How to Start a Fire with a Magnifying Glass

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  • čas přidán 27. 08. 2012
  • Starting a fire with two different magnifying lenses. For the post on how to make char cloth that I refer to in the video, go here: foodstorageandsurvival.com/how... If you don't want to use char cloth or don't have any, you can catch different tinder on fire easier than a napkin--newspaper works better, as do some dry grasses/organic material. Char cloth just speeds the process up regardless of the tinder you choose to use and makes getting a fire started a lot more reliable. Cameo appearances by my crazy dog.
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Komentáře • 363

  • @valuedhumanoid6574
    @valuedhumanoid6574 Před 6 lety +43

    I have a 10" focusing lens from a university laser lab. When they upgraded their lab, they auctioned off all their obsolete gear and I got it from a flea market. It is crazy high end. It is highly polished and the convex side is ground to within a few millionths of an inch and I accidentally burnt a hole in a leather boot not paying attention to where I had it aimed. I take it camping and it is used for heating water, starting fires and anything else where heat is needed. When I hit a piece of fatwood it burst into flames in a few seconds. I paid dearly for it, but it is not only super fun, but super handy. Any lens will suffice, but when it's made to focus laser beams, you are at a whole new level

  • @maglev_
    @maglev_ Před 5 lety +112

    Any darker material will work better than the paper towel, the paper towel reflects too much light to take on enough heat to combust/ burn

  • @preparedsurvivalist2245
    @preparedsurvivalist2245 Před 10 lety +118

    The key to lighting paper and not having it just smolder is to compact it and wad it up. Normally that is not what you want to do with tinder, since you typically fluff it out to let the air in. But with paper and other tinders, you need to keep it packed closely together so that when the ray of light burns through it, multiple layers are being lit at the same time. This increases the amount of heat in a concentrated area and allows for the flame to form much more easily.

    • @shaunbarnett2972
      @shaunbarnett2972 Před 2 lety +4

      This is not correct I'm afraid. The key to igniting paper with a magnifying glass is to select paper of a dark colour which will absorb much more of the sun's radiation - including infra red - than white paper, and therefore get hot much more quickly. Even orange or red paper will ignite much faster than white paper. White paper reflects back most of the radiation you're trying to focus on it and is almost impossible to ignite using a magnifying glass. Even newspaper will ignite more easily than white paper if the light is focused on a printed section of the paper. In any case, there is no need at all to compact the paper, just a single sheet will burst into flames on a hot day very easily. I've done this many times as a child.

    • @doclime4792
      @doclime4792 Před rokem +8

      @@shaunbarnett2972 oh right because it's impossible for two things to be correct. One always always has to be wrong.

    • @chefpurr6134
      @chefpurr6134 Před rokem

      🤩

  • @Hazza4257
    @Hazza4257 Před 9 lety +118

    It's the circle of light!
    And it moves us all
    Through despair and hope...

  • @matthewcupelli5901
    @matthewcupelli5901 Před 8 lety +43

    look how happy the dog is :D

  • @hollow_9476
    @hollow_9476 Před 2 lety +24

    This brought back so many memories back when i was a kid and used to capture flies and burn them with magnifying glass 😂😂

    • @debismendoza580
      @debismendoza580 Před rokem +4

      That sounds terrible 😕

    • @hollow_9476
      @hollow_9476 Před rokem +7

      @@debismendoza580 It's a fly ... 🤦‍♂️

    • @debismendoza580
      @debismendoza580 Před rokem +3

      @@hollow_9476 you're a fly killer man

    • @hollow_9476
      @hollow_9476 Před rokem +3

      @@debismendoza580 😂😂😂

    • @lightningstudios113
      @lightningstudios113 Před rokem +7

      @@hollow_9476 if you do it with mosquitos you benefit humanity by getting rid of them and doing it in a fun way

  • @Ckrystalxmeep
    @Ckrystalxmeep Před 7 lety +38

    i just found the dog super cute :p

  • @glasnya
    @glasnya Před 9 lety +12

    Your dog is adorable

  • @nakedfaves4445
    @nakedfaves4445 Před 8 lety +5

    In winter time you can try to make the same kind of magnifying glass from a section of CLEAR ice. For example, you could try to cut a section of lake ice.
    If there are "bubbles" or "dirt" in the section of ice that you pick it might not work.
    You can also try to use a drop of water on a pair of eyeglasses.

