Solar Ignition Part 2 Tips and Tricks.wmv

[10191927]

Very efficient and well thought out step by step presentation that really shows great educational value and practical use in an actual survival situation. I really like these kinds of videos that demonstrate simple and practical skills that people can really use. These videos are an invaluable source of information and a great educational tool.

[skookoutdoors]

everyone please check out skookoutdoors. we are new but we are getting there! we look up to you dave and everyone who does what you do!

[Joxman2k]

Something that I have found useful when going from ember stage to flame stage is to start off gently. You must become aware of the focus of your breath direction, and strongest point. After a couple of gentle focused breaths you start off your breath gently then increase it with focus in mind. It has never taken me more than 2 focused breaths.

I know people who just blow constantly and are successful, but when your work with slightly moist material the focus technique is very effective.

:)

:P

[straboh]

If I have had previous fire I always sort through the pot ash and select a nice piece of char to throw in my fire kit to use for getting a coal. It works well for ferro rods or solar ignition. I just nest the piece of char coal in the birds nest and use the magnifying source to get that black coal hot in a very short order. This gives me easy fire every time unless things are just too damp.

[Joxman2k]

@straboh

I have not done that before :) Does oxygenating with your breath become an issue at all? Is the technique the same as igniting the ember? Or are you just speaking about creating an ember?

:)

:P

[straboh]

@Joxman2k It is not an issue at all. At that point the coal in your bird's nest is about the same as a coal from your bow drill set for making friction fire except for that it is a little more stable and holds together better. Just blow the ember up into a flame the same way as if you used a friction fire bow and spindle to make the coal. I always carry a magnifier and a couple of coals from previous fire in a small tin in my kit because if I've got sun, this method works great!

[straboh]

Take the coal from your ( or any other ) previous fire, tuck it into your bird's nest and use a magnifying glass or any other source to focus sunlight to target that coal. It takes very little time, seconds, for that little black coal to become an ember and since it is a solid coal unlike what comes from your bow-drill set it stays together much easier. Blow into flame the same as you would any other time. I carry jute twine and cattail stalks for tinder.

[straboh]

Cattail tops* the brown fuzzy part. lol Not stalks. Sorry, too early in the morning.

[Joxman2k]

@straboh

Thanks for the tip strabow:) I'm going to try it out soon. I love experimenting with new techniques, and materials.

:)

:P

[mogges1]

Some thing else i have found that works in a pinch is your shocks i pick off the little peaces of cotton until i have enough the size of a dime.Also some time i have taken my knife and scraped my pans and collect the fibbers of the jeans until i have enough the size of a dime

[Joxman2k]

@mogges1

I always wear some sort of cotton fabric like socks. The good thing about cotton is if it is damp it is quite easy to dry.

:)

:P

[mogges1]

I have tried the magnifying glass and it works for me every time SO LONG AS THE IS SUN.

I have Also use the chrome flashlight part that Dave has shown, and it works every time.I even light my cigars are ciggs with that chrome flashlight peace.SO LONG AS THER IS SUN LIGHT.

[SilentWolf1966]

I have always used solar ignition as one of my options for fire.Save the resorces.I use the same method you do Dave.Great Vids.

[mogges1]

DAM FUCKING FEED, WHY THE HELL DOES ALL OF DAVE VIDEO'S STOP AND START

[Syncubus]

Ick! That green sprig sure looks like poison ivy brushing your hand, and you touching the leaves all over your face... Hope I'm mistaken. Thanks for the video!

[pereirosebastyan]

и трава посреди леса откуда-то сухая, и листья СУХИЕ, и линза под рукой... что это благоприятное стечение обстоятельств или тепличное выживание?

[molekulaTV]

Thanks again!

