New Fire and Ancient Fire Compared (Mike Henderson)

The following comment by Mike Henderson was originally posted on this thread.

The new fire seems similar to ancient fire.

When lighting a fire, conditions must be within fairly tight specs.

The ratio of fuel to air must be within certain bounds, the structure of the tinder fuel should allow for some flow-through. There must not be too much wind, nor too much moisture. An ignition source must be present and applied at the right time and place. Once lit, wood fuel must be physically supported to assure airflow.

When it doesn’t work ever time, some begin to wonder “Was this fire ever lit?” Fortunately, the new fire leaves an ash whose isotopic makeup would be difficult, at best, to fake. Unfortunately, isotopic analysis is expensive and beyond the reach of DIY experimenters.

It takes practice and patience to learn how to light a fire. Likewise, it will take time to sort out how to predictably light the new fire. We are gradually learning what those conditions might be. Parkhomov’s nickel? Chopped waveform? Temperature profile? Negative pressure? Hydrogen loading? Lithium source?

Keep up the noble work.