The solar cigarette lighter uses a parabolic mirror to direct the sun’s rays to a point of focus where the tip of a cigarette is held in place by a retractable arm or bracket. These lighters are produced in metal or silverized plastic. The cigarette holding arm can be a hinged bracket or a spring mounted wire (as shown in the photo). In lieu of using the lighter as it’s manufactures intended, alternate tinders to start a fire can be lit by moving the bracket to the side while holding the tinder by hand at the point of focus.

 
The flint-less lighter uses a hair-thin platinum wire or grid of wires to ignite it’s fuel. Platinum wire when exposed to methyl alcohol fumes and other flammable gases creates an exothermic reaction that causes it to glow red-hot thus causing ignition. These lighters can come as a wand for stove burners or lipstick style canisters as shown in the photo. It’s quite a phenomenon to behold. If you acquire either style, you may need to pass the filament through a flame or touch it to a lit cigarette to burn off any residue in order for it to be activated more easily.
 
 
 
The “Shepard’s lighter” or “trench lighter” is a flame-less lighter that uses a charred cotton cord to catch sparks from a flintwheel striker. Where a modern lighter uses lighter fluid with a wick or a nozzle for butane gas, a cotton cord that is charred at the end is similarly positioned to catch the sparks produced when the flintwheel is struck. The result is an ember that is enhanced by blowing on it and then touched to a cigarette. It was used during WWII to light cigarettes without a flame, thus reducing visibility to the enemy when lit.

There are more lighters on my “to-get” list. During WWII Japanese soldiers had a brass fire piston that they used as a lighter. Dunhill made a flint-lock lighter with an actual fire pan for gun powder. There are also battery powered lighters, the most recent model having the appearance of a thumb-drive that is charged via USB port. In the interest if obtaining more specimens for my collection I would enjoy receiving any comments regarding your favorite lighters and how they work.

Typically, most chemical exothermic reactions involve some kind of liquid to initiate the reaction process. Although there are many chemical combinations to create a KMnO 4 fire, to my amazement, there is a fire method that does not require a liquid element in the equation. When mixed with sugar in a 1:1 ratio (a pile of each element about a quarter size in diameter) and mixed, you can lay a knife blade on it’s side or use a flat rock on top of the pile and press down firmly and begin rapid short strokes forward and backward. You will begin to hear small “pops” at some point the combination of heat by friction combined with the mixed chemicals will ignite. This typically produces sparks and embers that can be pushed together and coaxed into a flame using fine dry tinder layed next to the grinding site in ready position. Or sometimes, when technique and conditions are right, it may just erupt into a flame on it’s own as shown in the photo.

Since “9/11″ pyro-related chemicals have become restricted and more difficult to obtain. Potassium permanganate is a chemical oxidizing agent that is used for medicinal purposes and water purification and may be found at pharmacies and veterinarian supplies. It is also used to remove iron from water sources and can be found at chemical supply houses. It would be a good item to carry in portable first aid kits.

Should you decide to pursue this fire method, take care to stay upwind from the fumes. When using liquids for a reaction, it may take a little time to react, so don’t walk away from your experiment or abandon the set-up until you see a reaction and be sure to disassemble it altogether when finished. Potassium permanganate will stain deep magenta when moistened, so be thorough when cleaning up.