  • @krodkrod8132
    @krodkrod8132 Před rokem +3

    I always take small sticks and pound them to pulp with a rock. They ignite really quick. If there are pine trees around grab some of the sticky sap off it and mix it with the pulp. (pine pitch). It will go up like a torch. It so easy to ignite you could probably get it going just by yelling at it.

  • @erichayes4661
    @erichayes4661 Před 2 lety +4

    The reason the white paper towel doesn't work as well is because white reflects heat. Once you char it a bit it works better. That's why the charcloth works better. It is black and absorbs and concentrates heat better. I have had a lot of success in fire starting with a magnifying glass by using darker and finer materials like dryer lint.

  • @paull2937
    @paull2937 Před rokem +2

    I tried to do this to fry an egg after realizing it wasn’t hot enough outside, but it didn’t work. What did I do wrong?

  • @goldendusty1951
    @goldendusty1951 Před 2 lety +6

    Used to start a fire using dry leaves & a regular magnifying glass as a kid.It took awhile. Recently showed my grandsons how to do this & it literally took less than 10 seconds! Something has definitely changed with our sun

    • @gus6910
      @gus6910 Před rokem +1

      When you were a kid you probably did it when the uv was lower maybe you were in a different area or doing it late in the afternoon or in winter if you do it in australia in summer in the middle of the day it takes 5 seconds

    • @ay5960
      @ay5960 Před 5 měsíci

      I also used to play around with dry leaves and a magnifying glass a lot when I was a kid. I don't remember being able to create flames though.

  • @bigdmdiddy
    @bigdmdiddy Před 8 lety +7

    I've done a similar test and like other comments mentioned, the white of the material (I've used paper or paper towels) reflects a lot of the light. I had to char the lighter material for a while using a lens before going back and then setting the darker areas alight. I then tried using just a pen and pencil to draw a line on the paper, and it caught much easier. Next time, just smudge a little dirt on the paper/material if it is light colored and you'll have much better luck.

  • @kevinmencer3782
    @kevinmencer3782 Před 2 lety +2

    Having a traditional magnifying glass with a good handle makes it much easier; being able to hold the dot steady means heat builds faster than when it's dancing around.

  • @gignaposixsix9821
    @gignaposixsix9821 Před rokem

    Greta video, the doggy makes a perfect addition to it, thanks for posting !

  • @sikskulll
    @sikskulll Před 6 lety +30

    Should u look at the spot that's doing the burning because my i feel blind after I keep looking at it lol

    • @Swagmittens
      @Swagmittens Před 6 lety +1

      •Limitless • wear sunglasses while looking at the dot

    • @jasondeng7677
      @jasondeng7677 Před 5 lety +4

      i try not to look at the dot.
      it's pretty much like looking at the sun.
      so...

    • @bufordpusser424
      @bufordpusser424 Před 4 lety +2

      LucidDr3amzz, if you can make a holder for the magnifying glass so that the glass itself doesn't move 1 millimeter than no you shouldn't. Once you get the beam of light going just make sure the glass doesn't move and you can walk away from the situation completely about 5 - 15 feet.

    • @TheLegend_TL
      @TheLegend_TL Před 3 lety +1

      It is dangerous for your eyes so make sure not to look at it too much

  • @n1msu
    @n1msu Před 2 lety +5

    I've always wanted to do this. Being able to harness the massive amount of energy blasted to earth by the sun! Thanks for this video.

    • @danko5866
      @danko5866 Před rokem +1

      The power of sun in the palm of my hands

  • @EchoesofLore
    @EchoesofLore Před rokem +2

    Who knew my skills of burning ants as a kid with a magnifying glass would come in handy!

