1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with text stuff from how 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. 3 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,279 Speaker 1: I'm johns and strictly and I'm Lauren fo Obama and 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:20,240 Speaker 1: we have a hot item to talk to you about today. 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: This this is just indicative of how this entire podcast 6 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: it's gonna go, isn't it. It's gonna be a smoke 7 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: in episode, a spurture. Yeah, we're talking about flyer, you know, 8 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: because here's the thing. We wanted to look into camping 9 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 1: gear and we did, and as we were doing it, 10 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 1: we saw all these cool things about different fire starting 11 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: technology and and we thought, you know, it would be 12 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: kind of cool to talk about this. But the more 13 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:46,880 Speaker 1: we saw, the more we thought, well, this is just 14 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 1: going to completely dominate this episode. This could in fact 15 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: be a whole episode. And then wait a minute, we 16 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: have the full power to make it an entire episode. 17 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: So that's what we're going to do. So first of all, 18 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: we should mention that fire obviously one of the most 19 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: important discoveries that that early humans made. It's a pretty 20 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: critical technology to human existence. Yeah, you could argue that 21 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: because it's technically part of a chemical reaction, maybe you 22 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,040 Speaker 1: don't call it a technology, but it plays an integral 23 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: role in so much of our tech, uh and and 24 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: certainly the technology that we used to create it. Yeah, 25 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: I mean that's technology, it's technological. So we're going to 26 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: cover everything from low tech ways of making fire to 27 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: some pretty uh pretty high tech and uh terrifying obviously 28 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: ways to make fire. So we've spent a lot of 29 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,479 Speaker 1: human history, not we personally humans, as a general rule, 30 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: it's spent a lot of history learning of different ways 31 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: to make fire, to control fire, to extinguish fire. We've 32 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: had full episodes on firefighting technologies in the past. But 33 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: what is fire? So this is part of that chemical 34 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: reaction I was talking about. It's essentially a chemical reaction 35 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: between oxygen and some sort of fuel source has reached 36 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: it's ignition temperature a k a. The temperature at which 37 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: it will burn. Right, So when a substance, whatever it 38 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: may be, has reached that temperature, if it is in 39 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: the presence of oxygen, it will burn and thus we 40 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: get fire. Now, flames from a fire keep the fuel 41 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: at its ignition temperature. That means the reaction becomes self 42 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: sustaining as long as you have fuel, which is you know, 43 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 1: that that that's the dangerous thing about fire, right, This 44 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: is a chemical reaction that's just going to continue until 45 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: all the fuel is gone, or you have otherwise found 46 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: a way to extinguish it, perhaps by removing the oxygen 47 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: from the environment or dampening it with something. Yeah, so 48 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: which lowers the temperature as well. Yeah. So this this 49 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: is the obviously the very dangerous part about fires. That 50 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: you want to make sure that you have a controlled 51 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: environment where you can control exactly how much fuel is 52 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: being added to the fire to make sure you don't 53 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: have a nasty situation pop up. Though. You mentioned ignition temperature, 54 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,239 Speaker 1: and technically any given fuel has two a friend technician temperature, 55 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: that's true, there's the piloted ignition temperature. That's how hot 56 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: a fuel needs to be before it will catch fire 57 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: in the presence of a spark, so it doesn't have 58 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: to be as hot as if if you don't have 59 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: any sparks there. For an object to burst into flame 60 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 1: in the presence of oxygen, it's temperature has to be 61 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: much higher. That's the unpiloted ignition temperature. Right, that's kind 62 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: of the spontaneous combustion s Yeah, exactly, except that means 63 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: a different thing, but but similar similar, right. So, for instance, 64 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 1: if you were to heat up a piece of wood 65 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: to a certain temperature and then hit it with a spark, 66 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: it'll start to catch fire. You would have to heat 67 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: it to a much higher temperature for it to just 68 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: start burning it to itself. Yeah, So that that's one 69 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: thing we should point out now. Granted we're gonna mostly 70 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: be talking about piloted ignition temperatures because we're talking about 71 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: helping things along by adding a little spark to it. 72 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: And also something to remember, the fuel that has a 73 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: large surface area to volume ratio burns more readily, meaning 74 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: that you've got a lot of surface area and you 75 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 1: don't have a lot of volume, you can heat up 76 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: and get to that ignition temperature much faster than if 77 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: you had a lot of bulk to you because that 78 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: temperature could then be conducted away from the point of heat, 79 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: and it takes longer for you to actually get that 80 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: to catch fire. Also, as a fuel source itself, it's 81 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:26,920 Speaker 1: going to have more exposure to oxygen, yes, exactly. So 82 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: you know, one of the many reasons why you want 83 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: to use little bits of tinder before throwing logs onto 84 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:34,280 Speaker 1: a fire. I mean, it's the tinder is going to 85 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,039 Speaker 1: catch fire more easily and then you can start to 86 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: build up from there. So going very very basic one 87 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: is the most basic way early humans, uh interacted with fire, 88 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: finding some fire and then using it for stuff. Right, 89 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: So this isn't so much making it. This is what 90 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 1: is that big hot orange thing over there? Let's go 91 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 1: check it out. I bet we can do something with that. 92 00:04:57,839 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: And the thing is is that there's evidence that preda 93 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: humans were deliberately controlling this natural found fire to do 94 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: work for them as long as one point five million 95 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,160 Speaker 1: years ago. Right, So once you figure out, oh this 96 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: fire eats stuff, if we keep produces heat, yeah, if 97 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: we keep feeding it, it will stay around. If we 98 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 1: stop feeding it, then it could go out and we 99 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: can kind of bring it over here if we want to. Yeah, yeah, 100 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: we have to be real careful about that. But yeah, this, 101 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: this is this is all before we had found ways 102 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: to necessarily make it ourselves. It was just taking advantage 103 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: of something that was found, you know. And of course 104 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: fires happened in nature for multiple reasons. But if we 105 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: wanted to make it ourselves. In fact, this is something 106 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: that we can still do This is what early humans did, 107 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: and if you're really determined and you are patient, you 108 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: can do it too. People still do it today. You 109 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: can make fire through friction. So first we gotta talk 110 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,720 Speaker 1: about friction. Friction is the resistance to the relative motion 111 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: of two solid objects that are in contact with one another. 