Make fire with aluminum can and toothpaste

[MrJames680]

Use the toothpaste to polish the bottom of the can to a mirror like shine. Then use it as a parabolic mirror. Work like a magnifying glass but the light is reflected and doesn't not pass thru. Set up your can and place tinder in the focal point, go gather more wood and when you come back, presto, your tinder is smoldering.

[no guns here]

Heard of using chocolate bars to do the same polishing trick...  saw a video once.  Guess I'll have to try it someday.  Probably won't be quite so effective here in Germany.  Most days there isn't enough bright, direct sun to do the job.


NGH

[rex6666]

wouldn't it be just as easy to carry a magnafiying glass or even matches as
a can and tooth paste. but that is a good trick witch ole injuns did you get that from.

[mannyrock]

  The bottom of a can is flat, not curved or parabolic.  A flat surface does not create any focal point when it reflects light.  So, I simply don't understand how this could work. 

   Are you using the bottom of the can to reflect the sunlight, or the curved sides? 

Regards,

Mannyrock

[SHOOTALL]

check other brands , some cans are curves in

[MrJames680]

The bottom of a can is flat, not curved or parabolic.  A flat surface does not create any focal point when it reflects light.  So, I simply don't understand how this could work.

I have never ever seen an aluminum soda can with a flat bottom. 

wouldn't it be just as easy to carry a magnafiying glass or even matches as
a can and tooth paste. but that is a good trick witch ole injuns did you get that from.

Personally I prefer to carry a lighter. That seems to work best for me.   

Its seems like every where you go you can find a soda can out in the middle of where ever you might be. If you by a road the chances are far great to find one. Even a dirty thumb rubbed on the bottom of the can will eventually polish it. I was taught this trick long ago at a boyscout survival camp. I just saw this trick not to long ago on survivorman or man vs wild. Trust me it works.


Another cool trick is to melt sugar with stump remover at home (cant remember ratio) making sure it is well mixed. Let it cool and dip in wax. When lit it will burn very vigorously and start even wet tinder on fire. Its basically solid rocket fuel. 


For a quick campfire start, just soak a small log on kerosene for a few days. put that log on first when building your campfire. just light it. When I have done this I carry the soaked log in a plastic bag or something. Its nice to be able to arrive at a campsite at night and/or cold and throw the kero-soaked-log in the firering along with the regualr wood and have a nice fire going instantly....

[no guns here]

Every soda can I see has a concave botton on it.  In fact, just picked up the diet coke can that's about 15 inches from my right elbow right now and it's concave.  Just a cool trick that would be good to have in your memory banks...

NGH

[ironglow]

  No Guns;
  Your reply #1 brought a long forgotten chuckle to my mind. I was stationed in Germany 1962-1965 and as you said..I really learned to appreciate what a (rare) sunny day was. I was stationed in Pirmasens, about 30 klicks south of Kaiserslautern on the French border. I did get about 1&1/2 months relief when I attended 7th Army NCO school in Bad Toelz, south of Munchen (Munich).
  Back then our C-rations had some things packed in waxed cardboard which made a nice firestarter. Seems like a fellow could make waxed cardboard pieces to carry just for that purpose. They would be water resistant and handy..

[kitchawan kid]

I was stationed in Germany 64-65 in the black forest,and remember the wax cartons tasteing about the same as what was in them.Yes,when it got up to 70% it was a heat wave.

[ironglow]

 Kitchawan;
  Black Forest...Pforzheim, Boblingen, Karlsrhue ?

[Rustyinfla]

  Has anyone here actually tried this?

[MrJames680]

Yup 

[BIGDAVE54]

I have heard thet if you are lost in winter near a river that has clear ice.Gather the clearsest chunk of ice you can find,shave the outside of it concave as you can with your knife,use water and your hands to finish the concave shape and smooth the ice chunk like a glass lens.Hold it over and to the side of a clump of dry pine straw. if you have done a good job the sun will pass through the ice like a magnifying glass and set the pine straw on fire. A few old Germans told me about using ice to make fire. I will be honest I have never got it to work,but it is good for kicks when you have some spare time in the winter and the sun is out.

[billy_56081]

I would think using ice to make a lens the shape would have to be convex not concave.

[ironglow]

  You're likely correct Billy, I expect that's what Big Dave meant to say.