How to Make a Prison Lighter

Last Updated: May 28, 2022 Tested

"Prison lighters" were depicted in the Netflix series "Orange is the New Black". Making one involves a crafty use of resources by inmates to fashion a lighter from supplies they have available to them.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a Gum Wrapper

1
Grab the gum wrapper. Remove the gum itself. Then unfold the gum wrapper until it's fully flat. Cut a thin strip of of the gum wrapper (length-wise).
2
Fold the gum wrapper strip. Then fold it in half (length-wise), and cut the edge that you just made by folding it, to make the middle even thinner. You need to do this in order for the electricity to flow from each ends of the battery to the center where they will touch, it should look something like in the picture.^{[1]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Attach the battery. Take one side of the strip and attach it to the + side of the battery. Then take the other side of the strip and attach it to the - side of the battery.^{[2]
X
Research source}
4
Wait. If the fire doesn't start right away there may be a delay, so wait as it can take 1 second to 1 minute for negative side to touch the positive side, and make it hot enough for the plastic on the other side to catch fire.^{[3]
X
Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Tin Foil

1
Get the tin foil. You're going to want to cut it into a thin line that's just a bit smaller than your pinky finger, and fold it (length-wise). Next cut the edge that has been made when you folded the strip to make it thinner than the strip itself, in order for both the negative and positive side connect and heat up.
2
Place the negative and positive sides of the battery on the tin foil. Take one side of the tin foil strip and put it on the plus side of the battery.^{[4]
X
Research source}
3
Do the same with the other side. Again there may be a delay it can take 1 second to a 3 minute for the tin foil to catch fire.^{[5]
X
Research source}

Community Q&A

Question

The positive side gets very hot and I got a burn. Am I doing it right?

Community Answer

Yes, you are doing perfectly right! It happens with everyone, but it also depends on the discharge of your battery. Try using different batteries.
Question

If I'm short-circuiting, it would it burn my fingers unless I have gloves. But at prison, would they let anyone have safety gloves?

Listennui

Community Answer

Not likely, but just as you can improvise a lighter, you can improvise gloves by wrapping any cloth around your hand a few times.
Question

I'm making the tin foil one, and it gets really hot, but never lights on fire. Why?

Listennui

Community Answer

That may happen if heat is dissipating from the tin foil faster than it can be generated. Insulating the tin foil and/or blocking any wind from cooling it should yield faster results. Also, it could be that the battery lacks sufficient charge to produce the necessary heat.

Warnings

You may burn your hands when the battery heats up!

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 6 Not Helpful 4
This is a fire starter, meaning you can start a big fire by mistake; be careful.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 3 Not Helpful 3