We’ve shown you survival mechanisms before, but you’ve never seen one quite like this! All it requires is a gum wrapper and an AA battery and you’ll be able to start a fire in any enduring situation that life throws at you. Of course you can always get a fire started just for fun as well.
21
GUM WRAPPER FIRE STARTER
SAFETY KEY:
+ Fire
SKILL LEVEL:
EASY
INTERMEDIATE
ADVANCED
APPROXIMATE TIME:
90 minutes
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
+ Gum wrapper (one that has a metallic side)
+ AA battery
+ Scissors
LET’S BEGIN
SETUP
1. The trick to get this to work lies in the gum wrapper itself. What you want to find is a wrapper that has a shiny metallic exterior, but a textured fibrous interior.
PRO TIP: Grab a few different brands of gum to see which wrapper gives you the best results.
2. Make sure you have an AA battery.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Now, many know that a battery has a positive and a negative end. When those ends are connected to something conductive, electricity begins to flow. That conductive material is going to be the metallic side of your gum wrapper.
THINK ABOUT IT! If we think of electricity like water, then the voltage coming out of the battery is like the pressure of the water and the conductor is like the tube or the piping that takes the water where we need it to go.
2. If you leave the wrapper as is touching both ends, the battery is only going to get super hot and burn your fingertips.
So, you will want to make the wrapper thinner, so that the electrical pressure builds up to the point where it can generate enough heat to start a fire.
DON’T GIVE UP! Finding the right length can be difficult. Too thin and it burns right in half; and too thick and you’ll burn your fingers. It’s a balancing act.
PRO TIP: What works best is to take your gum wrapper and cut it into thirds. This way you have three different ways to ignite.
STARTING YOUR FIRE
1. Cut your wrapper in thirds, then trim the sides to form an hourglass shape, so the part in the middle is about the same thickness as the blade on your scissors.
2. To get your igniter to work, take your fourth finger and place it underneath your wrapper so the shiny side faces upward.
3. Then take your AA battery and press it down onto your finger, holding the wrapper between the battery and your finger.
4. Then use your thumb and forefinger to hold the battery straight up.
5. This last part happens very quickly. Take the top end of your foil and place it at the top end of the battery. Move your fingers. Now use your thumb to secure the battery vertically, and the wrapper should ignite almost immediately.
PRO TIP: If you hold your battery horizontally, most of the heat will dissipate upward, leaving you with smoke but not ignition.
ALSO TRY: If you are burning your fingers, you can use pieces of the gum or the box the gum came in to protect them.
So what are you waiting for? Plan your own survival fire-starting adventure! Head to the desert with some gum and batteries (maybe some water and fries, too … let’s not get too risky) and see what you can ignite. Find some dry grass and sticks to light up with your fire starter, and you’ll be a survival expert in no time.