[teunversluis18]

crispy critters like this bad-boy here:P great video Dave

[arnoldcustom]

you just stomped out your fire and died, lol, 60% of Canada's forest fires are started by solar, from people leaving bear and pop bottels broken glass in the woods,

[hardhatg69]

i think too many people are trying to COMPARE solar ignition to other techniques. Sure a feroll rod is a bit faster, but what if youre just having one of those days and misplace it what if you werent planning to stay out long enough to need a fire.. what do you think is easier then. friction or solar. i know me and my cousin used to make fires with solar for fun when we were 12. its really alot easier then a bow and uses almost no energy..you could even use a leaf and drop of water. i vote solar

[coolastro]

Thank You for the Educational Video Dave and Mitch

I have a Flint Rod that I just started learning how to use also have a Magnifying glass from the buck store.

I started my first grass fire with a Flint Rod yesterday hard as hell to do for a beginner but for what I see lighting a fire with a Magnifying glass is less calorie's to burn which is I would rather use in Survival Situation although if it is raining I might opt for the Flint rod and Cotton Ball with some Petroleum jelly 

[cbr600rrturbo]

dam that was faster than i thought it would be,your good playboy

[chesterbesterfeild]

Wow you made that look easy as hell. In only seconds after focusing the beam, the smoke started. I dont even remember it being that fast when I was a kid lol. Its all because of that powder/dust you used for the ember. It sustains itself like a cigarette would. It was also very good that you mentioned at 5:50 that you had all the time in the world to mess with the ember after it was created. I know I was thinking; "shouldn't he start blowing soon??"

[AzBirdDog]

Dave, as I watched you creating the ember material, I thought that it's so much like that material of a cigarrette.

Then I thought, but haven't actually tried, what if you hollow out a stick a little bit, and compact the fine material of the leaves into that hollow cavity, and try and start the ember inside of that stick, like a cigarrette?

Awesome videos and channel!

I'll be trying this method out this weekend.

[imhosaibabaischeatin]

I've tried this with my SwissChamp but it didn't work. It was already late in the afternoon. Does solar ignition rather depend on the size or on the magnifying factor?

[KelliferandLanifer]

you should talk them into using one of your home made kits on a episode just to show how important the pack is and how much eaisier it makes it

[Rivieratime]

Iused my Dad's old dollar-size collector's glass, a 3" flat fresnel lens magnifier, a 2" round dollar store glass, a cheapo 2" plastic lens, a 1" round plastic piece in a protector. They were effective in that order.Clearer and bigger are better.

Fire by sun will be dramatically effected by your geographical location, time of year (season) , the weather conditions, and the time of day, Ironically Best results are probably mid-day , in the Summer, near the equator :-)

[Rivieratime]

Dave, I agree with you 100%. Mitch's video was instructive and good overall. He could have made the fire quicker by carrying a better tinder material, like char-cloth, but he did fine.

Additional things that I would stress though, are: "size matters"-- mini jeweler's loupes, or a dime size magnifier will not work nearly as well as one that is silver dollar size. If you get a 'dollar store' magniier, look for the glass ones and avoid the plastic ones which scratch,break,are not as clear etc

[spencer150r]

Thanks Dave, very informative!

[cougarbahia]

i love ur vids and tv show. can u tell me how to keep an ember al;ive/transport it fr place to place? thx karen

[dedred5]

Great tip,why waste our resources.Thanks

[inbredagogo]

I've been watching your videos for awhile, and just read your bio. You are awesome sir. I'd sure like to learn about some more of this stuff.

[ManFromHongKong828]

Ur wrong :D Someday the sun will burnt-out ;] Cheers from Europe!

[mrsvinarich26]

honestly resources shouldnt matter, once you have fire you can carry it, nurture it, blow it back in to flame.,

[Paintbl99]

Dual Survival is hands down my new favorite show on TV.  I was able to catch up on some episodes this weekend. Discovery did a marathon! So good! Keep it up brother!

[danmonsees]

Well done Dave! Very helpful.Thanks.

[PaladinPrepper]

Great follow-up to Solar Ignition Part 1. Your work is appreciated. I promote your channel by adding selected videos to the 'MacGyver Concepts' playlist on my channel. As a side note, my ten year old and I went for a walk around our small town this afternoon and spotted seven different edible plants growing wild all over town.