112 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:02,680 Speaker 1: So in other words, like if uh, we have a 113 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:04,720 Speaker 1: table here in front of us, I have my hand 114 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: on the table. If I want to slide my hand 115 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 1: across the table, first I have to put enough force 116 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: to overcome this resistance to the motion, this friction, and 117 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 1: even then I'm going to feel the friction as my 118 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: hand moves across the table. That Now, the actual amount 119 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: of friction is usually proportional to the force pressing the 120 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: surfaces of the two objects together. So if I'm pressing 121 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 1: down really hard on the table and then try to 122 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: move my hand, I'm going to encounter more friction than 123 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 1: if I just very lightly had my hand on the table. Obviously, 124 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: friction can be things that are you know, an object 125 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: that's just on a flat surface that's not moving at all, 126 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 1: and maybe it's an inclined surface, and the the the 127 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:49,159 Speaker 1: normal force, the force that's pressing the surfaces together would 128 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: just be gravity in that case. But you can also 129 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: have two different objects that are experiencing friction against each 130 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: other that aren't. You know, gravity is not the main 131 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: force at play. That's also totally possible. Um. So the 132 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: roughness of the surfaces also affects the amount of resistance 133 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: that they have to moving against each other. That makes sense, right, 134 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: If you're using a rough sand paper against some wood, 135 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: then it ends up feeling. You can feel that resistance 136 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: and you can feel the heat certainly using that a 137 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: little bit. If you use a really finely grained piece 138 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: of sand paper, the resistance isn't as much. You're you're 139 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,000 Speaker 1: going to be able to move that paper a little 140 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: more easily. Interestingly enough, this only is true to a point, right. 141 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: This this is relatively simplified, because if you, as it 142 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: turns out, okay, if you take two perfectly smooth sheets 143 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 1: of metal, yes like flawlessly smooth, and you put them 144 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 1: in a vacuum, right, and you try to rub them 145 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: against each other. They had here, they had here, it's 146 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: called cold welding. They actually, on a molecular level, adhere 147 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 1: to one another. So at this point you would think normally, 148 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: if you if you're talking about perfectly smooth surfaces, you 149 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: would think friction lists. You would think, oh, well, those 150 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: things are just going to slide right off each other, 151 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 1: but actually the opposite is true. They will cold weld 152 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: together on a molecular level. So we just keep that 153 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 1: in mind that when we're talking about friction, we are 154 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: simplifying things. We're using a very kind of macro look 155 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: at it. There's also the coefficient of friction. That's essentially 156 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: the amount of resistance that you have, that ratio of 157 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: the frictional resistance force to that normal force pressing together 158 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 1: the two services. So you're moving one object against another object, 159 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: and some of that energy you put into moving the 160 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: object goes to overcoming that friction, and that energy is 161 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: not lost because you don't lose energy. Yeah, you don't 162 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,959 Speaker 1: create or destroy it, you just converted. It's converted into heat. Yes, 163 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: So whatever heat, whatever energy would have been used overcoming 164 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,400 Speaker 1: that friction gets converted into heat. So when you rub 165 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: two sticks together, those contacting surfaces start to heat up, 166 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: and if you rub them together fast enough and for 167 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: long enough, the dust or charred that's given off by 168 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: those sticks will grow hot enough to glow and that 169 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: becomes your coal. So the coal in this case, it's 170 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: not coal like you would dig out of the ground. 171 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 1: We're talking about an ember, something that is so hot 172 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: that it may be glowing, giving off light as well 173 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: as heat. And then you would introduce that coal to 174 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: tender too in order to to get a flame going. 175 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: And you can do this with sticks, although more frequently 176 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 1: you'll have something like a board and a stick and 177 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 1: you'll do a like a hand drill, so that you 178 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: drill a stick against the board and you start boring 179 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: a hole and as a as a result, the dust 180 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: that's around the hole will get hot, and if it 181 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 1: gets hot enough, it becomes a coal. Or you might 182 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: have a piece of hardwood that's like a rod and 183 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,199 Speaker 1: some soft wood that has a little trough dug in it, 184 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 1: and you just rub the end of the rod through 185 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:51,680 Speaker 1: the trough rapidly, and that also will generate this very 186 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: hot char that eventually we'll get hot enough for it 187 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: to become a coal and then you can light a fire. Yeah, 188 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:01,319 Speaker 1: it sounds like it's really easy. This is not something 189 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: that's necessarily easy. It actually takes quite a bit of practice. Usually, 190 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: I mean people who try it for the first time 191 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:10,840 Speaker 1: are rarely successful unless they have the careful guidance of 192 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: an expert who has done it before, because you know 193 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: it's it's It can be exhausting. It takes a lot 194 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 1: of patients and a lot of strength and endurance, um, 195 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 1: especially if you don't have the technique down, if you 196 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: haven't built up calluses on your hands. It can also 197 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:30,040 Speaker 1: be painful. But it is certainly a possible thing to do. 198 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 1: I mean, people do it all the time. You've probably 199 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,440 Speaker 1: have seen television shows, whether they are fictional or documentaries, 200 