I've seen this before as a kid. Never thought it would resurface. May be I can cook a small bite-size meatball or Torrentino pizza bite.

MythBusters, along with MIT engineering students, did an episode about the Archimedes death ray and, according to this site, they classified it as busted.

Those who don't like magnifiers should try one of these: http://www.bestglide.com/fresnel_lens_firestarter.html

I keep one in my wallet and one in my BOB. It's incredibly easy to use, and as long as you have sunlight you don't have to waste fuel from your lighter or wear and tear on your firesteel.

There is an excellent website on many fire starting methods including 3 sections on reflectors found here at Wildwood Survival .

Check out using a chocolate/pop can reflector, a flashlight head and a kitchen ladle.

I like the large inventive magnifying section also.

Mike

I wouldn't trust them for anything important. They only showed that they couldn't do it, not that it couldn't be done. They had a few days, a small budget and a dozen or so helpers. Archimedes would have had a military budget, years to refine the idea, and countless helpers. For me the main interest in the episode was illustrating some of the problems to be overcome.

Anyway, it's kind of irrelevant here. The accounts of Archimedes shows that the principle of making fire by focusing light were well known back then.

It would be less effective, though. The trick with solar fire is to collect large amounts of light. Magnifying glasses have the same problem - I've never seen a wallet-sized one work in the UK.

Glass lenses are hard to make big, and also get heavy, but you can get flat plastic Fresnel lenses. You can get big ones which would probably be more packable than this reflector.

Hi Brangdon,

I have had good luck here in Ontario, Canada using credit-card size plastic fresnel lenses to start a fire. I have even used a small (about 2 cm dia.) 4 x plastic lens to develop an ember on tinder fungus.

It does work best on a bright day in the summer, even a little cloud cover stops the process. As always the day you need a fire the least (hot, sunny day) is when it is easiest to make.

Mike

To acheive the same effect today is actually a lot more difficult than it was over 2000 years ago due to effects of 'Global Dimming'. Although the same experiment was repeated by a Greek solar engineer, loannis Sakkas, along with the Greek Navy who were able to achieve what the Myth Busters team and MIT engineering students failed to acheive. Apperently they had trouble focusing the solar radiation using their copper mirrors to begin with. Perhaps Archimedes may have even design a star cut out to help with aiming.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,908175,00.html

Here is a modern scaled up version of this solar device burning through a steel plate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tt7RG3UR4c&feature=related

Something to remember if you have to shelter in place.

i did not take the time to read all the posts but it looks like someone found a pile of the 1950's solar cigarette lighters and re-branded them as survival gear to fit the latest craze.
the space to carry it would be better filled with lighters and matches..it's a "fun"item..

Doesn't look very pocket friendly to me!