[fumasterchu12]

Great video, as usual, this vid had better quality which made it easier to see what was going on. You guys rock, keep it up.

Go Bucks!

[mtower235]

Man you 2 got me motivated! I couldn't use the crushed leaves, we had about 25mph winds so I used the dried leaves from a yucca plant and got her going in 19 minutes! I also found the magnifyer in the "6 in 1 survival whistle" I have carried is a piece of junk. I mainly have it for the whistle but to know the other stuff doesn't work well is good to know now before the bad day comes and i need it.

[lephotography]

Excellent! Thank you Dave.

[Chivalryaintdead]

Thanks for the lesson.

[natureman97]

Are there any other things that you could start an ember with besides leaf dust?

[MrLoiti100]

I'm really happy and grateful that you take the time to make videos on youtube though you probably are busy with things to do with dual survival. Great video as always!

[Thunderhook715]

plus after you get the fire started on a sunny day it can be maintained and coals and embers can be kept burning during rainy cloudy days using rocky overhangs just gotta keep adding kindling and bark as needed.

[Thunderhook715]

in the past on old shows of surviver when people complained about having no fire it was aggravating seeing one or two people in that group with glasses and they never used them to start a fire. I was like what da fu c k is wrong them

[duxdawg]

@Thunderhook715: Obviously you have never tried making a fire (or ember) using eyeglasses. EPIC FAIL !!!

[Thunderhook715]

@duxdawg IT WORKS !!!! maybe you did not do it right

[71madbrad]

Ofen times you will find " Olde Forge" knive at thrift stores, goodwill, antique stores and such for little or nothing. They are also high carbon steel.

[prvthudson]

Awesome!

[TheOutdoorsman07]

just watched dual survival! i cant believe Cody actually wore shorts during that!! great video also.

[gaelicwinds]

ok guys please dont use gerber and good knives in the same sentence gerber uses 400 stainless and there is nothing high carbon about stainless it is worthless for holding a edge and is brittle

[mchipman1]

good follow up Dave 5*

[12304death]

what do you feel when you are doing the survival shows for example in "stuck in the muck" were you dont know where your stepping in everywhere you go u can die how does that feel.

[69Grunden]

Great video Dave thanks for sharing..

[Waldhandwerk]

Perfect job and great details, many thanks. Have a good weekend, Sepp

[Smith28Adventure]

Great follow up vid Dave, thanks.

I think it's fantastic that you're finding the time to put these vids out while keeping up Dual Survival as well, very impressive. Thanks for your hard work!

[MrJoeyBoombotz]

youtube video, Fresnel fire making , shows a 10x7in, 1/2 ounce. 2x magnifying fresnel lens igniting a fire WITHOUT having to make an ember, directly on the wood. The principle is, the SIZE of the magnifier or parabolic mirror that dictates power, not the magnification factor. The larger magnifier gathers more light. Size does matter!! This is extremely valuable in winter. Mine fits easily in my day pack. I've been doing this since 2007 when I saw the video.

[survival919]

when is the pathfinder staff going to be avaliable ?

[convert2010]

That's telling them Dave. I keep a glass in my kt all the time for the sunny days. it does take some work and one question was about the "Survival situation" is it better to use a feroll rod. I think the whole point of this video was the fact that the sun is a renewable resource. sure a bic lighter would work better, but I use my lighter on the cloudy days or at night. if it is sunny, i use the glass. its cheaper and saves resources.

Great video, Dave and I love the Dual Survivor ... Keep it up

[bonesword98]

Dave, I know this may not be a meaningful question, ...you didn't say anything about lens power in the vid, (in the first vid. he did mention it in passing), ..is there a worst-better-best 'lens power' a person should be looking at? Thank you, Rick

[hobbexp]

i use it all the time when i was littel, it works great,

[BigTVideos]

I think its really great that you still make these very helpful videos even after your success with your TV show. Thanks so much.

BigT

[unclearless]

Dave, in reference to you saying you should always have a BIC lighter...I was curious to know if you have made a video about using a lighter that is out of fuel?