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: where people have done this kind of method, and YouTube 201 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,160 Speaker 1: is just full of instructional videos if you want to 202 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 1: learn how to do this, and you may be saying 203 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: to yourself that, hey, this isn't really a technology, um, 204 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: but there are a few a few tricks or or 205 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: hacks or whatever you want to call it that you 206 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 1: can use that will move it a little bit closer 207 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 1: into the realm of technology, like adding a little bit 208 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,600 Speaker 1: of grit to the surface of the sticks to increase 209 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:03,440 Speaker 1: the action between them, or creating a simple pulley system 210 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: using a sturdy strap to help you to to help 211 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,400 Speaker 1: make the movement easier. So I mean, like like the 212 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:11,959 Speaker 1: bow method where you have the the bow where the 213 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:14,200 Speaker 1: string is wrapped around one of the sticks, and you 214 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:16,480 Speaker 1: use that to make the spin it, Yeah, to spin 215 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: it really really fast. So yeah, this is these are 216 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:23,079 Speaker 1: basic tools, but basic tools are the foundation of technology. Yes, 217 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: and we're not sure, I mean not just us, but 218 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: humanity in general is not sure how long we have 219 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: been using this particular form of fire starting. I've been 220 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 1: doing it longer than we've been writing. Yes, and you know, 221 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,120 Speaker 1: at a certain point, sticks really don't hold up that 222 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: well to the tests of time. Yeah. So yeah, it's 223 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: one of those things where you can't really necessarily go 224 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: back and uh find find lots of evidence for exactly 225 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,120 Speaker 1: how you might be able to find evidence of a fire, 226 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 1: but not necessarily know how they got it started right, 227 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: you know, was this something that they used, the whole 228 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 1: rubbing sticks together thing, or was this they found fire 229 00:11:56,880 --> 00:11:59,280 Speaker 1: and brought it back? I think I think the oldest 230 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: stick that I've seen mentioned in a museum website where 231 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: some four thousand years old. But that seems awfully young 232 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:09,080 Speaker 1: for this kind of thing, considering that, you know, we've 233 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 1: been using fire in some form or another for more 234 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 1: than a million years. Uh, so then moving on to 235 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:20,359 Speaker 1: flint and steel or other metals or technically other minerals 236 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: as well. Uh, you've probably have heard of flint and steel, 237 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:25,240 Speaker 1: particularly if you play mind graft, because it's one of 238 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:28,000 Speaker 1: the things you can make. So flint is a hard 239 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: sedimentary rock and it has a type of micro crystalline 240 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: quartz structure to it. Uh. Geologists call it shirt, which 241 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: is just a great word. I call it. I call 242 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: it bob. Uh. No. It's been used in toolmaking for 243 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: a while, some some two million years. So it can 244 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: break into very sharp pieces that structure, that crystalline structure, 245 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:53,600 Speaker 1: so it makes really good knives or spear or arrow heads. Um. 246 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:56,760 Speaker 1: So it's been used in lots of different types of tools. 247 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 1: And when you strike it against steel, you end up 248 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,559 Speaker 1: getting the spark that's really good for a fire. And 249 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:04,680 Speaker 1: actually my notes, I wrote flint gives off a spark 250 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: suitable for starting a fire, but that's not really true. 251 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:09,440 Speaker 1: It's actually the steel that's giving off the spark. So 252 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: here's the interesting thing. Now, this is going to be 253 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,160 Speaker 1: different when we talk about modern day lighters that use 254 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:17,679 Speaker 1: a very similar approach. But the idea is that you 255 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: are creating the friction generated by this strike. You're trying 256 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: to strike it from an angle. You know, it's not 257 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:27,720 Speaker 1: like direct on, like slam iron against a piece of flint. 258 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 1: You're you're you're doing this kind of angular motion. And 259 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:34,360 Speaker 1: the point is that you're trying to create friction generated 260 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:37,600 Speaker 1: by the strike to knockoff little pieces of steel or iron. 261 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: I mean, steel really is is refined iron um and 262 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: and that works because the flint is harder than the steel. Yes, 263 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 1: so you you will actually have the flint knock little 264 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:50,440 Speaker 1: pieces of steel off. Now, those pieces are heated above 265 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: the ignission temperature for iron based on those tiny, tiny 266 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,840 Speaker 1: um particles, they're gett knocked off again, we're talking about 267 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:01,559 Speaker 1: that surface area to volume. The ignition temperature of iron 268 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 1: is actually very low. Yeah, well comparatively when you get 269 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: it into the tiny little pieces. Certainly if you're looking 270 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: at it in bulk, very high. But but but you 271 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: might be asking, well, what else is going on here? Well, 272 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,120 Speaker 1: the presence of oxygen is what's allowing those pieces to 273 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: heat up even more. Because iron has something called pyrophoricity, 274 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:24,480 Speaker 1: and you might say it was pyrophoricity. It means that 275 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: it will ignite in the presence of oxygen. Yeah, and 276 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 1: you might say, wait a minute, I have a wrought 277 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 1: iron fence and I can't even remember a single day 278 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: when it was on fire. Super not on fire. Yeah, 279 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 1: it's probably the least on fire thing that's in my 280 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 1: house or around my house. It's because that has a 281 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:46,120 Speaker 1: coat of iron oxide on it. So iron oxide also 282 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:51,359 Speaker 1: we call that rust. But iron goes through this oxidation 283 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: process when you have it in bulk. The heat generated 284 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,360 Speaker 1: from that oxidation process means that the it can be 285 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: conducted through the rest of the material, and that's why 286 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: it doesn't heat up to a point where it gets burns, 287 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,120 Speaker 1: burst into flames. But if it's a really really small 288 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: piece that is suddenly exposed to oxygen, then there's nowhere 289 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 1: for that heat to go. It just ends up becoming 290 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: this oxidized super hot mass, super hot for its size anyway, 291 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: uh and can be very Uh can since become molten, 292 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: which then you can use to set fire something yet 293 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: tender tender usually usually UM. Humans have been using this 294 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: method for some four to ten thousand years, which means, 295 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 1: of course that that the earliest flint based fire starters. 