  • @moople2
    @moople2 Před 7 lety +2

    Funny I came across this. Just the other day I lit my friend's cigarette for him with a 4" lens without him even dragging on it, lol!
    A couple suggestions to make lighting fires this way easier (from a physicist):
    1. White reflects a lot of light, but black/dark materials absorb much more of it. That's why the black stuff you used helped so much.
    2. If possible (which it usually isn't in survival scenarios), angle the surface you're trying to burn so that the sun's light hit's it perpendicularly. The sun's usually at an angle, so if you focus it on flat ground, the image is spread out a bit more.
    3. Get a 1000 mW blue laser. They light everything on fire within 3 feet. AND they work in the rain/night. lol!

  • @rzjk301
    @rzjk301 Před 5 lety +1

    The dog wanted to play LOL! Too cute!

  • @SagarLalawat36
    @SagarLalawat36 Před 4 lety +4

    Quarantine week 2 ! And I'm here 😂🙄

  • @unipalooza.
    @unipalooza. Před 8 lety +134

    I started a fire using a magnifying glass with mulch at school

    • @bryangaytan9632
      @bryangaytan9632 Před 8 lety +21

      And did you burn the school down?

    • @unipalooza.
      @unipalooza. Před 8 lety +16

      +Bryan Gaytan no

    • @unipalooza.
      @unipalooza. Před 8 lety +26

      +Jorgan Morgan™ sadly

    • @butwhy7718
      @butwhy7718 Před 6 lety +2

      Jorgan Morgan™ lol I saw u doing it!

    • @flappy1602
      @flappy1602 Před 6 lety +10

      i wish you burnt the school down even if it was not my school

  • @amylonga8093
    @amylonga8093 Před 8 lety +23

    can you use glasses

  • @zwadiedude
    @zwadiedude Před 3 lety +1

    Can a magnifying glass of 5 times zoom start a fire I want to buy a magnifying glass necklace and I was wondering if a five times zoom lens would have the power to start a fire.

  • @420Lethal
    @420Lethal Před rokem +1

    I wonder if any accidental fires have started bc of the sun doing this to random objects that can magnify

  • @clint8u
    @clint8u Před 2 lety

    Nice job… windy day was the trick and you still got it going

  • @thedetective8150
    @thedetective8150 Před 2 lety +1

    Using dry grass or dry leaves ignites faster than paper. I started fires 🔥 like this as a kid in the Boy Scouts.

  • @Milkyleo12
    @Milkyleo12 Před rokem

    Would it work if you try it on sticks?

  • @ACTIVATEDADNANSALIMI1969
    @ACTIVATEDADNANSALIMI1969 Před 2 lety +1

    where do you get magnifying glass without handle?

  • @BigEightiesNewWave
    @BigEightiesNewWave Před 3 měsíci

    I remember this as a kid, decades ago.

  • @jasonlarose3226
    @jasonlarose3226 Před 9 lety +302

    Great now I'm about to go burn some ants hehehe

    • @Abdulkingtheyoutuber
      @Abdulkingtheyoutuber Před 9 lety +19

      not good, Ants never harm you, Except the black ones. You can burn the black ants BUT NOT THE RED.

    • @goshuataylor3386
      @goshuataylor3386 Před 9 lety +90

      I have lots of black ants at my home. They don't bite at all. But whenever i'm outside like at the park red ants always bite me...
      BURN THE RED ANTS M8!

    • @Grobenojaz
      @Grobenojaz Před 8 lety +7

      +The MLG Noob You mean the big red ants???

    • @goshuataylor3386
      @goshuataylor3386 Před 8 lety +6

      They're pretty small actually.

    • @elimgrc1292
      @elimgrc1292 Před 7 lety +17

      Burn butts not ants ;-)

  • @Mj_26584
    @Mj_26584 Před 3 lety

    Thanks a lot. Love from Bangladesh

  • @tubby4994
    @tubby4994 Před 9 lety +1

    My friends did this at school with his glasses. We could smell smoke. It was fun.

