Fresnel Magnyfier Fire

B

B. Miller

Joined
Aug 22, 1999
Messages
159
To all of you in firestarting land. I have one of those Fresnal pocket magnyfiers, but can't seem to get a temperature high enough for ignition. I've done all the preliminary things, make sure the sun is shining, use real fine wood chips, etc. Could someone enlighten me on what I might be doing wrong. I'll keep you updated. I don't get too many chances to practice, as I live in Western Washington.
 
Haven't done it since I was a kid, but I always had the best luck with paper. Kleenex, toilet tissue or other assorted light stuff. Milkweed silk might work. Any one else got any ideas. Also I had better luck with holding the lens closer to the material.
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I would try practicing with something a lot smaller, as JJ suggested tissue paper, etc.

Some other ideas would be to take a MFS and scape yourself a pile and see if you can ignite that first. Not sure, but you may need an actual spark to ignite it?!

Try cotton balls pulled apart and very fine.

Then use your imagination...Dryer lint, etc.




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Although it had not prompted widespread interest
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at that time, I posted my experience before. If interested, see:
http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum18/HTML/000516.html

Hope I helped,

HM

I believe that color of the tinder can matter in this case. Fibrous bundle of juniper bark worked well. Small wood pieces turned into glowing ember and upon puffing they ignited the fibers.
 
HM, A post with no response?? You must have some kind of record (Guiness type, for you wise a.... types).

There was a post on fire starting a long time ago that mentioned a fresnel lens (by Spark, perhaps).

I keep looking for a wallet sized one, but have not found one. The best I managed was at Barnes & Noble ...we used to have some, but have not had any for a long time...sigh.

I do have a fresnel lens, though, but a little too big for my wallet. Cotton balls did not work well, if at all, with a magnifying glass. Of course I only tried for a little while, but HM's experience seems to confirm mine. Since they work great with a sparking rod, I suspect it is mainly a matter of color...too white and reflective. I found the darker the better.
 
DONALD,

If you want, e-mail me, and give me your adress, I'll be more then happy to send you an extra pocket size Fresnel Magnifyer.
 
Thanks Donald for the recognition. That kind of record was never my deepest desire, however.
I am glad that your observations confirm mine suggesting that there are still untold tricks of fire starting with a lens. Further childhood memories tell me that black paper was a better tinder than white.
Further possibilities to explore:
lens and charred clothes, charcoal, chemical tinders (alcohols, hexamine) and so forth. Also, a larger size lens supposingly focuses more light in the same focus point. Barnes and Noble sells up to letter paper size, I believe.

BTW, I got my Fresnel from Pearl Art Supplier.

HM
 
How about trying to focus the fresnel lens on punkwood or dried buckeye leaves? That's how I used to do it with a standard magnifying lens as a kid.

Mike
 
Hi B. Miller,

I hope you have the right side of the fresnell lens pointing to the sun, you must have the ribbed side towards the sun.

I just experimented using a small credit card sized fresnell lens trying to get tinder going last Sunday.
I used finely teared tissue but also dried moss and dried fine hay.

The trick is to get it glowing inside the mount of tinder and then gentle supply oxygen by blowing. If the moss or tissue starts to glow and enough tinder is around that part it will catch fire.

Don't expect it to happen immediately, it took me 25 minutes the first time.

Just try again and again, you'll notice that even the tiny fresnell lens (creditcard sized) produces a massive amount of "pinpoint" heat. Do it on a cherry pit and you'll burn a hole through it if you're a little patient.

Cheers, from Holland

Bagheera

By the way our Scoutingclubs Large Military Firesteels get a fire burning much quicker (instantly) I still have some left.
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I cannot believe you lamers are trying to fool around with minimalist equipment! Get real; if your tush is on the line, you need a Fresnel lens with some juice!!

You can get one about a foot square from Edmond Scientific ($20), and this puppy roars! It will melt ROCK (and most metals) and set fire to darn near anything. Don't forget the welding goggles (I am NOT kidding) to protect your eyes. Check out the pics here:
http://users.intercomm.com/ajones/fresnel/fresnel.htm

Leave the wallet sized ones for the Cub Scouts; we are MEN here!!!
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Walt

PS; to see why you keep the ridges towards the sun, and to see some absolutely gorgeous Fresnel lenses, go here: http://zuma.lib.utk.edu/lights/fresnel.html

What is that you say? Well, yes, the ridges are on the outside of the lens, but that is because the lens is designed to turn a point source of light into a parallel beam. Which will shine a long way out to sea. When you use a Fresnel lens to start a fire, you want to do the opposite; take parallel beams of light and concentrate them all in a point. Imagine the light going backwards in a Fresnel lighthouse lens, from outside to the focal point and you will understand. Walt

[This message has been edited by Walt Welch (edited 06-21-2000).]
 
Shooooot, I should carry now some welding goggles too in my bug-out-bag!
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....besides the oak solar stand.

HM

 
For you foragers, there is a large fresnel lens in an overhead projector. I got a few of them from a lady who maintained the projectors for a school district. If the machines overheat the plastic lenses warp and have to be replaced. She was throwing the warped ones away.
 
Hey, you never know when you'll have to melt your name into a rock.

And what happens if you're in a corporate board meeting when society collapses? While the others are fighting over the diet sodas you could surreptiously remove the fresnel lens from the projector and have a leg up on survival.
 
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