296 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 1: We're not using steel at all, which was invented in 297 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 1: the bronze and or iron age some uh, you know, 298 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 1: less than four thousand years ago, right, so earlier stuff 299 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: was using something else, right, iron pyrate, a fool's gold. 300 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:51,760 Speaker 1: Instruments of those types have been found dating back way farther, 301 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 1: and I didn't want to say that. Part of this 302 00:15:53,840 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: technology is really also a tender materials technology issue, because 303 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 1: as we have improved ways of creating tinder and carrying 304 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,080 Speaker 1: it and keeping it dry, we have been able to 305 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:13,480 Speaker 1: more effectively use flint and steel to create fire. Around 306 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 1: the world, tinder has been made from everything from like 307 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 1: simple bits of dried grass or bark to decaying tree fungus, 308 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 1: which is apparently really effective at starting fires. I'm not sure. 309 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: I've never tried it. Um, and it's been carried in 310 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 1: everything from really ornate brass or enameled boxes to go 311 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: testicle leather. Okay, I I have no response to that. 312 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 1: We're learning things. I do remember watching I think it 313 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: was UM Survivor where the guy would end up getting 314 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: a spark from flint and steel essentially and then lighting 315 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 1: some tinder and then carrying a handful of smoking tinder 316 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: to where he was going to light his fire, and 317 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: the whole time I was thinking, please don't, please, don't 318 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 1: burn yourself, Mr nice Canadian man. And then of course 319 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 1: he would make a fire um like a fire bundle, 320 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: which would have a tin smoking ember inside of it, 321 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,000 Speaker 1: and that would allow him to carry his fire with 322 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: him to his next site, where he would then use 323 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:16,359 Speaker 1: that ember to help light the fire, unless he wouldn't 324 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:20,359 Speaker 1: have to create a new spark. Uh. Not all tinder 325 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: is carried already on fire. Some of it is just carried, 326 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 1: so that's pretty frequently, just just kept very dry and safe. 327 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: Right at any rate, speaking of tinder, though, Hey, there 328 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,399 Speaker 1: was a thing called the tinder pistol, so it was 329 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:40,080 Speaker 1: softer than regular pistols. It's a tinder pistol. No, No, 330 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:45,360 Speaker 1: this was in It was sort of a step between 331 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,439 Speaker 1: the flint and steel kits and lighters that we have today, okay, 332 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 1: And they were converted flintlock pistols. They consist of the 333 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:57,359 Speaker 1: handle and trigger of a pistol with a small tinder 334 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:00,560 Speaker 1: box where the barrel of the pistol would be pulling. 335 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 1: The trigger would pull back the lid on the tinder 336 00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 1: box and simultaneously engage the flintlock mechanism which would send 337 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 1: sparks into the tinder. And now we we've talked a 338 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,199 Speaker 1: little bit on the show before about flintlock guns. It 339 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 1: was in our three D Printed Guns episode. Yep. We 340 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,160 Speaker 1: also have an episode from way way back about the 341 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:23,479 Speaker 1: technology of fifteen ten where Chris, Chris Pallette and I 342 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:26,639 Speaker 1: talked a lot about flintlock pistols and that one. So 343 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: if you really want a full run down on the flintlock, 344 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 1: you can listen to that old episode of tech stuff, 345 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,720 Speaker 1: but a quick refresher just because there's such elegant machines. Um. So, 346 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:40,479 Speaker 1: the flintlock pistols hammer is actually a lever that holds 347 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:42,720 Speaker 1: a bit of flint at one end and is attached 348 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 1: to a spring at the other end, and that spring 349 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,919 Speaker 1: connects to the guns trigger, all right, So when you 350 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:51,159 Speaker 1: pull the trigger, it springs that the flint edge of 351 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,400 Speaker 1: the hammer into contact with a bit of steel called 352 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:57,320 Speaker 1: a frizzen, which creates sparks which light the material at hand. 353 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:00,200 Speaker 1: In a pistol it would be gunpowder and in ours 354 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 1: it is tinder. So you you reload the spring by 355 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:09,240 Speaker 1: simply pulling back the hammer. Again interesting, not not difficult, um, 356 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: but these these tinder pistols, though were household items. They 357 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,399 Speaker 1: really weren't meant to be portable, and all the models 358 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:17,760 Speaker 1: that I've seen included these really heavy legs so that 359 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 1: they could sit kind of elegantly on a table. Uh. 360 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:25,719 Speaker 1: Flintlock pistols were really new and expensive in the early 361 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:28,639 Speaker 1: to mid six hundreds, so it was definitely a measure 362 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: of wealth to own such a contraption just for lighting 363 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:35,640 Speaker 1: candles and your tobacco products and etcetera. You know, one 364 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: thing that I wanted to talk about because I thought, 365 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: you know, it's again a very simple technology that a 366 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,399 Speaker 1: lot of us take for granted, especially since it's not 367 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:45,960 Speaker 1: that frequent that most of us come into contact with 368 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,880 Speaker 1: us anymore. But just I want to talk about matches, 369 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: and the reason is because it's a cool use of 370 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: our knowledge of friction and chemistry to be able to 371 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: create fire in a manageable way, and it really made 372 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: it much much easier to produce fire. Now. They're relatively 373 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:08,560 Speaker 1: recent inventions, although the earliest UH research dates all the 374 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:12,440 Speaker 1: way back to the late seventeenth century sight, and that's 375 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:17,439 Speaker 1: when a philosopher, physicist, chemist, professional smart person named Robert 376 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:22,879 Speaker 1: Boyle began to experiment with phosphorus, which is a pretty 377 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: volatile material, and he coded a coarse piece of paper 378 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: with phosphorus and then found that by moving a piece 379 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 1: of wood coated and sulfur against that phosphorus coated paper, 380 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,120 Speaker 1: he could produce fire. You just had to move fast 381 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 1: enough for the friction to generate the heat necessary to 382 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: get above that ignition temperature. But his ingredients were also 383 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: kind of toxic, so it wasn't really practical to make that. 384 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:50,240 Speaker 1: As like, this is the new fire starting technology of 385 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:53,120 Speaker 1: the seventeenth century, So you get to a century later, 386 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:58,040 Speaker 1: seventeen eighty French physicists invent the phosphoric candle. Now this 387 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:00,760 Speaker 1: is super interesting to me because I can't imagine what 388 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:04,400 Speaker 1: it must have looked like to light something using this thing. 