A lighter out of fuel is not a loss. The fuel usually burns out much more quickly than the flint. Sticking "Lint balls" off cotton socks, etc, and putting them in the hole at the top of the lighter can create an easy fire.

So, if you have not already done so, I would love to see a video from you on that idea/premise. Thanks ~Kevin~

[pointman6382]

Best instructional vid on solar ignition I have ever seen. Breaking it down step by step and not just doing it and saying in a typical douche bag voice "And thats how you do it". Thumbs up brother!!!

[00Avenger17]

Great Video!!!! =D 

[winnipegdiver]

@jtdbs

Or you might use a bow or hand drill

If your not sure how they work Dave has some great videos on them

[jtdbs]

Dave I want to ask you something.That solar ignitor is cool,but it takes a lot of time.If you are in a survival situation it will better to have a feroll rod would'n it?Yeah you scrape of it and you are wasting the matirial,but its going to cost you not much time.Solar ignitor is cool and efective,but when you don't have sun you have to move to the feroll rod,right?

[wildernessoutfitters]

@jtdbs ou should have 3 different ways of making fire and one of them should be sure flame ie BIC LIGHTER!

[jtdbs]

@wildernessoutfitters Thanks for the answer.BTW the new season of Dual Survival is great.Lovin' it.Keep up the good work!

[jtdbs]

@wildernessoutfitters Oh and another thing.Whats the color of your survival braclet?Is it woodsman green?

[tylerpienta]

@wildernessoutfitters so are the 3 different ways be feroll rod,lighter,and either bow drill hand drill solar etc.?

[tylerpienta]

@wildernessoutfitters should these be your choice of 3 different ways? feroll rod, lighter, bow drill, hand drill, solar ignition

[godzilla74114]

@wildernessoutfitters what about a zippo?

[Thunderhook715]

@jtdbs hes trying to show conservative ideas use what you got save energy for the future.

[PghGingerKid]

@jtdbs I have had flare up with a mag. glass in less then 10 secs. Its faster, IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS. I Can make fire faster than shaving of Fero Rod, and waisting my source. If you have to go long term survival, you aren't going to be able to replace your fero rod. when its gone, the sun will still be there. And if the sun is gone, ie. doesn't exist any more, you dont have to worry about survival, cause NO body will survive that.

[hpd707]

@jtdbs Really, a ferro rod is not much faster than using a lens IF you follow Dave's instructions. I did this today with weeds and grass from my back yard. It worked great and was much easier than using a bow drill, and on par with a rod.

[chesterbesterfeild]

@hpd707 It actually seems like this method is much more reliable and easier because the rod sparks wont always go where you want them to and sometimes wont light. Also as Dave said you are using up a bit of the rod each time.This method can be completed with very little resources at all. I've even seen Les Stroud on his show use the bottom of a soda can polished up a bit with chocolate to focus the beam.

[crazywaffleking]

@jtdbs - I know you asked Dave the question, but the magnifying glass doesn't replace other methods to start fire. You can't use solar at night, or when it is raining. You wouldn't want a magnifying glass as your own method. However if you have one and need to start a fire, and it is sunny outside, using the magnifying glass is great because it doesn't use up a match, or flint or whatever.

[cr0cket01]

nice vid

[ibboat]

Nice video dave. Always Learn something from you. Never tried to grind a dust ball like that for solar. Will try next time in the woods. Cb75

[markshmily]

Ya know Dave.. sadly there always has to be someone who's got to roll in talking like they know everything about everything. I often check these people's channels.. they make no vids of their own or contribute anything.

I've just started to ignore many of those individuals.

Thanks for the great tip... I need to get out and practice!

Thanks for all your hard work.

[donaldphinney]

Good video, this method applies well to all ignition sources. great camera angle to show how to make and use a birds nest.

[GreenEggsAndHamster]

Awesome additional info! I look forward to trying this!

[colddrake80]

Neat, now all I have to do is wait for one of the three sunny days in the Northeast. LOL I've tried and failed at this before but my mistake was just not building a good enough nest so I'll have have try that again. Thanks for the video.

