Slam Rod Fire Starter - Ignition By Air!!
Why Worldbuilding Stack Exchange recommends it
Worldbuilding Stack Exchange answerers link it as a concrete demonstration that fire can be made by air compression, using technology plausible for pre-modern settings.
Recommended by 2 people across 2 different months, 2016 to 2021.
What it is
A five-minute project video from The King of Random (TKOR) showing how to build a fire piston, or slam rod fire starter, from clear acrylic for under a dollar. Because the tube is transparent, viewers can see compressed air heat char cloth until it glows.
Cited in 1 Wikipedia article, including Fire piston.
What people said
Recommends Thom Blair III · 2016-11 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “What should I pack for an overland journey in a Bronze Age?”
I hadn't either until last night when I started researching fire making in the bronze age. Here is a video by The King of Random [this video] demonstrating how effective it is. I am pretty surprised, to be honest! You can even find professionally made ones for sale [LINK] .
Recommends Burton Kent · 2021-12 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “What is the dragon's breath to be made of?”
I tried making a pumpkin flamethrower once. Used a candle where a spray can would blow past the candle and ignite. Had a hard time figuring out what would actually work for a flamethrower. Tried hairspray, tried halloween hair coloring. (Hair coloring spray is made up of nearly 100% flammable ingredients by the way, but I digress.) The flamethrower would always blow out the candle, and blow up too close to the pumpkin. So gas alone won't work. What did work was WD40, a lubricant found in nearly every hardware store in the USA. It would shoot out 3 feet/a meter and produce a nice flame. So some kind of atomized/flammable oil would work. Ideally you want it to stick to continue to cause damage
Cites Thom Blair III · 2016-11 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “What should I pack for an overland journey in a Bronze Age?”
Fire Production Bronze age technologies for fire can include: Friction [LINK] : Hand drill and bow drill Percussion [LINK] : Flint or quartz onto stone containing iron, such as pyrite or marcasite Lens: Made of glass [LINK] or ice [LINK] . If ice is used, a lens mould would be extremely useful to have Fire piston [LINK] : Here is a video [this video] detailing how to make one Food Supplies In addition to the other answers, the Nation Outdoor Leadership School [LINK] (NOLS) has researched food supplies extensively. Here are some of their recommendations: Dietary Needs Depend on Degree of Activity Average Wilderness Activities (Backpacking, Kayaking) 1.5 - 2 lbs of food per day 2,500 - 3,000 calori
Cites Willk · 2017-11 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “Compressed air lighting?”
Compression heats things up. Compressed air gets hot. The compression of air in the cylinder of a Diesel engine is used to heat the fuel to ignition. The King of Random here made a clear acrylic "slam rod" fire starter. When he slams down the piston and compresses the gas, it gets hot enough to cause the piece of char cloth tinder he has in there to glow. It is really excellent. [this video] [LINK] Compressed air piped in already got hot wherever the factory is, and so when you let it decompress it will get cold. But if you use it locally to compress room temperature atmospheric pressure air, that air will get hot. In the screenshot, the glow is because the char cloth tinder in there is superheat