389 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: It sounds very traumatic. Yeah, So imagine that you've got 390 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:09,960 Speaker 1: a piece of paper or some strings coated in wax 391 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,359 Speaker 1: and it's been tipped with phosphorus and sealed in a 392 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 1: glass container. So you've got this glass container inside of 393 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:19,479 Speaker 1: which is this string or glass or a paper, And 394 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,520 Speaker 1: then if you wanted to light the match, you would 395 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:26,199 Speaker 1: have to break the glass because upon being exposed to 396 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: air the phosphorus would ignite and set fire to the 397 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: paper and or strange. Yeah, so in case of a 398 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 1: need for fire, break glass. It's kind of the opposite 399 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:41,040 Speaker 1: of what we usually see. Yeah. Yeah, not obviously not practical, 400 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 1: very interesting, but not practical. Then let's see if I 401 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,679 Speaker 1: can say this word that that, as far as I know, 402 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,880 Speaker 1: didn't exist until this thing was invented in eight oh five. 403 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: You have the oxy muriated match. It's it's also known 404 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 1: as the instantaneous lightbox, which I think is a much 405 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:02,639 Speaker 1: nicer name. Uh Now, this was also kind of a 406 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:06,360 Speaker 1: scary way to start a fire. So you would use 407 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:10,679 Speaker 1: little pieces of wood that had been treated chemically, uh 408 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:16,440 Speaker 1: so that when exposed to sulfuric acid, which serious stuff there, 409 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:20,119 Speaker 1: but when exposed to sulfuric acid, the wood would burst 410 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: into flame. So you dip these bits of wood into 411 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 1: sulfuric acid and you create fire. This Why don't Why 412 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: don't Why doesn't every child? I think the sulfuric acid 413 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:34,000 Speaker 1: alone answers that question. But yeah, it was interesting. And 414 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:37,439 Speaker 1: again this was all leading up to seven when a 415 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:41,439 Speaker 1: man named John Walker, an Englishman, invented the friction match, 416 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:44,359 Speaker 1: which were three inch long pieces of wood that were 417 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 1: tipped with potassium chlorate and to many sulfide gum and starch. 418 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:52,480 Speaker 1: So drawing this match against any rough surface like sand 419 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,399 Speaker 1: paper would cause these chemicals to mix, and because you 420 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: had added heat from friction and oxygen from the air, 421 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 1: they would end up bursting into flame they hit that 422 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:04,159 Speaker 1: ignition temperature and the boom, and you also kind of 423 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: get a lot of sputtering, like this was a you know, 424 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: it was just a little bit like a sparkler almost. Yeah. 425 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:12,239 Speaker 1: One one description I saw said it was kind of 426 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:14,960 Speaker 1: like a listening to a bunch of firecrackers go off, 427 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: not as loud, but she get those little bit and 428 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,320 Speaker 1: then uh, later on you would see very similar matches 429 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 1: coated with sulfur and white phosphorus, which could be struck 430 00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:28,920 Speaker 1: pretty much anywhere, including like on clothing. So if you've 431 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:31,240 Speaker 1: ever watched movies or television shows where you have that 432 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:33,440 Speaker 1: person who just you know, uses the match and rubs 433 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 1: it really quickly against pretty much anything beard or whatever 434 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 1: that's a table top, essentially, that's these sorts of matches, 435 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 1: but also has some drawbacks. So remember that way back 436 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:49,359 Speaker 1: when Boyle was practicing with his he had those toxic 437 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,240 Speaker 1: fumes given off, same sort of thing. The gas given 438 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:55,639 Speaker 1: off in this ignition process was pretty toxic. So in fact, 439 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: there were people who would market these um these matches, 440 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:02,679 Speaker 1: and I think they were called lucifers originally, and they 441 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:06,400 Speaker 1: said don't breathe in the few Yeah, O, white white 442 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: phosphorus is bad times kind of not good. So there's 443 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: the question. We have those matches you can lie against 444 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,199 Speaker 1: practically any service. Why can't we do that with a 445 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,320 Speaker 1: match that you buy today? Like you get a matchbook, 446 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: you take a match out of the matchbook. Why is 447 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 1: it that if I, even if I try really hard 448 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 1: to light it against coarse sand paper, nothing happens because 449 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 1: all of the chemicals needed to create the ignition are 450 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:35,720 Speaker 1: not on the head of the match. Some of them 451 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,080 Speaker 1: are in the strip of paper that you rub the 452 00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:42,800 Speaker 1: match against. Matchbook clever. So by limiting where I can 453 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:47,240 Speaker 1: strike the match, I make it safer to use. Obviously, 454 00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 1: if you were to introduce enough heat to any match, 455 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: then it was going to ignite, but on its own, 456 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 1: it's not likely to do so unless you were again 457 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 1: like exposing it to flame or something like that. So, 458 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,840 Speaker 1: like you say, the match divides up those those chemicals 459 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:07,480 Speaker 1: onto the striking surface and the match itself. So modern 460 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:10,399 Speaker 1: matches have chemicals that allow it to ignite evenly so 461 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 1: you don't get like that that crazy sputtering. And typically 462 00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 1: your match head has some quick burning chemicals like potassium 463 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:21,080 Speaker 1: chlorine on them. The box or matchbook has a strip 464 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:24,440 Speaker 1: containing some other chemical, usually something like red phosphorus, which 465 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:30,560 Speaker 1: does not those toxic fumes. Phosphorus does, yeah, which very 466 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,560 Speaker 1: important obviously. So yeah, when you strike those matches, the 467 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:36,840 Speaker 1: match to that that surface together, you get that chemical mix, 468 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: you get the heat, you get the oxygen, you get fire. 469 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: So super interesting to me that that's how those those 470 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 1: um developed. Then you have electric matches, which are not 471 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 1: at matches there. They're essentially coils of wire and you 472 00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:57,720 Speaker 1: run electricity through that coil of wire, and the resistance 473 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: of that wire means that you lose some with the 474 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:03,679 Speaker 1: electricity into the form of heat, which often with electronics 475 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,159 Speaker 1: is something that's really irritating. Right Oh yeah, yeah, you 476 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:09,120 Speaker 1: want to avoid that, and for example your laptop. Yeah, 477 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,359 Speaker 1: you want to make sure that all of those pathways 478 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 1: are as efficient as possible. That are it's generating as 479 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 1: little heat as possible, So that way you're getting the 480 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,920 Speaker 1: most out of your your energy pouring into it. Right. 