Has anyone ever tried to use magnesium ribbon to make improvised signal flares?

When I was a kid we had a roll of magnesium ribbon. My brother was quite fond of lighting lengths of it on fire. I remember the light output was incredible.

I was thinking that several lengths of it could be included in a pocket size survival kit for use as night signal flares. The trick would be to devise some compact way to get it lit fast enough. Two feet of magnesium ribbon wound up or folded and laid flat wouldn’t take up much space.

Just an idea. Mac

...when kids......we used to put magnesium chips (taken from our brass foundry, where it is used in the process) in a fire- the light produced was really something. Later, that trick was used as a FLASH to photograph people around a fire.
D.

thats a great idea. I too have lit mag ribbon and it burns very brightly. I find that you can light it quite easily with a lighter if you rub it well on some clothing first.