So, I've NEVER been able to get anything to actually catch fire with a magnifying glass/hand lens--until this weekend. I decided I'd give it another try, so in my backyard I'm trying dry leaves, paperbags, cardboard, regular newspaper (inked parts and white parts), sawdust, etc etc. Then, I spy some newspaper with flat black spray paint on it that my wife has used under a bedpost she was painting. I tear off a piece of that with some dried paint on it, and hit it with the hand lens. Within about 30 seconds it's flaming away merrily...not only that, but it's hard to put out!! I tried it a few more times with 100% success. Just a fine dusting of paint was inadequate. It needed to be fairly well covered, but not thickly, with the flat black paint.

Anyway, if you're an A #1 failure with a handlens, try this approach and see how you make out. In my BOB with my handlens now, I'm putting a folded sheet of newsprint with flat black paint on it.

So... how about trying some chared cloth to see if you can get a coal - ditto some natural charcoal. Be interesting to hear how that works for you.

Maybe it was the paint that caught fire first?

I've not tried charred cloth, but I did try a new dry wick from a kerosene lantern once. Particularly once there was a blackened edge, it would glow and smoulder fairly easily after hitting it with the lens. But, frustratingly, the wick material would just turn to ash without actually bursting into flame.

I would think a piece of charcoal would be the same way, glow and smoke but no flame.

The painted newspaper burst into a bright healthy flame readily after hitting it with the lens, and I'm sure the dried paint helped keep it burning briskly. I had to blow it out several times to get it to stop burning entirely.