481 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:22,680 Speaker 1: But if you're looking to create heat, you can very 482 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 1: easily create a situation where you're going to make all 483 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:29,120 Speaker 1: of that resistance happen and build up as much heat 484 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: as possible exactly, and then the wire will start to glow. 485 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: It's giving off photons and it's really really hot and 486 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,600 Speaker 1: you can ignite stuff with it. If you have ever 487 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: used a car cigarette lighter, that's essentially how these work, 488 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 1: which don't I don't think exists anymore in cars, Yeah, 489 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: if you have an older car maybe. I remember I 490 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: burned myself quite badly on a car cigarette lighter because 491 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:55,679 Speaker 1: I remember my my distinctly remember this. My father was 492 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 1: telling me, like, this is hot. It's really really hot. 493 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,199 Speaker 1: You don't want to touch this because it's hot, and 494 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: as a kid, I thought that's not hot, and I 495 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 1: touched it. Not my dad's fault, Yeah, I learned my lesson. 496 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: But dad wasn't trying to like, you know, let him 497 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: learn the hard way. He was actually trying to be 498 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:18,120 Speaker 1: very responsible. I was the irresponsible jerk in that case. 499 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:19,920 Speaker 1: So I want to I want to make that clear 500 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:21,960 Speaker 1: that my dad was not abusing me. I think I 501 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 1: think most humans have a have a hot things are hot. 502 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,679 Speaker 1: Story very much like that somewhere. But this is the 503 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:31,360 Speaker 1: same principle that electric heating surfaces use, right, Like, if 504 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: you have an electric stove that kind of thing, it's 505 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:37,320 Speaker 1: essentially using resistance so that the flow of electricity generates 506 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: heat until you're able to do something with that, whether 507 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,520 Speaker 1: that's light a fire or cook your meal. So that's 508 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,159 Speaker 1: what electric matches are. And they come in lots of 509 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: different forms, not so much these days, I mean a 510 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:51,639 Speaker 1: few of them do. Like in our camping episode. I 511 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 1: didn't mention it because I wanted to talk more about 512 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:56,919 Speaker 1: fire making and in this episode, but I've seen a 513 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:01,920 Speaker 1: portable electric match. Essentially it's really meant to start fires, 514 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 1: even in a camping situation. But it's it's not really 515 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:10,240 Speaker 1: that different from a cigarette lighter that in the old cars. 516 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 1: Pretty much the same sort of thing, alright. So now 517 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 1: we get up to uh, magnesium magnesium fire starters, right, 518 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:22,400 Speaker 1: sometimes also called fire steel. This is basically a really 519 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: efficient form of a flint and steel mechanism. Um you 520 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 1: would draw a steel blade against a bit of magnesium 521 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 1: or a magnesium alloy which would create these super hot sparks. 522 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,840 Speaker 1: Magnesium flames up around a three thousand degrees celsius that's 523 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:42,959 Speaker 1: about five thousand five degrees fahrenheit, which which makes it 524 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: really useful for emergency situations because first of all, that's 525 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 1: a that's a very bright spark that it's producing, and 526 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,920 Speaker 1: second of all, it's it's really combustible. It's gonna combust 527 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: what you need combusted. Yeah, no, no joke. All right. 528 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: So now we're getting down to lighters like the butuane 529 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,640 Speaker 1: lighters that uh, you know, most of us are familiar 530 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,400 Speaker 1: with in some form or another. So they have a 531 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,240 Speaker 1: few important parts. One is the spark wheel, which is 532 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: made up of hardened steel wire. It's a little bit 533 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,680 Speaker 1: that east spin with your thumb. Yeah, failed to spend 534 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:14,880 Speaker 1: with your thumb. In my case, I'm still really incapable 535 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:18,160 Speaker 1: of using lighters. Yeah, I have very few occasions to 536 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:22,000 Speaker 1: use lighters, so it's not really something I do. But 537 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 1: that's the case. I am too, I am too. I 538 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: just happen to have one of the long braun style 539 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 1: lighters shut. So the wheel grinds against the material that's 540 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:34,480 Speaker 1: like flint. Some of them even call it flint, but 541 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,720 Speaker 1: most of these lighters have a man made metallic material 542 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: called ferro cirium in place of flint. Now, the flint 543 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 1: being used in these lighters is different from flint and steel. 544 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:48,080 Speaker 1: That that kind of method is the flint that you 545 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: would actually find out in rocks, you know, as actual 546 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 1: rocks in our own Yeah, you would, you would find 547 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,920 Speaker 1: it in the earth. Um. Now, in that case, the 548 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,440 Speaker 1: flint is the thing, like we said earlier, that breaks 549 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,000 Speaker 1: off a little pieces of steel and those heat up 550 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:04,640 Speaker 1: and that's what you used to light your fire with 551 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 1: a lighter. It's the other way around. The steel is 552 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,480 Speaker 1: actually harder than this farro cirium material, and as the 553 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:13,840 Speaker 1: pharaoh cirium that is oxidizing, that's sparking. So the steel 554 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: remains pretty much the way it is. This this so 555 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,520 Speaker 1: called flint gets worn down over time because that's the 556 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:25,080 Speaker 1: stuff that's actually sparking. Yeah, that's that's similar to that 557 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 1: process in that magnesium but that I was just talking about. 558 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:30,880 Speaker 1: Well right, yeah, it's interesting because it's the same basic principle. 559 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:33,560 Speaker 1: It's just it depends on which material it is it's 560 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: actually sparking. Uh. In this case, we also have a 561 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:39,880 Speaker 1: compressed spring that provides the pressure needed to hold that 562 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 1: pharow cirium up against that wheel. You would imagine if 563 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: you're using a lighter, then eventually you're starting to wear 564 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,959 Speaker 1: down that material because you're you're knocking off little pieces 565 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 1: of it that are that's what's sparking. Ah, So you 566 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:55,880 Speaker 1: need the spring in order to keep the flint flush 567 00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:01,480 Speaker 1: against the exactly. Yeah, So this this spring very gradually 568 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 1: extends as the flank gets worn down. Now, granted, it's 569 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:08,240 Speaker 1: not something that you would notice over you know, unless 570 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:10,240 Speaker 1: over a long, long, long period of time. In fact, 571 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:12,600 Speaker 1: you're more likely to run out of fuel with your 572 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: life exactly, and that fuel tends to be buttane. You 573 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:20,640 Speaker 1: usually have a little canister that's in the base of 574 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: the lighter that contains the fuel. It is controlled by valves, 575 