  • @mrfuzzerkins4170
    @mrfuzzerkins4170 Před 7 lety

    I have a magnifier but I us it on a stick or a old pace of wood in a house then I tun it in to a torch it takes me 20 to 90 seconds to set it on fire

  • @ltuyettrinh2
    @ltuyettrinh2 Před 9 lety +1

    Love it!

  • @dallashughbanks4884
    @dallashughbanks4884 Před měsícem

    lint from a dryer works even better

  • @wolfmaan
    @wolfmaan Před 5 lety

    Fantastic, thanks!

  • @savioschit-chats1950
    @savioschit-chats1950 Před 3 lety +1

    1:50 that is because the paper is super bright and white, so it will reflect off all the light and heat. But a black paper will absorb all the light and heat, so it will catch on fire quickly

  • @shanedaniel8954
    @shanedaniel8954 Před 2 lety +2

    It would be cool to build a little contraption that would let you set the magnifying glass on it and you can crank it up or down, so you don’t have to hold the magnifying glass while you’re waiting for the fire to start. Probably a lot easier too because it would make it steadier.

    • @lizchatfield692
      @lizchatfield692 Před 10 měsíci +1

      You should make one and post it so we can see what it looks like . its a good idea .

    • @shanedaniel8954
      @shanedaniel8954 Před 10 měsíci

      @@lizchatfield692 lol touche

  • @enjoyeverymoments7178
    @enjoyeverymoments7178 Před 2 lety +1

    I also try it with my lens but I wait for half an hour but it didn't work 😢😭😐 I use writing paper but not tissue paper , is that OK 🙏

  • @AndyYungChow
    @AndyYungChow Před 9 lety

    nice ... if you take a concave reflector for starting fires... u can make a spotlight/ flashlight from fire sources (lighter/ matches/ torch works too about 30 feet away) ( solar lights sort of works with phones
    and is good for seeing your face in ...
    Bigger = easier to focus light even with partly sunny skies..
    Tinder that's dark well start burning faster...

  • @vijaymalapatil8867
    @vijaymalapatil8867 Před 3 lety

    Thats so cool!

  • @kevinbutler5491
    @kevinbutler5491 Před 5 lety

    Come on mom play with me!! Good vid and loved your pup videobombing!

  • @Peachy_mattchu
    @Peachy_mattchu Před 3 lety

    Someone on my class did this in chemistry. The teacher didn't notice them but they got a stick and put the a magnifying(cause we were looking into flowers) and put it in the sun.

  • @battlehrfred
    @battlehrfred Před 6 lety +2

    Hi i was wondering what Magnification is these mirrors? Would it be 3X , 5X.. 9X..?? ty Great DEMO

    • @antidulvian666
      @antidulvian666 Před 4 lety +2

      Seriously. Nobody seems to mention this. I bought 10x (Amazon/China) but couldn't start a cotton ball (easiest tinder I've found)

    • @Annie-ph8vq
      @Annie-ph8vq Před 4 lety

      @@antidulvian666 I started a cotton ball with ease with my 3x.

    • @beerme27
      @beerme27 Před 11 měsíci

      @@Annie-ph8vq teach us grand masta.

  • @Trisontraileryt1738
    @Trisontraileryt1738 Před 2 lety

    The focal point of the magnifying is at work.

  • @matitsarichie111
    @matitsarichie111 Před 5 měsíci +4

    Don’t try this at night!

  • @themushroominside6540
    @themushroominside6540 Před 10 lety

    can you use cotton balls?

  • @Araylie
    @Araylie Před rokem

    That doggo though 😂☺

  • @ObezJaz
    @ObezJaz Před 4 lety +1

    I already did it without this video but i searched on google how to amplify the effect of a magnifying glass and i found this.... and i made fire with only a magnifying glass ,dry leaves and dried long grass(the magnifying glass was much smaller than the one in this video)

  • @Freakmaster480
    @Freakmaster480 Před 10 lety

    I hate to sound rude but the reason the paper towel wouldn't light was what you said and it is white so it will reflect the light more effiently than black

  • @Rob0917
    @Rob0917 Před 2 měsíci

    The dog wants to play 😂

  • @androidplayer1235
    @androidplayer1235 Před 6 lety

    i just found a sigaret box with few.. ...in it and pointed a magnifying glass dot on it, it started smoking and i put a paper towel on top of it and poured olive oil on it and it immediately started flaming

  • @georgelouis6515
    @georgelouis6515 Před 10 lety +2

    I love your video. I wanted to know the angle of the light and how it works and I don't have a magnifying glass to play around with. I am broke, do you know where I can get a free magnifying glass?

