Fresnel Failure!!

W

william O

Joined
Feb 5, 2009
Messages
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Any tips on starting a fire with a fesnel lense? I failed today. Almost noon, clear sunny sky. Made a little nest with unravelled jute twine, focused light, held steady, but couldn't produce anything beyond a light smoke. Is there a better tinder I should use, or might my technique off. Thanks for any tips! William
 
Its not going to produce an open flame. It is used to get an ember started, thats when you start blowing to feed the ember.
 
SIXFOOTER said:
Its not going to produce an open flame. It is used to get an ember started, thats when you start blowing to feed the ember.
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Good advice from six. I would add to that my tinderbundles for this method are packed a little tighter than when using coal from friction fire or char cloth. Also, with the lens itself, hold it parallel to the tinder (AND SUN) moving the lens (or tinder) in distance. You can get the light hotter doing it this way versus angling the lens. Try to keep it all in line (tinder, lens, sun). Sounds silly but makes a big difference.
 
birch bark. use the dark side as the light side will not usually go into flame like the dark side.
 
william O said:
Any tips on starting a fire with a fesnel lense? I failed today. Almost noon, clear sunny sky. Made a little nest with unravelled jute twine, focused light, held steady, but couldn't produce anything beyond a light smoke. Is there a better tinder I should use, or might my technique off. Thanks for any tips! William
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Use a bigger one. I can light my concrete patio on fire with one that is about 12" x 12". :D

But seriously, try the other side. I can't remember which side is better, but I think I usually have the textured side up. One side will focus better than the other. I can get open flames with most tinders out there after holding it on a focused spot for a while.
 
Don't try it at night!
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Try to create a coal in the center of your nest with something appropriate. Try char cloth, punky wood, or tinder fungus, then blow it up into a flame. I have no problem with the small 2x3 lenses. It really helps if you use a coal extender like cat tail fluff in a little nest around your char cloth, tinder fungus etc. This is true for any coal.
 
william O said:
Any tips on starting a fire with a fesnel lense? I failed today. Almost noon, clear sunny sky. Made a little nest with unravelled jute twine, focused light, held steady, but couldn't produce anything beyond a light smoke. Is there a better tinder I should use, or might my technique off. Thanks for any tips! William
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Did you blow when it started to smoke?
 
I have found that true tinder fungus lights before the beam from a 2x3 lens is even totally focused, the stuff is scary.
 
For jute twine I would not fluff it up at all. Use it like a slow match, get it smoking and blow gently to extend the ember until it bursts into flame. As has been mentioned darker tender works better and solid pieces. I was told a tinder nest doesn't do as well because all the fibers are at different distances from the lense making it difficult to focus. If it takes more than 10 seconds to get smoke then you need to adjust something.

David
 
DOC-CANADA said:
Here's an even smaller lens (Victorinox Swiss Champ) used with True Tinder fungus (Inonotus obliquus):

firewithSAK2-forphotobucket.jpg


firewithSAK3-forphotobucket.jpg


As was mentioned, use a dark tinder.

Doc
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Hey Doc,
That’s quite an ingenious way to hold that small piece of tinder fungus!
 
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