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:27,880 Speaker 1: and when you press down on that little usually red 576 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:31,479 Speaker 1: button when you flick the wheel, that's what opens up 577 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 1: the valve to allow butane to fly through. Now, because 578 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,320 Speaker 1: you have valves, because you have this controlled release of butane, 579 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:40,520 Speaker 1: and because we learned a fire will sustain itself as 580 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:42,680 Speaker 1: long as it has fuel, because the flame is hot 581 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: enough to keep it at that ignition temperature once you 582 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:48,680 Speaker 1: turn that wheel. Once you're good, you just have to 583 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:50,880 Speaker 1: hold down that little button button and as long as 584 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:54,560 Speaker 1: you have fuel that that fire should stay lit, assuming 585 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 1: you don't run into something like really high winds that 586 00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:01,240 Speaker 1: interrupts that flow a fuel to the flame. So obviously 587 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,120 Speaker 1: it was really important to design this in such a 588 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:04,880 Speaker 1: way where you weren't going to get any blowback with 589 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: the fire backdraft. Yeah, you don't want anything like that. 590 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: So as the film, no, no, I have a soft 591 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 1: spot in my heart, flat movie. But anyway, yeah, it's 592 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:20,600 Speaker 1: it's an interesting technology. So we thought, where can we 593 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: go from here? And we thought about talking about blow torches, 594 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:26,480 Speaker 1: but there's a lot to talk about with blow torches. 595 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:29,280 Speaker 1: And there was a choice between blow torches or are 596 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:34,320 Speaker 1: incredibly scary fire producing technology, and we decided to go 597 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:37,680 Speaker 1: as scary. We decided that flamethrowers are really the way 598 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,200 Speaker 1: to go. Yeah, so, uh, strap yourselves in, guys. We 599 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 1: we couldn't resist. First of all, weaponizing fire not a 600 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:46,720 Speaker 1: new idea. I mean, you know, anyone who seen the 601 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:50,240 Speaker 1: documentary Robin Hood knows Prince of Thieves, you know that 602 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: one with Kevin Costner Um that one. Obviously they would 603 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,760 Speaker 1: use flaming arrows, but we've been using actual kind of 604 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:02,160 Speaker 1: early flamethrower ideas for very long time, like way back 605 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:06,960 Speaker 1: in fifth century b C. These were essentially tubes like 606 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:10,600 Speaker 1: brass tubes filled with a burning stuff, and a warrior 607 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:12,520 Speaker 1: would blow on one end of the tube, which would 608 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:14,280 Speaker 1: launch the burning stuff out of the other end of 609 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:17,880 Speaker 1: the tube, presumably at an enemy, hopefully fingers crossed. Now, 610 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: when you get up to the seventh century C, that's 611 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:26,040 Speaker 1: when the Byzantine Empire began to use Greek fire. This 612 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:29,320 Speaker 1: is terrifying stuff to read about. And we don't actually 613 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 1: know what it was made of. No, we have some 614 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:34,080 Speaker 1: suspicions that was probably some sort of petroleum mix that 615 00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:36,000 Speaker 1: had some other chemicals in it, but we don't know 616 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:40,880 Speaker 1: specifically the people who made this stuff. We're very very 617 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 1: secretive in it because obviously it was a it was 618 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:47,240 Speaker 1: a trade secret. It was an advantage over all their enemies, right. 619 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:50,840 Speaker 1: It is terrifying think of it. Think of being on 620 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:56,160 Speaker 1: a ship in the seventh century and seeing streams of 621 00:33:56,280 --> 00:34:00,360 Speaker 1: flame going into the sky from the walls of city 622 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:03,600 Speaker 1: that you're trying to to lay siege to. You might 623 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: have some second thoughts, especially if you're in a wooden chip, 624 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:09,840 Speaker 1: which you were at the time, that would definitely get like, guys, 625 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,719 Speaker 1: I foresee a problem. I am perhaps rethinking this idea. Yeah, 626 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:16,600 Speaker 1: so the way this would work again is they would 627 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:19,799 Speaker 1: have these brass tubes that would be connected to some 628 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: sort of reservoir. Usually you would also have a pump 629 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:25,239 Speaker 1: that would pump the liquid through the tube. It was 630 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:27,759 Speaker 1: a single action pump, meaning it was only working on 631 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:30,799 Speaker 1: the downstroke, and then you would have some lucky person 632 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:33,279 Speaker 1: whose job it was to ignite the fuel when it 633 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:35,880 Speaker 1: came out of the tube. There are some people who 634 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:38,879 Speaker 1: actually suggested that it's possible the Greek fire would even 635 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:43,799 Speaker 1: ignite upon connecting with water, which is interesting. It's not 636 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:48,240 Speaker 1: impossible that that is the case. But there's the problem 637 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:52,080 Speaker 1: is there's no definitive account that tells us exactly how 638 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:54,880 Speaker 1: this worked. But it seems that there were more likely 639 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:58,560 Speaker 1: these warriors who would essentially hold a torch light the 640 00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:02,040 Speaker 1: end of this thing. Bad job. Yeah, not necessarily. You 641 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:05,919 Speaker 1: probably drew the short straw that day and it would 642 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:09,680 Speaker 1: pump out this these flames and once the pump had 643 00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:12,719 Speaker 1: finished on its downstroke and goes back up again, the 644 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:14,960 Speaker 1: flames would stop because your fuel was cut off, and 645 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:17,200 Speaker 1: so the warrior would have to stay there in order 646 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:22,120 Speaker 1: to ignite the next stream. Chinese warriors copied this approach 647 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:25,399 Speaker 1: and improved upon it by using double bellows, which could 648 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:27,920 Speaker 1: pump out flammable liquid both on the upstroke and the 649 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,960 Speaker 1: downstroke of the bellows itself, because it had this this 650 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:35,480 Speaker 1: double action going on, so you had a continuous stream 651 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:39,000 Speaker 1: of flames coming at you. Definitely gonna make you think 652 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:42,080 Speaker 1: twice before you try and storm their their ranks. Now, 653 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:47,799 Speaker 1: these items, these weapons, we're really scary. They're absolutely devastating, 654 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:50,240 Speaker 1: but they were not portable because they were usually connected 655 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:52,960 Speaker 1: to some sort of reservoir. So's we're not talking about 656 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,239 Speaker 1: like a personal weapon. This is something that's attached to 657 00:35:55,360 --> 00:36:00,080 Speaker 1: a larger structure of some sort. And eventually some thing 658 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:03,239 Speaker 1: else came along that was way more effective as a 659 00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:06,680 Speaker 1: as a tool of war that essentially replaced flames for 660 00:36:06,719 --> 00:36:09,680 Speaker 1: a good long time, and that would be gunpowder. Yeah, 661 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:15,160 Speaker 1: gunpowder certainly changed warfare dramatically. Everything from the era of 662 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 1: the knights and armor two castles to this kind of 663 00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 1: flame technology, all of that was sort of rendered moot 664 00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:26,600 Speaker 1: once gunpowder came along. Although flame throwers did in fact 665 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:29,560 Speaker 1: come back into warfare, it would take it until about 666 00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:33,440 Speaker 1: World War One the German Army began to introduce uh 667 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:36,919 Speaker 1: flamethrowers into warfare. It wouldn't be till World World War 668 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:39,600 Speaker 1: two that you'd see both access and Allied powers using 669 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:44,200 Speaker 1: this technology. And it was pretty terrifying stuff because we 670 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:47,040 Speaker 1: we had the technology to make them portable. Yeah, because 671 00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:49,200 Speaker 1: now it became a personal weapon, not just something that 672 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:52,880 Speaker 1: was connecting. Yeah. Absolutely. So not all developed developments and 673 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:56,840 Speaker 1: technology are things that we are necessarily like, hooray, yes, awesome. 