    • @FoodStorageandSurvival
      @FoodStorageandSurvival  Před 10 lety

      You may be able to get the fresnel lens type of magnifyer at your local pharmacy. Some have them available for free to help those with vision problems be able to read their medication bottles. Other than that, not sure where you'd get one for free.

    • @georgelouis6515
      @georgelouis6515 Před 10 lety +1

      Food Storage and Survival
      Thank you.

    • @BlueSpades7
      @BlueSpades7 Před 8 lety

      +George Louis Wait a second, so your broke, yet you have a computer and internet service, and a monitor, and a mouse, and a keyboard, and most likely a house? Unless your at your local library?

    • @georgelouis6515
      @georgelouis6515 Před 8 lety +3

      BlueSpades
      I was unemployed when I wrote that!

    • @fishbog3414
      @fishbog3414 Před 8 lety

      +George Louis good to hear your not broke anymore :)

  • @Blue_5678
    @Blue_5678 Před 3 lety

    Make sure the light isn't as small as it can because that will obliterate your stuff you want it to big a little bigger so it can smolder

  • @trilliuxlive
    @trilliuxlive Před 5 lety

    Just put another piece of paper towel of the smoking paper towel loose enough to blow on and it will catch fire (if you don't have charcoal thread things)

  • @JamesD313
    @JamesD313 Před 5 lety

    Tho orb(s) caught on SDO Solar Dynamics Observatory? Magnifying glass.

  • @esther5933
    @esther5933 Před 3 lety

    you should magnify it on a black post of the paper, use a pen to make parts black

  • @deasiajohnson7625
    @deasiajohnson7625 Před 9 lety

    Im so glad you can make the :-)!

  • @bobwall3
    @bobwall3 Před rokem

    It seemed to me she didn't make the circle of light as small when using just the paper towel.

  • @cullenkellyy2000
    @cullenkellyy2000 Před 7 lety +6

    I will find this vary handy🕯🔍🔎💣

  • @marielpascual9900
    @marielpascual9900 Před 3 lety

    i tried this when i was young , any object that you put under the sun of rays it can cause fire.,..

  • @lavanyalavanya3866
    @lavanyalavanya3866 Před 4 lety

    How much glass price

  • @akirahdenmark1618
    @akirahdenmark1618 Před 8 lety +1

    i just got a magnifiying glass so yay for me

  • @dougmayberry9998
    @dougmayberry9998 Před 2 lety +1

    Reminds me of a story I read in the news some years back. There was a psychic whose house burned down because his crystal ball focused the sunlight onto his laundry. Looks like he would have seen that coming.

  • @AtticTapes14
    @AtticTapes14 Před 11 měsíci

    Needs to be a bright sunny day

  • @jesse1697
    @jesse1697 Před 8 lety +1

    I love ur videos

  • @Squicx
    @Squicx Před 5 lety

    OK THAT'S COOL!

  • @trislman9309
    @trislman9309 Před 3 lety +1

    *magnifying glass tilted right*

  • @sugababesrule
    @sugababesrule Před 4 lety

    Does it need to be a sunny day?

  • @dickwhiskey8041
    @dickwhiskey8041 Před 3 lety +1

    I'm going to give this a whirl today. 👍

  • @tenducks6576
    @tenducks6576 Před 6 lety

    i do this all the time with leaves its fun

  • @adventureswithfrodo2721

    White materials do not work as the reflect the light. Char cloth does not burn it forms a coal in the car. Fresnel lens don't work.