[DrReaper]

I have an 8.5 by 11.5 Fresnel lens in my backpack. It cost $2.00 at an office supply. It really kicks the solar up a notch.

[dystopiansage]

Thank you Dave! I always look forward to your videos.

[jcox0503]

Dave, thanks for sharing all your experience. Really appreciate it. I'm glad you did this follow-up for the previous Solar Ignition video from Dave Mitchell. I've tried using solar ignition in the past, but was unsuccessful. You said some key things in this video that really made a lot of sense to me. I've always thought I was supposed to start a flame. I like your suggestions to crush up the dry leaves and use that to make an ember. I'm excited to go try that idea. Thanks!

[p8chill]

what about the cold steel bushman?

[greece400]

How encouraging you are; and now I may try it myself!

[MrBudwv]

All this time I was trying to focus too much light on to too small a spot.

[MrMrtiki]

I used to tell the kids to grind dry horsehoof fungus off the side of trees use the bottom if you can`t find dry enough kindling to make a smudge kindle you can move it anywhere and keep lit by blowing on it

[snaponjohn100]

Dave, thanks for sharing your vast knowledge. Welcome back. You were missed. God bless. John

[slab698]

Yep found out about solar ignition when i was twelve, burnt down an acre of woods and had to call the fire dept. Didnt know about the tinder in the birds nest though, need to try that one.

[greatwf]

solar ignition is a fine way to start a fire, but I think that concentrating on a very bright point is very hard on your eyes, at least it is on mine, but to each his on, however I prefer other methods. of course I would use it in an emergency.

[melbrenton1]

You need to go t west virginia and do a tape...

[Diatonic135]

sweet!

[TheFloridaboy900]

dave jst got to tell u i'm so going to try it out and is this good for a alnighter on a turkey hunt in the woods.

[AaronfromWM]

BRING BACK DUAL SURVIVAL!!!!

[wildernessoutfitters]

@AaronfromWM It's on every Friday night at 9PM bro, season 2 started 2 weeks ago!

[w1ldyovvnz]

@wildernessoutfitters can't wait until 9PM:)

[MrDeermaster]

@wildernessoutfitters bro i freakin love dual survival im always out in the woods doing yalls stuff haha

[markshmily]

@AaronfromWM There have been two episodes already.. a new one on 5/6/2011 on Discovery bro.. where ya been hiding?

[tookieblueeyes]

@AaronfromWM Its already on every Friday night at 9 man! You missed 2 awesome episodes already if you have not seen it on... you need to check out slash and burn! Dave totally cuts his arm open and lights it on fire with black powder!

[jmg1957]

great to have you back....peace from mississippi

[MrBillTroop73]

Good job Dave! Always a pleasure to see you again.

Good support of your fellow instructor too.

[badvoodoodaddy1]

Dave, another great video. Its good to see you teaching the ways of making fire while not using up your resources. It is lighter in weight and just as easy as the other ways to light a fire. It is skills that keep us alive not gear. Good job Brother.

[survivorbushcraft11]

Dave be careful when you got the leaves and put them on your face you touched poison ivy you were touching it to your side.

[wildernessoutfitters]

@survivorbushcraft11 I am not allergic to it brother.

[theNewCodingFrontier]

@wildernessoutfitters You're not allergic? Damn lucky... Is the same irritant in Poison Ivy the irritant in poison oak?

[a2eric1]

very well explained, thank you!

[kumquatsta]

i shall keep a magnifying glass in my glovebox of my motor

[drac060]

I watched his video and went to my driveway and had a fire going in less than five minutes. It's old school boys and girls. If your going to carry 3 ways to start fire in your pack... why not? It's cheap, easy and dries out tinder.

cya crockett

[mrstarkiller88888]

have you ever thought about doing a review on the $20 winchester bowie knife???

