How to create fire using a potato

Thanks to the interwebs I now know how to make fire using a potato along with a few other items from around the house.

Learn something new everyday...


please ignore the bad music


[edit on 13-12-2008 by warrenb]

That was cool
Really cool

Nice!!! I am going to try it ☆

i love cool stuff like this

glad you guys like it.

the cool thing is that when tshtf the items will mostly be overlooked by scavengers and looters...so they should be available almost anywhere

Nice one! -

I wanna see if that potato will put enough charge in a mobile phone for 1 call , I think possibly more like 5 potato's over a couple of hours might do the trick.

I'm defiantly remembering the fire one though... Good job I'm no arsonist!! I can imagine CSI missing that cremated potato in the burnt out house

whats in the box?

two lines

Originally posted by Solomons
whats in the box?

two lines

Yeah, I did not catch what the label on the box was either, I am a little curious.

the box that he pours salt out of? it's...um salt

Nah he cheated... It was a box of granulated fire!

I'm gonna guess the reaction is between the toothpaste (alkali??) and the potato (acid?). And the salt is a catalyst and also acts as an electrolyte.

Or it could be the reaction is between the potato and the salt - and the toothpaste is more of a capacitor to hold a bit of charge.

Now you have fire what you really need is a recipe for a salty minty-fresh potato meal... Mmmmm.

reply to post by Now_Then

Make a Battery from Potato

Batteries generate electricity through a chemical reaction between two different electrodes and one electrolyte. Use of Copper and Zinc electrodes and Sulfuric acid as electrolyte is a proven method for this process. We are wondering if we can use any other liquid as electrolyte? This gave us the idea of using a potato as electrolyte. After all a fresh potato has a lot of juice that may serve our purpose as electrolyte.

www.miniscience.com...

for those interested in the basic science behind it and too lazy to Google



[edit on 13-12-2008 by warrenb]

Originally posted by Now_Then
Nah he cheated... It was a box of granulated fire!

I'm gonna guess the reaction is between the toothpaste (alkali??) and the potato (acid?). And the salt is a catalyst and also acts as an electrolyte.

Or it could be the reaction is between the potato and the salt - and the toothpaste is more of a capacitor to hold a bit of charge.

Now you have fire what you really need is a recipe for a salty minty-fresh potato meal... Mmmmm.

Was just going to say! Dare you to eat it after making it! I bet it would taste amazingly harsh to the tastebuds!

Hey, great post! I have to tell you, I just tried it w/ some different items and as I guessed it did not work as desired, but I did get a little tiny charge out of it.
I used a russett potatoe, reduced sodium salt (LOL!!!) and aquafresh PASTE.
My g/f was like, WTF?!?!? LOL!!!

Star because I love stuff like this. Not the most practical thing in the world... but hella cool

reply to post by mlp187


Well, I got a different reaction...

The wife just watched it with me (good stuff btw) and now INSISTS that we try it...




This will be the last time I show her a survival video...

Hey, that was really fun to watch!

Now off to find a potato and some other stuff. I just HAVE to try this for myself!

an even easier way with less steps would be to use a lemon

1. insert a steel nail into one end of a lemon
2. insert a copper coin 1/2 way into the other end of the lemon
3. wrap a section of wire around the nail
4. with another wire, put one end touching the coin and lightly touch the other end to the wire attached to the nail. You should see a small spark.

Very cool indeed. I just tried it and it works perfectly!

Thanks!

Cool One!

Questions:

Was the salt iodized?

Are both wires copper or is one copper and one some other type?

Does the toothpaste have to be the clear gel type or can it be the white pasty kind?

Thanks!

If you like stuff like this here is another cool one about how to make plasma with a grape. I first leaned this in college years ago and we only sliced ours once not in quarters. If it is done right it will light up the whole glass like a light bulb much better than in this video. If the grape tears or comes apart in the microwave it will not work, the pieces must remain attached not completely cut apart.

www.metacafe.com...

reply to post by DarrylGalasso


its the sugars combusting in the fruit

neat stuff thanks for sharing