  • @baIuch
    @baIuch Před 5 lety

    Where can I get the circular magnifying glass?

    • @rubyellis.5472
      @rubyellis.5472 Před 3 lety

      www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011X2GOI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=truep08-20&linkId=a8f93c61ee801c426df8f4f579a759f4&language=en_US

    • @rexyaxy4314
      @rexyaxy4314 Před 2 lety

      @@rubyellis.5472 bruh

  • @indigokids88
    @indigokids88 Před měsícem

    Finally my order came in 😂

  • @prodbyree
    @prodbyree Před 3 lety

    You could use any type of cloth thats black i think

  • @traicingcunaicing
    @traicingcunaicing Před rokem +2

    when the world is ending, we will all come to this girl for surviving🗿

  • @noeeloisa3197
    @noeeloisa3197 Před 3 lety

    Where do u find a magnefying glass

  • @andreasgavrielides8480
    @andreasgavrielides8480 Před 7 lety +1

    easier to carry a box of matches or a lighter than carry a char cloth

  • @Morgie778
    @Morgie778 Před 10 lety

    and video is awesome

  • @Finelyprecise
    @Finelyprecise Před 2 měsíci +1

    This is why I’m a pyromaniac

  • @ibuksumi3811
    @ibuksumi3811 Před měsícem

    Ini baru tutorial ❤

  • @homeboovs5741
    @homeboovs5741 Před 4 lety +1

    Did anyone use this when crona virus is happening out side?

  • @vishalbhandari2258
    @vishalbhandari2258 Před 4 lety

    Good

  • @riacinco5291
    @riacinco5291 Před rokem

    Cool

  • @jemilagulston7742
    @jemilagulston7742 Před 2 lety

    I remember when we were doing this as a child in the 90's no phones were around so we were our own scientists. We used figleaf under the magnifying glass and it caught fire it no time

    • @User-ft6hl
      @User-ft6hl Před 6 měsíci

      I recently did this, in your experience did your eyes have irritation afterwards?

  • @happyman3220
    @happyman3220 Před 3 lety

    me and my friend started a campfire with a dollar store magnifying glass and a dead leaf

  • @RR_DM
    @RR_DM Před 3 měsíci

    NO LOOK AT THE DOT IT COULD HURT YOUR EYES SINCE IT MAGNIFIES THE INTENSITY OF THE SUN

  • @bbjohnson84
    @bbjohnson84 Před 6 lety

    where to buy a raw piece of magnifier

    • @rubyellis.5472
      @rubyellis.5472 Před 3 lety

      www.trueprepper.com/magnifying-glass-fire-starter/

  • @alittlebyte
    @alittlebyte Před 2 lety

    that dog scared the ** out of me lol

  • @troycrain2954
    @troycrain2954 Před 4 lety +13

    I light my bowl of weed with a magnifying glass.. whole new meanig to "going green". Freah af!

  • @Charnide
    @Charnide Před 4 lety +1

    Me and the boys pretending to be cavemen.

  • @CircleAnimations_Official

    This is how chunks of us died

  • @angelitotan6797
    @angelitotan6797 Před 3 lety

    cool

  • @shanedaniel8954
    @shanedaniel8954 Před 2 lety +1

    Was anyone else caught off guard that a woman made this video? Not because she can’t or shouldn’t. But because she’s bold enough to do something people wouldn’t expect. Much respect?

    • @JohnDoe-mz7ud
      @JohnDoe-mz7ud Před rokem

      Its just nice seeing some women out there that arent superficial. I wish I could find a girl like her. Shes one in a million. You have to look very hard with a magnifying glass lmao

  • @Morgie778
    @Morgie778 Před 10 lety +1

    i like da dog

  • @MrCk0212
    @MrCk0212 Před 9 lety

    When you said food storage and survival, I think of your dog. Is it your food storage in some extreme condition? LOL

  • @Pringle2
    @Pringle2 Před 2 lety

    ooh

  • @joanngumeta8937
    @joanngumeta8937 Před 5 lety +1

    I'm gonna make some great BBQ ribs with this.