# Fire From A Flood Light



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I was changing some burnt out flood lights this evening and remembered that my older brother once told me he made a cigarette lighter out of one.

I decided to play around with the idea and found that if the top lense is removed, a piece of kindling placed where fillament is/was and the bulb is pointed toward the sun, it will in fact produce an ember.

I put a small ball of Dryer Lint between the two leads where the fillament was and after about 30 seconds I started to smoldering and burst into flame when I gently blew on it.

To pop the lense from the bulb, I used my bench grinder to remove a small area of glass to reveal the seam where the pieces were glued together. When I stuck the tip of a knife to pry apart, it jumped right off without any effort at all.

I dont know if this piece of trivia is worth anything but it was kind of interesting to do.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Wonder if that would work on a street light?


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Meerkat said:


> Wonder if that would work on a street light?


any reflective enough parabolic reflector, it's easy with the floodlight because the filament is already at the focal point.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> any reflective enough parabolic reflector, it's easy with the floodlight because the filament is already at the focal point.


 LOL I figured they would be the only lights we'd have in a shtf situation.


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

Any good magnifying lens can do the same thing, and you don't need the reflector. Just focus the sunlight magnified through the lens on your kindling.

However, that's handy to know.


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## Fn/Form (Nov 6, 2008)

Meerkat said:


> Wonder if that would work on a street light?


Street lights and other large lights use sodium, mercury and other compounds/elements to create their intense light. I wouldn't recommend cracking any of them open. Even some of the high outout halogen lights have a manufacturer warning about shattering/exploding when they fail. Containment globes or lenses are recommended. Just FYI for us MacGyvers.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Handy how to.


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## Sam78 (May 29, 2012)

This is the same concept as a solar lighter you can buy on Amazon. I never thought to try a flashlight's bulb housing. Good one, thanks!


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## Sam78 (May 29, 2012)

Sam78 said:


> This is the same concept as a solar lighter you can buy on Amazon. I never thought to try a flashlight's bulb housing. Good one, thanks!


Here is a link to a solar lighter at amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Spark-Lighter-Survival-Tool/dp/B002MUG0E6


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Fn/Form said:


> Street lights and other large lights use sodium, mercury and other compounds/elements to create their intense light. I wouldn't recommend cracking any of them open. Even some of the high outout halogen lights have a manufacturer warning about shattering/exploding when they fail. Containment globes or lenses are recommended. Just FYI for us MacGyvers.


 Good thing to know.:2thumb:


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

When I was a kid used a magnifying glass to burn holes in paper and leaves but I was never able to make a flame. I don't know if that had to do with the size or quality of the magnifying glass or not.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

That's your tender BillS, the heat was too intense. Same issue if you try lighting a fire with a road flare. 

I wish I could figure out how to even burn paper, the magnifying glass I bought just doesn't seem capable of doing it.


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