not had any luck getting a flame from flamable vapours, thought I'd try meths with a tea light wick (outside of water ) to get a feel for what might happen. It seems that a there's was iheriant problem, blowing on the ember to get that glowing also blows the vapours away from the coal, it looks like the only chance of sucess with this idea would be to blow across the low temp combustable hence blow the vapour into the ember. Not tried it yet as I only thought of it this morning.
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
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This badge thing... I thought I could knock something up with needle and thread or with my wife's sewing machine. But I am finding it daunting. So I tried getting a design into some leather from an old wallet. Needs a lot of skill I found. So I may yet get a shot at the sewing machine, but I need a tutorial to get into that I think!

So I am looking for ideas on making a badge!!! Goodness I feel a bit of an idiot. Anyway it is an interesting project in its own right.

Yep I seem to owe myself as well as Glen a badge now! The design incorporates a fish warming itself round a fire. The extra for a first time at a method gets at one corner a wizard's hat .

As for the friction fire idea - a bit of a wash out I must confess. I set up a hand drill with a long drill - sealing the bottom end and the hearth in a plastic bag. I tried to weigh it down with a brick.

The idea seemed OK so far. But then came reality. The brick floated with the uplift from the trapped air. The loose plastic around the seal caused a lot of loss of energy and a lot of splashing out of the bucket. Finally the brick worked a hole in the bag - end of dry space!!

I can fix some of those problems. But, now I want a flat rubber diaphragm with a good seal round my drill before I stand a chance at this one.

I now have an idea for a flame from the lens idea. -- Basically get a bigger lens so the temperature is up the ignition temperature for wax. But I haven't got a bigger lens at the moment.

I also have an idea for a tinder that just might get the flame from the charcloth - basically a tube tinder with a roll of leaf or news paper and the char cloth stuffed in one end. Just got to direct a jet of air and hopefully....
 

Glen

Life Member
Oct 16, 2005
618
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London
rich59 said:
Yep I seem to owe myself as well as Glen a badge now! The design incorporates a fish warming itself round a fire. The extra for a first time at a method gets at one corner a wizard's hat .

Self cooking fish? I like it ;)

I now have an idea for a flame from the lens idea. -- Basically get a bigger lens so the temperature is up the ignition temperature for wax. But I haven't got a bigger lens at the moment.

For extra focused sunlight, you could try serveral lenses of any size and a couple of carefully placed mirrors.
 

Ralph

Forager
Oct 31, 2005
164
0
33
lost
How about this...
First, I lit a fire. Taking a bit of smouldering char cloth from the fire, I plunged it into water. It kept on smouldering for about twenty-two miliseconds before it went out.
No 2: I then realised that this was not lighting the fire underwater, so I thought about a plan.
Chapter 3: I paused and watched some television.
episode 4: I filled a billy can of water and suspended it over my usual fire pit. I then lit fire with a flint and steel. The pot stayed over the fire for all this process, so technically, the fire was lit 'underwater'.







I'll get my coat.
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
2,217
25
65
London
Ralph said:
How about this...
First, I lit a fire. Taking a bit of smouldering char cloth from the fire, I plunged it into water. It kept on smouldering for about twenty-two miliseconds before it went out.
No 2: I then realised that this was not lighting the fire underwater, so I thought about a plan.
Chapter 3: I paused and watched some television.
episode 4: I filled a billy can of water and suspended it over my usual fire pit. I then lit fire with a flint and steel. The pot stayed over the fire for all this process, so technically, the fire was lit 'underwater'..[/QUOTE

:D :rolleyes: ]You're getting close Ralph. Bit more water around the sides and underneath?
 

xylaria

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
rich59 said:
This badge thing... I thought I could knock something up with needle and thread or with my wife's sewing machine. But I am finding it daunting. So I tried getting a design into some leather from an old wallet. Needs a lot of skill I found. So I may yet get a shot at the sewing machine, but I need a tutorial to get into that I think!

So I am looking for ideas on making a badge!!! Goodness I feel a bit of an idiot. Anyway it is an interesting project in its own right.

Yep I seem to owe myself as well as Glen a badge now! The design incorporates a fish warming itself round a fire. The extra for a first time at a method gets at one corner a wizard's hat .

....

I can do sewing me, well I am far better at it than I am at firecraft. Do want me to have a go, may be something that looks like a scout badge?
 

