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- Oct 19, 2005
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Char cloth is the key. No fire kit is complete without it IMO. PJ'd cotton balls are for wet conditions. If you use your firesteel with char cloth its great practice!
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Firestarting with a magnifying glass?
- Thread starter DaleW
- Start date
I used to do a lot of this as a kid- messing about burning insects etc 
However i only made proper fire with a 4" lens before i only had a 2.5"
The bigger lens catches much more light and gives a bigger image of the sun at focus. Also as said, you need dark coloured tinder or black paper. White coloured objects reflect most of the energy and to stare at the dot is probably not good for your eyes
However i only made proper fire with a 4" lens before i only had a 2.5"
The bigger lens catches much more light and gives a bigger image of the sun at focus. Also as said, you need dark coloured tinder or black paper. White coloured objects reflect most of the energy and to stare at the dot is probably not good for your eyes
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2006
- Messages
- 2,194
haha, except when it gets cold dark, and or raining and snowing at night
But seriously, It can be a viable way to start a fire, and for sure shouldn't be over looked.
Seeing that most of my hiking is on the wet side of the Cascades, the technique is low on my list, but I do carry a 1-1/2" lens with a leather cover for looking at rocks and such. You could knock the lens out of your binoculars or camera and one reply mentioned a rifle scope. Also, in my geography, if it is really cold (well below freezing) it is usually clear weather.
I carry matches, lighter, and firesteel in my PSK/hiking kit, along with tinder and Esbit fuel. If I can't get a fire started, I'm standing in a river in the rain, but I sure don't want to be a hindsight statistic--- "geez, the guy had a magnifying glass, why didn't he...."