Coke can fire starting trick

Huh. If one has a non-smashed or severly eroded coke can and a chocolate bar handy...they probably 1) have matches or lighter or 2) are not yet in such dire straits as to need a fire immediately. But, still...pretty cool trick. I'm going to try it this weekend.
I wonder if chocoalte would polish INFI?
 
mmm...Toblerone. One of my favourite chocolate bars. Second only to the might Cherry Ripe.
 
I've seen this around before, and though it may be possible, I bet it's about as easy as starting a fire with ice.
 
In my post above, I almost wrote "I'm going to try it tonight." Now THAT would be about as easy as starting a fire with ice.
 
great, i'd have to go to another state just to start a camp fire. it's cloudy most of the time in PA.
 
Cute. I was wondering where the chocolate came in. I'm less interested in making fires when it's clear and sunny as opposed to dark and raining, and I don't generally drag either chocolate or soft drinks around outside, but it's cute.

Gordon
 
Weren't bot the coke can and ice on Myth Busters?
I think they determined that the coke can might be possible, but would take forever and the ice one wouldn't work because it wasn't optical quality and the focal length changes as the ice melts.
 
Actually, this website had the instructions to make both the soda-can fire, and the ice-lens fire, loooong before the myths were on Myth Busters.
And to be fair, i trust the people at wildwoodsurvival, more than the trials of MythBusters. They did try to make the lenses of ice, outside, in what appeared to be 60-70 degrees F.
And in a survival situation, where there is ice, it doesn`t melt as quickly as it did in that particular MythBusters episode.
Also, they did try the soda-can myth, and they did achieve some results, but in my opinion, they were too impatient. Actually, the MythBusters crew, could probably have learned a thing or two, by reading the wildwoodsurvival website.
Not saying it`s an optimal thing, or that it`s even possible in a survival situation, as i`ve never tried it myself. But to follow the logic in it, it seems that the toblerone works better than most chocolate, as it contains a few hard particles. (Nuts, honey and other stuff.) Which might help with polishing the can, more than other chocolates. But, again, i don`t know, since i`ve not tried it.
But my opinion, is that the toblerone is too good to use on a soda-can.
If in a survival situation, i`d rather eat the toblerone, and spend the extra energy i get from it, finding other ways to make fire.
 
I don't think Rob or Walter, or anybody else associated with Wildwood Survival are suggesting these are alternate, viable survival techniques. It's just the result of one man's (Rob's) passion for finding as many different techniques for making fires, as possible.

If Rob says he can do it, he can.

Doc
 
aarya said:
...Also, they did try the soda-can myth, and they did achieve some results, but in my opinion, they were too impatient....
Click to expand...
My recollection on this scene was actually a good tip: holding the soda can, it took a very long time to start a fire due to natural movements of the hand. However, placing the soda can on a steady surface and carefully positioning it started a fire fairly quickly.

The fire-from-ice thing was rushed, though...although, if you read the directions carefully, they do warn you that the ice needs to be very oxygen-free, which is tough to do in many circumstances.
 
Hey Guys...

The same can be done with the reflector of a flashlight,, such as a Mag-lite...

A parabolic mirror can be a Very powerful thing...

Upnorth..

I invite you over to Les Stroud's forums:

http://www.lesstroudonline.com/board/

i'm in the process of making a mirror out of a pop can,, however it is a Very slow process..I'm currently using tooth paste and comet to do the polishing..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
I heard about the coke can trick awhile back and had to try it.The bottom of the can does make a great reflecter if polished up nice.Tooth paste works alot better than I thought it would,but if your at home and just wana try it happich simichrome polish makes a mirror out of aluminum pretty quick lol.:D

I've had good results lighting rotten wood,poplar bark and of course charcloth,which lights as soon as you get the sun focused on it.:thumbup:
 
As the good Doctor points out, it's not necessarily recommended practice--more of a proof-of-concept experiment. The chief concerns I have with the can method are:

(a) how likely are you to find or have a good polishing material in the field (unless you prepare, in which case you have better methods of fire-starting to have with you)

which leads to

(b) the length of time, and energy expenditure, required to start a fire with this method. How efficient a process is this? Me, I suspect it's a little inefficient.
 
Hey Guys..

I think it's more of a matter of It Can Be Done, more than Is it Reiable or Feasable method of making fire...

If you have fire already, then making one would keep you busy, as well as give you a secondary method..

However if you have nothing else, and no other skill,, it can be done in a pinch...

I think it's a worthy method of at least trying once to success...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Oh yeah, no arguments here. Actually, the website referred in the original posts have a whole bunch of really cool methods-- including using a wine glass filled with water. Neat stuff.

And ultimately, the principle of identifying and using a parabola to start a fire is the real lesson here...not the exact method.
 
Normark said:
Hey Guys...

The same can be done with the reflector of a flashlight,, such as a Mag-lite...

A parabolic mirror can be a Very powerful thing...

Upnorth..

I invite you over to Les Stroud's forums:

http://www.lesstroudonline.com/board/

i'm in the process of making a mirror out of a pop can,, however it is a Very slow process..I'm currently using tooth paste and comet to do the polishing..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
Click to expand...

Thanks Normark, I'd love to get on that site. However, I made an initial atempt weeks ago, got in, then lost my PW by inadvertently dumping the email. I asked a host to dump my info to start over and he did, except that he forgot to dump my email addy, which caused a new round of conflict. I think that I tried to get on in various ways about three times now. I'll try one more time, then forget it if it doesn't work out.......I will say however that I am surprised at the number of negative responses toward this pop can fire thread. This was just an unusual and interesting piece that caught my eye. I never claimed that people can shine up a can then level forests with it. I was attracted to the article because of the shear ingenuity in using commonly available materials in a unique manner, to start a fire. Sadly, I see pop cans all over the north, beside the road, in the bush, you'd be surprised. I saw this as a possible "garbage find" emergency application. And believe me, if I had nothing with me, I'd sure try it. Even if I never tried this technique, the "thinking out of the box" concept is enlightening.:thumbup:
 
I can definitely appreciate the ingenuity that went into this as well as a pragmatic application.

My family has a remote cabin accessible only by boat or airplane. In that cabin is stocked pepsi, canned food, etc.

It's not at all uncommon for us to go caribou hunting, grab a bag of chips, sandwich, and a can of pepsi, jump in the boat and head out for the day. Once out on that boat and goin' down the river, things can happen very, very quickly, and I guarantee you are a loooong way from help.

Similar things can happen with aircraft, and snowmachines. Heck, for that matter I've had a scrape or two canoeing.

I guess my point is that being away from help, on your own and needing to improvise doesn't always necessarily involve hoofing it into the woods with nothing but a loincloth and a flint knife.
 
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