Ralph

Forager
Oct 31, 2005
164
0
33
lost
OK, I went away and thought about this, and this thinking extended to a trip to the coast, where I went on a semi-submersible trip. Y'know, the touristy ones with the glass floor. Anyway, while on this semi-submersible I lit a fire underneath a billy can of water. Does this count? :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
2,217
25
65
London
Ralph said:
OK, I went away and thought about this, and this thinking extended to a trip to the coast, where I went on a semi-submersible trip. Y'know, the touristy ones with the glass floor. Anyway, while on this semi-submersible I lit a fire underneath a billy can of water. Does this count? :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
:lmao::lmao::lmao:You are a scream.
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
2,217
25
65
London
xylaria said:
I can do sewing me, well I am far better at it than I am at firecraft. Do want me to have a go, may be something that looks like a scout badge?
That would be fine and dandy. Thank you for that offer. Of course, while at the moment there is just 2-3 people giving this a try, if it becomes popular.........
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
2,217
25
65
London
Here is a glorious failure at the underwater fire lighting. The big problem is.... the water.



Most of the objects used are fairly obvious. But the key object that you see floated under a bowl is a wooden "raft", then a spacer, and then a mini tinder formed of a "cigar" of newspaper with a wad of charcloth stuffed in one end.

The theory is that I immerse the "tinder on a raft" under the small bowl, in the big bowl of water. I then ignite the char cloth with the hand lens focusing the sun's rays. I then direct a jet of air at the tinder and it ignites to flame. (It works out of the water!)

The practical problems are when the bubbling upsets the raft and the cigar gets a dunking.

I am working on a design that completely seals the fire unit off from the water. But, that will have to be another day.
 

Glen

Life Member
Oct 16, 2005
618
1
60
London
rich59 said:
Here is a glorious failure at the underwater fire lighting. The big problem is.... the water.

The theory is that I immerse the "tinder on a raft" under the small bowl, in the big bowl of water. I then ignite the char cloth with the hand lens focusing the sun's rays. I then direct a jet of air at the tinder and it ignites to flame. (It works out of the water!)

The practical problems are when the bubbling upsets the raft and the cigar gets a dunking.

Hmmm, possibly make the raft thicker? Thick enough so that when the bowls pushed down and the water rises inside the raft sits stable on the bottom.
 

xylaria

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Glen said:
Hmmm, possibly make the raft thicker? Thick enough so that when the bowls pushed down and the water rises inside the raft sits stable on the bottom.

Or put a swimming hat over the opening of the bowl and tape up edges to the sides of the bowl. The char cloth/tinder can sit on swimming hat, the air tube can go through the hat. (tescos sells the cheapest).
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
2,217
25
65
London
xylaria said:
Or put a swimming hat over the opening of the bowl and tape up edges to the sides of the bowl. The char cloth/tinder can sit on swimming hat, the air tube can go through the hat. (tescos sells the cheapest).
Ah, the source of rubber diaphragms perhaps - the swimming hat! Might also be good for the hand drill variation.
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
2,217
25
65
London
oops56 said:
I its easy to light a fire under water in a submarine ;) ;)
If you can provide photographic evidence of being on an immersed submarine and successfully lighting a fire by primitive means then I would nominate you for a badge! (But you might need to get a lawyer to submit a plea for your release from the brig)
 

Glen

Life Member
Oct 16, 2005
618
1
60
London
xylaria said:
Or put a swimming hat over the opening of the bowl and tape up edges to the sides of the bowl. The char cloth/tinder can sit on swimming hat, the air tube can go through the hat. (tescos sells the cheapest).

I've just had a little think about this and I don't think the covering need be actually waterproof. It just needs to control the way the bubbles jostle the raft, I suspect a piece of cotton stretched tight across would do the job reasonably well.

Mind you other posts have got me thinking on how to make a primitive submarine ;)
Maybe a dug out canoe with rocks tied over it :D
 

xylaria

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
rich59 said:
Ah, the source of rubber diaphragms perhaps - the swimming hat! Might also be good for the hand drill variation.

The F.P nurse would never stop laughing if you asked for any other source of rubber diaphragm! :lmao:
Especially when you try and explain what you need it for. :yelrotflm
 
Interesting topic, hope you succeed.
Not really any help to you but I've seen a video where a hearth board was placed in a stream for half an hour then used to create fire with the usual bow drill method, it didn't take any longer than usual - quite impressive.
 

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