A solar forge is a device that uses the power of the sun to melt materials, such as asphalt. A four foot wide fresnel lens is positioned as a lid of a hollow standing cylinder. The lens focuses the sun's radiation to a point inside the cylinder, where the material to be melted is placed. The effect is the same as a magnifying glass used to burn a dry leaf, except that the heat achieved is much greater. The focused light is similar to the concentrated light of a laser, though not as intense. Asphalt is a highly viscous liquid that occurs naturally in most crude petroleums. ... Lens of a lighthouse in Rozewie A Fresnel lens is a type of lens invented by Augustin-Jean Fresnel. ... The word cylinder has several meanings. ... A magnifying glass A magnifying glass is a single convex lens which is used to produce a magnified image of an object. ... Laser (US Air Force) A LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is an optical device which uses a quantum mechanical effect called stimulated emission (discovered by Einstein while researching the photoelectric effect) in order to generate a coherent beam of light from a lasing medium of controlled purity...

Solar forges work best in desert areas where there is plenty of sunlight. They are dangerous to approach because of the great heat and light generated. A safe way to handle the danger is to cover the lens when not in use. Solar forges are easy to build, because they consist of only two parts. Other optional parts are : a cover, a pollution-control device (for the smoke), a vent, a temperature gauge, protective fire-proof clothing, and gas masks. Solar forges have the benefit of cheap construction and no fuel cost, unlike other forges. However, they cannot achieve the higher temperatures that other forges can. They are good for melting materials with low melting points. This article is about smithing. ... The melting point of a solid is the temperature at which it changes state from solid to liquid. ...

Theoretical future uses

Solar forges can achieve higher temperatures on moons and planets with no atmosphere to block solar radiation. There, they can melt denser materials with higher melting points. If the solar forge is not hot enough, multiple lenses in a row can be used. They have also been considered for use on the space stations and space mining colonies of the future. The super hot beam produced by the solar forge could theoretically melt through rock, making mining on other planets and moons easier, and with no fuel cost nor machine work. The solar forge might melt moon rocks, creating smoke that contains mineral gas, carbon, trapped air (nitrogen and oxygen), and water (hydrogen and oxygen). The smoke could be filtered to separate air and water to be used by colonists for drinking, farming, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, and other uses. By releasing water from a dry planet, solar forges could, by terraforming, make colonization possible. The earth's original carbon dioxide atmosphere was created by the smoke of molten rock ejected by primeval volcanoes. Crust composition Oxygen 43% Silicon 21% Aluminium 10% Calcium 9% Iron 9% Magnesium 5% Titanium 2% Nickel 0. ... A planet in common parlance is a large object in orbit around a star that is not a star itself. ... A space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live on in outer space. ... General Name, Symbol, Number carbon, C, 6 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14, 2, p Appearance black (graphite) colorless (diamond) Atomic mass 12. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 14. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... Artists conception of a terraformed Mars in three stages of development. ... Earth, also known as the Earth, Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third planet outward from the Sun. ... Carbon dioxide is an atmospheric gas composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ... A volcano is a geological landform (usually a mountain) where magma (rock of the Earths interior made molten or liquid by high temperature along with a reduction in pressure and/or the introduction of water or other volatiles) erupts through the surface of the planet. ...