[wildernessoutfitters]

@mrstarkiller88888 Brother gotta tell ya the only 20.00 knife I have ever seen that worth anything was a Mora or a Old Hickory

[OrganGrindersSwing]

@wildernessoutfitters Dave, I have a question for ya brother. I bought a Duluth Pathfinder Pack a couple weeks ago and I'm waiting for it to be built. Do you use that pack at all and what are your thoughts on it. Thanks for any insight and I really appreciate all the videos. They are hands down, the most informative out there.

[FixedByDoc]

@wildernessoutfitters i have the $20 gerber profile and it is in my oppinion the only $20 knife i would stake my life on and is the only fixed blade knife i carry everywhere even when i have other knives with me. the mora is nice but weak in comparison to the profile which is thick and a bit longer can be used to pry. now the mora is high carbon steel so you only need flint. the profile needs a ferrel rod. both are good knives but prefer the stronger. dont know the old hickory one.

[gaelicwinds]

@wildernessoutfitters mora and old hickory are both worth every cent i have a very old set of old hickory butchering blades and they are damn good for holding a edge and so are the moras they are very good blades for the cost and they are both 0-1 high carbon bro you not only know survival but also good blades

[tylerpienta]

@wildernessoutfitters about reliable knives do you think a crkt mak 1 knife is good because i bought one for 60$ and a knife and gun show and i was wondering if you think it was a good choice?

[Hritzness]

@mrstarkiller88888 I actually own a winchester bowie. It cost me $45 at the time. It's a good quality knife, but there's definitely knives that are more worth getting.

[mrstarkiller88888]

@Hritzness true

[TheLateBoyScout]

I'm going to pick up some magnifying glasses for my fire kits first thing tomorrow! Thanks, Dave.

[tylerdurden1971]

@wildernessoutfitters Dave I'm Dieing To Know What Is That Around Your Neck? Is There Someting in It? If So,What Is It? Thanks Brother

[wildernessoutfitters]

@tylerdurden1971 It is a fossil brother

[tylerdurden1971]

@wildernessoutfitters Thanks Man,I Want One Now HAHA

[12fitzgerald]

luv your vids.infact all the pathfinder vids.what happend to critter aint seen him in a wile.keep it up my man!!!!tubein in n.e.ohio

[tybo09]

I understand not wanting to use resources, but how many strikes do you get on a ferro rod? I didn't think it was really something to worry about using up.

Of course, with solar ignition, there's no real work involved, other than focusing your lens and a cheap magnifying glass weighs practically nothing, so there's certainly no harm in having one.

Glad we're not the only ones getting rain... Hope you're not getting as much as we've had.

[Back2DaBasix]

@tybo09 Deppends on how long you are stuck in a survival situation. Better to prepare for the unknown than the "expected" just my opinion.

[wildernessoutfitters]

@tybo09 For someone who truley understands BUILDING a fire, you can light them with one strike of a ferro rod but I have seen people strike them over and over for 30 min and never get flame, they dont last long at that rate LOL!

[ShoreScout]

@tybo09 I used to think that too until I wore one down to literally nothing in less than an hour doing ( not finishing) Dave's First Pathfinder Challenge - wet tinder - wet firesteel and it was raining to boot! I teach my scouts that mastering "multiple methods" is the best way to go in fire starting.

[mooseyou2]

i'm not a pyro

but fire can be a beautiful thing

using solar ignition is another tool to add to anyones box or bag of tricks

thanks for the video

-boyce

[asheradensein]

Hey Dave, I'm always excited to see a video by you, brother. I remember when you had like 200 subscribers and I could tell you were bound for national recognition, like you are now.

Thanks for all the vids, man!

[12304death]

again can u make a vid about slingbow with the barnett diablo slingshot its cuz im going on a hunting trip real soon and im going to walmart to get the things i need but idk what they are so i am very sorry im im bothering u with this.

[wildernessoutfitters]

@12304death Sorry buddy I dont use that sling shot.

[Back2DaBasix]

Good video! I was going to do a video on something similar... depending on what part one of this series looks like, i may still be able to do it. lol

[ralfie825]

Cloudy days can be a challenge...