674 00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,800 Speaker 1: Some of them are like, wow, that is scary stuff. 675 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:03,520 Speaker 1: It's terrifying. It also looks really cool in video games. 676 00:37:03,719 --> 00:37:05,840 Speaker 1: I guess at a certain point I can't really argue 677 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:10,640 Speaker 1: movies like The Running Man, you know, Fireball, fictional flamethrowers 678 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:16,160 Speaker 1: are terrible. John always a little bit upset you guys 679 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:18,520 Speaker 1: doing this research. Well, no, because I was reading about 680 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:21,640 Speaker 1: what would happen. I mean, you're you're talking about burning 681 00:37:21,719 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: fuel flying at people. So but to just focus on 682 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:28,080 Speaker 1: the technology and not the application of it, let's let's 683 00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:31,800 Speaker 1: talk about that. So these flamethrowers were different. They were portable. 684 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:35,400 Speaker 1: A single soldier could carry and operate one. And what 685 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:38,360 Speaker 1: it would consist of is a backpack that would essentially 686 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:41,440 Speaker 1: have three tanks on it. You have to fuel canisters 687 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:44,800 Speaker 1: and in between them you would have a pressurized air canister. 688 00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:48,480 Speaker 1: So the fuel canisters, that's what has whatever the flammable 689 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,799 Speaker 1: liquid happens to be for your flamethrower. The pressurized air 690 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:54,320 Speaker 1: is what forces that fuel to go through the fuel 691 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:58,560 Speaker 1: lines and through the gun that you're holding. Now, that 692 00:37:58,640 --> 00:38:01,279 Speaker 1: fuel flows through to the gun, and that's where you've 693 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:05,440 Speaker 1: got to triggers. Essentially, one trigger is what allows the 694 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:07,839 Speaker 1: fuel to flow through and the other one is the 695 00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:11,160 Speaker 1: igniter uh. And they had different ignititers depending upon the 696 00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:14,240 Speaker 1: era of flamethrower. Like the early ones used resistance coil, 697 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:16,800 Speaker 1: very similar to the electric matches we were talking about. 698 00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:19,840 Speaker 1: So you just have this really hot coil of wire. 699 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:23,880 Speaker 1: The fuel would pass through it essentially or or against it, 700 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:26,799 Speaker 1: and that would hit its ignition temperature. The flame would 701 00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 1: start and of course once the flame started it was 702 00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:30,480 Speaker 1: enough to keep that flame going, you could let go 703 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 1: of the ignitior at that point, just hold onto the fuel. 704 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:36,280 Speaker 1: Same sort of thing with the more modern ones, except 705 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:39,239 Speaker 1: they use spark plugs. So you've got a battery and 706 00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:42,000 Speaker 1: the battery provides electricity to the spark plug, which generates 707 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:44,640 Speaker 1: a spark. That's what allows the fuel to catch fire. 708 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:47,520 Speaker 1: And again, as long as you've got fuel going through 709 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:51,000 Speaker 1: the flamethrower, you're going to be shooting flames out. So 710 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:54,920 Speaker 1: interesting stuff. But you know, let's not stop there. You 711 00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:57,080 Speaker 1: know that that's terrifying all its on its own. You 712 00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:01,920 Speaker 1: see a soldier shooting flame out, that's very intimidating. But 713 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:06,640 Speaker 1: you can also make very large mobile flamethrowers. Yeah, you 714 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:09,799 Speaker 1: can attach it to something like, I don't know, a tank. Now. 715 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:12,239 Speaker 1: The reason why it gets even more terrifying with the 716 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:15,040 Speaker 1: tank is that not only do you have this enormous 717 00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:18,640 Speaker 1: armored vehicle bearing down at you, the pump in this 718 00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:22,160 Speaker 1: vehicle is attached directly to its motor, so it's so 719 00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:25,960 Speaker 1: so the tank's engine, oh my goodness, is powering the 720 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:28,480 Speaker 1: flow of the fluid. Yes, so you can shoot it 721 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:32,719 Speaker 1: way further than you could with a handheld flamethrower, so 722 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,680 Speaker 1: you get the propulsion of fuel would go much further. 723 00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:39,719 Speaker 1: And obviously, again a very effective intimidation tool, not to 724 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 1: mention just an outright devastating weapon. So yeah, those are 725 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:47,000 Speaker 1: those are the methods that we wanted to cover about 726 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:49,960 Speaker 1: technology that makes flames. Obviously we didn't cover other things 727 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:53,880 Speaker 1: like you can use light to make you can use lasers, 728 00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:56,800 Speaker 1: you could use uh you can use lenses that focus 729 00:39:56,920 --> 00:39:59,920 Speaker 1: light to a point. So there are other uh option 730 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:02,000 Speaker 1: is that we didn't cover. Maybe one day we'll do 731 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,480 Speaker 1: a second episode. If if any of you guys out 732 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:06,480 Speaker 1: there are kind of pyros and you would like to 733 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:09,879 Speaker 1: hear more than definitely let us know, particularly if there 734 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:12,440 Speaker 1: is some method that you thought, you know, I was 735 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:14,160 Speaker 1: hoping you were going to cover it and we didn't. 736 00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:16,719 Speaker 1: Let us know, tell us what we missed, and we will. 737 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:19,520 Speaker 1: We will consider doing a second episode. And uh, I 738 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:21,879 Speaker 1: feel that we are justified in doing this episode only 739 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:25,319 Speaker 1: because we have done episodes about how fire engines work. 740 00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:29,760 Speaker 1: We've done episodes on how the Boston fired alarm system worked. 741 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:31,640 Speaker 1: You know, we have all of that kind of stuff. 742 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,799 Speaker 1: So this is responsible We're getting response responsible journalists. We 743 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:39,240 Speaker 1: have to tell both sides of the story. Clearly, if 744 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:44,960 Speaker 1: I learned nothing from browsing through a journalism schools brochure 745 00:40:45,080 --> 00:40:48,400 Speaker 1: I learned that. So, guys, if you have any suggestions 746 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:51,279 Speaker 1: for future episodes of tech stuff right into us. Let 747 00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:54,520 Speaker 1: us know our email addresses tech stuff at how stuff 748 00:40:54,560 --> 00:40:57,480 Speaker 1: works dot com, or drop us a line on Facebook, 749 00:40:57,520 --> 00:41:00,319 Speaker 1: Twitter or Tumbler or handle at all three is tech 750 00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:03,200 Speaker 1: stuff H s W and we'll talk to you again 751 00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:10,200 Speaker 1: really soon for more on this and thousands of other topics, 752 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:21,680 Speaker 1: because it how stuff works dot com