Magnifying glass

[Yorkshire Boy]

I know if it's not raining in the UK it's over cast and grey.
But does anyone pack a magnifying glass for fire lighting?
They're light, waterproof and good fun to use.
Plus they come in handy when trying to remove a splinter!
All the best, JC

 

[mace242]

I have one on my compass - Suppose I could use that. In fact I'm goignt to give it a try (the fire lighting that is, not the splinter removal)

 

[fred gordon]

Since I am always looking at things close up I carry a x10 magnifier with me all the time. I have tried it for making fire and it can work well. However, it can be a bit of a fiddle.

 

[-Switch-]

I know if it's not raining in the UK it's over cast and grey.
But does anyone pack a magnifying glass for fire lighting?
They're light, waterproof and good fun to use.
Plus they come in handy when trying to remove a splinter!
All the best, JC

Just remember not to remove that splinter with a strong sun directly behind you

Magnifying glasses can also be used for burning patterns into wood (think spoon handles/ breadboards etc.) but it takes a bit of practice and helps if you wear dark glasses as looking straight at the concentrated sunlight for a long time can mess up your eyes.

The same firelighting principal can be applied with cd's, clear condoms full of water, flexible mirrors, binocular lenses etc. and they all take a bit of practise. Unfortunately we don't really get enough strong sunlight for good experimentation

 

[Galemys]

The same firelighting principal can be applied with cd's(

With CD´s?!?

Go on Switch, tell us...

Tom

 

[-Switch-]

With CD´s?!?

Go on Switch, tell us...

Tom

Ok
It's not something I've tried but I've read the theory and it sounds plausible.

You use the shiny side of the CD to reflect sunlight onto your tinder, then bend the reflective side inward to achieve a more concentrated beam of light and heat. The sun needs to be hot and the tinder very dry and of the best quality.

I'd be interested to know if anyone can get it to work

 

[Mike Ameling]

I have a tinder box that I carry sometimes with my flint and steel for fire lighting. It has a magnifying lens built into the top of it. It's based on originals made in the late 1700's, but mostly the early 1800's.

It's fun to use occasionally. And we do get a tad more sunshine over here - altho we do have to dodge a few more tornadoes.

Mike - out in the Hinterlands of Nouvelle France

 

[hammock monkey]

i'm surprised that the lense on a silva etc isnt mentioned more often as an easy firelighting option in most books. i dont think i've read it at all in fact - (but there are hundreds of books i havent read - yet!)
i dont think silva mention it either in their instructions.

 

[Neanderthal]

A few years ago in sunny Colorado I spent ages trying to get this working before success. The other day I managed to get an ember at home in about 20 seconds. The secret is in the materials you are trying to ignite.

On the first try I was using wood punk and tiny bits of wood to get an ember, this time I used a piece of dry Crampball fungus which caught very quickly and when transfered to a tinder bundle soon created fire.

Stu

 

[rich59]

I like to carry a lens for fire lighting. But like many other primitive fire lighting techniques it takes practice to be useful.

The lens on a silva compas is pretty small. Like Neanderthal's experience when I have tried small lenses then you need the very best tinder to create the initial coal.

I like the idea that essentially it takes no physical effort to use and if looked after would last a lifetime or more. Most days there is some sunshine even in the UK I find (even if it is just 30 seconds).

 

[jojo]

I bought a small kit for repairing glasses some while back, it has a small magnifying plastic lens, a tiny screw driver and screws, haven't not used it for the glasses yet but have lit some char cloth tinder and a fire with it. Started very easily.

Mind you I had practice when I was a kid: I used to use a lens to burn little red mites, they just exploded and dissapeared! Kids can be 'orrible, I obviously was . I would not dream of doing this ever again

 

[Neanderthal]

These things slide flat down the back of your rucksack.

Smoke, smoke, smoke, POP!, Fire.

Stu

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

Thats not a magnifying glass, this is a magnifying glass! :notworthy

Hey Neanderthal before I came to Japan (been here 3 months now),
I lived in Leeds for 21 years. A shame we couldn't have hooked up with our magnifiers!

I (when I was 9 yrs old) cooked insects. Very bad I know.
In this case it was wood lice.
No I didn't eat them!

I was amazed at just how powerful you could get the beam.
I would look away and still be able to see a bright point even when I shut my eyes.
I could get a little fire going before I would stamp it out and try again.
1986 must've been a hot summer!!!

As adults I think sunglasses are a must have item for this technique.
Failing eyesight and wot not...:borgsmile

Anyway, I bought a magnify glass in a 100 yen store. (About 50p).
It's pretty good, I don't know when I'll get to use it, just another toy I guess.
But the Sun is very powerful over here, no probs starting a fire.

p.s. I found a folding saw for under a tenner in a supermarket. Much better looking than the cheap garden centre stuff in the UK. Infact it looks like a Laplander copy. I might get it tomorrow.

My girlfriend will kill me if she sees it.

JC.

 

[andy_bell]

I've used a lense in the uk year round for starting fire, it works great with dried fungus, horses hoof is fantastic no treatment required just dry it out, even razor strop can be used and I cant get that to smoulder with anything else. My favourite tinder is dry punk wood. a lense has to be one of the easiest ways of generating a coal and as long as you have a half decent lense it is reliable any day that there is a bit of sunshine.

 

[clcuckow]

I always carry one of these credit card size fresnel lens in my wallet. They work really well and are as cheap as chips! Well more like as cheap as a packet of crisps

 

[rapidboy]

Never tried it myself, is it the mag or the size of the glass that matters ?

 

[dommyracer]

Don't carry one these days, but always used to have one in my pocket in years gone buy.

I remember one scout camp I made a few quid offering the service of burning foam kipmats with the owner's name...

 

[fredcraft]

Never tried it myself, is it the mag or the size of the glass that matters ?

I've managed to make good embers with a small magnifying lens. As long as you can focus the sunbeams in a concentrated point, you can create fire. As opposed to what some people will tell you, size does not matter !

 

[clcuckow]

Never tried it myself, is it the mag or the size of the glass that matters ?

It's the size that matters as this is in effect the energy collector the magnification is just the focal distance. For example the large heliostat 'experimental' powerstations (although they use mirrors instead of lens) have a very low magnification (long focal length) but a huge effective 'lens' size.

That said like 'fredcraft' I have not had a problem with the small credit card and smaller lens.

 

[fredcraft]

It's the size that matters as this is in effect the energy collector the magnification is just the focal distance. For example the large heliostat 'experimental' powerstations (although they use mirrors instead of lens) have a very low magnification (long focal length) but a huge effective 'lens' size.

That said like 'fredcraft' I have not had a problem with the small credit card and smaller lens.

Well, I've learned something today, sowwy about the misinformation !