Fire with a chocolate bar and a coke can??lol

[lits]

Anyone else seen this?
lol, it sounds odd but i gave it a go and hey, it worked. Takes a bit of practise though...

http://trackertrail.com/survival/fire/cokeandchocolatebar/index.html

 

[anthonyyy]

Probably explains how a lot of forest fires start with sunlight concentrated by glass aluminium cans etc.

 

[lits]

lol i guess

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

"SIGH" I've lost track of the times some body wants to impress everyone with some arcane method of firemaking. If I hear one more born again Prometheus tell me " I can make fire with a raindrop, snow lens, 3 very common household chemicals" ad nauseum I'll torch their kit with a lifeboat match. Want to really impress somebody? Have a basic camp set up in minutes with water boiling over a warm fire and cocoa,tea or coffee waiting in a mug as your party walks tired into camp. Waste of good chocolate, a drink once reserved for kings and emporers

 

[zackerty]

"SIGH" I've lost track of the times some body wants to impress everyone with some arcane method of firemaking. If I hear one more born again Prometheus tell me " I can make fire with a raindrop, snow lens, 3 very common household chemicals" ad nauseum I'll torch their kit with a lifeboat match. Want to really impress somebody? Have a basic camp set up in minutes with water boiling over a warm fire and cocoa,tea or coffee waiting in a mug as your party walks tired into camp. Waste of good chocolate, a drink once reserved for kings and emporers

In the Army, we had one bright Guy, insist on using a grey putty for fire lighters.
We found out afterwards that he had dismantled a Landmine, and removed the contents! I know it is perfectly safe, when not contained and ignited by a spark, but some cig lighters throw a mighty mean batch of sparks!
Knives and Ferrorods would be a NO-NO!

 

[lits]

lol that could go horribly wrong

 

[rich59]

I had a go at this method this morning. No luck, although I was using a small can so the reflecting surface was quite small. I also did not have chocolate.

Anyway, the fundamental challenge seems to be to get a perfect mirror like surface. This is difficult with aluminium. Aluminium is a white metal. Indeed we recognise aluminium because of it white appearence. This means that it is giving a diffuse reflection.

I tried with a stainless steel soup spoon - I did manage to make a spot feel warm/ hot on my finger this way which is more than can be said for the aluminium can.

I searched around on the net for any reference to chocolate being a substitiute for jeweller's rouge and for buffing - with no luck.

Of the folks who report success I note that at least one had access to industrial type buffers.

Anyway when I get round to buying a standard size tin and some chocolate then I will try again.

Glad to hear that there is a variety of opproaches on the forum - from those keen to try something new to those who stick to practicalities.

 

[Ed]

A bigger can deffinatly helps..... the more light collected, the stronger/hotter it will be at the focal point and it will ignite you tinder alot faster (sometimes seconds with char cloth). Also remember to use dark chocolate (with a high cocoa content) not milk chocolate like a certain BCUK moderator who ended up with a can of chocolate sauce


Ed

 

[Goose]

If you can't find the right chocolate for polishing, I know cigarette ash works as a polish so I would assume that most ash would work.
I used to spit on the cloth and dip it in the ashtray it was pretty effective on brass.

 

[KIMBOKO]

For the purposes of trying out the reflector bit, just use brasso or other metal polish. I have been successful with a normal cola size can, polished with brasso and using charcloth (black to absorb heat) as the tinder on the end of a cocktail stick.
In making soda can stoves I have noticed that some cans are aluminium and some are iron this may make a difference.

 

[rich59]

Can I ask the folks that have been successful whether the can they used was aluminium or steel?

 

[Ed]

I used steel (it stuck to a magnet).... I thought that ali may be too dull.... havn't tried it though..... and used Lindt Excellence chocolate 85% cocoa

Ed

 

[rich59]

A few more questions. (I do a lot of that)

Can anyone say they have had success with an aluminium can then? Or is this method only possible with a steel can?

As regards chocolate - what is the science here? Why dark chocolate? Could I use cocoa powder? Would I lubricate it with oil/ butter/ water?

I am interested in the idea of chocolate used as a polisher. If it has any special properties over and above other things like ash etc then could it be in its melting point? It melts at about 30C I recall. So it might be abrasive when you start and then turn into a buffer as it gets hotter? So would the effect be different with a full, cold can, or on a cold day than with an empty can on a hot day, or if you put a lot of friction energy into it when the chocolate would be more liquid?

 

[lits]

When i managed it i used a steel can and dark choc. I suppose its possible with aliminium (i'll try it when i next have a soft drink.. ) I think it only works with dark choc due to the cocoa content , that probally means it works with some damp cocoa powder i havent tried tho.

I think the general idea is to scratch the dull surface off then buff it ( i have no idea how the chocolate does it )

Hope this helps

 

[rich59]

Sounds like I had better take a magnet to my corner shop to hunt out the right sort of tin.

 

[KIMBOKO]

Just found the cans I used last year both of which are aluminium. There no excuse for procrastination now... of course the suns not as strong as was when the thread was started.