Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

How To Start A Fire With A Lemon
User submission
360
27.7K

How To Start A Fire With A Lemon

ADVERTISEMENT

How many times has the lack of fire or lack of teeth killed you or someone you love in the wild? Do you dream of successfully following in Captain Sir John Franklin’s footsteps? Then let science be your sextant: learn how to make a battery and avoid scurvy with nothing more than a lemon, copper clips, zinc nails, wire, and steel wool! Watch the video below to find out how.

Electricity is generated through oxidation-reduction, a chemical reaction that occurs when the zinc dissolves into the acid; the lemon itself doesn’t generate electricity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your own lemon party!

Scurvy is a disease caused by a vitamin C deficiency whose symptoms include the loss of teeth and eventual death. The word ascorbic acid, the technical term for vitamin C, is derived from scorbutus, Latin for scurvy.

More info: YouTube (h/t: laughingsquid)

You can squeeze about 1 Volt out of a lemon battery

Begin by sticking copper fasteners into the fruit

Add some zinc nails

ADVERTISEMENT

Connect the copper to the zinc on a diagonal

ADVERTISEMENT

Attach one insulated wire to the free copper fastener and one to the free zinc nail

Touch the two wires to a piece of steel wool to create a short-circuit, and watch the steel wool heat up!

See the full video instructions below:

ADVERTISEMENT

28Kviews

Share on Facebook
Dainius

Dainius

Author, Community member

Read more »

This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

Read less »
Dainius

Dainius

Author, Community member

This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
SanderWijgerink
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah c**p, no lighter. Thank god I happen to have a lemon, six copper fasteners, zinknails, copper wire and steel wool on me.

Maureen Mower
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is awesome and very interesting. The only problem is, you'd have to know in advance that you'll be stranded in the woods in order to be sure you bring all the necessary ingredients, lol. ___ What ever happened to the old Scout trick of string, dry sticks and some dry leaves/twigs for tinder?

Matthew Johnston
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can still use those for tinder - but they are not likely going to just light themselves on fire. This shows how to build a lighter.

Load More Replies...
PriyankaJatan
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ha! That's so cool! But I really don't think someone would have all of this if they're lost...but hey! Let's start on the neighbors lawn!

Celia Earl
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your D*** lemons, what the h*** am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!

Jeffery Nicholson
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, I always carry a lemon, copper fasteners, zinc nails, wire, & steel wool with when I head into the wilderness for an adventure.

PrimalMC
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have never tried this before but I saw this on a youtube video like one year ago and it looked cool! I didn't think it would work at first, but it did! Nice job

Ralf Klinger
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some kind of piercing. Seems to me that we are both lemon freaks. At least your lemon makes more sense :-) More: https://www.boredpanda.com/what-happens-when-fetish-meets-fruit/

JimHubbard
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's neat...but just how many times will you be in a survival situation that finds fresh lemons lying around?

LenaWalters
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And just happen to have copper, zinc, and steel wool with you? I think most people are going to have a lighter before they have steelwool in their pocket

Load More Replies...
SanderWijgerink
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah c**p, no lighter. Thank god I happen to have a lemon, six copper fasteners, zinknails, copper wire and steel wool on me.

Maureen Mower
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is awesome and very interesting. The only problem is, you'd have to know in advance that you'll be stranded in the woods in order to be sure you bring all the necessary ingredients, lol. ___ What ever happened to the old Scout trick of string, dry sticks and some dry leaves/twigs for tinder?

Matthew Johnston
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can still use those for tinder - but they are not likely going to just light themselves on fire. This shows how to build a lighter.

Load More Replies...
PriyankaJatan
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ha! That's so cool! But I really don't think someone would have all of this if they're lost...but hey! Let's start on the neighbors lawn!

Celia Earl
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your D*** lemons, what the h*** am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!

Jeffery Nicholson
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, I always carry a lemon, copper fasteners, zinc nails, wire, & steel wool with when I head into the wilderness for an adventure.

PrimalMC
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have never tried this before but I saw this on a youtube video like one year ago and it looked cool! I didn't think it would work at first, but it did! Nice job

Ralf Klinger
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some kind of piercing. Seems to me that we are both lemon freaks. At least your lemon makes more sense :-) More: https://www.boredpanda.com/what-happens-when-fetish-meets-fruit/

JimHubbard
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's neat...but just how many times will you be in a survival situation that finds fresh lemons lying around?

LenaWalters
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And just happen to have copper, zinc, and steel wool with you? I think most people are going to have a lighter before they have steelwool in their pocket

Load More Replies...
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda