flint and steel firemaking

Notchy Bob · Apr 13, 2020

Rató:rats said:
View attachment 28503

Wow! I love this picture! Where in the dickens did you find it, and where was it taken?

I think the old reliable flint and steel continued in use for a long time among the country folk of eastern and northeastern Europe. This interesting lady looks as if she might have lived in that part of the world.

She shows good form in manipulating her strike-a-light.

I think her striker may be a somewhat angular variant of the "0" shaped steels, although we can't say for sure what the part clutched in her fingers looks like. The online database for the Finnish National Museum shows a variety of European fire steels. Maybe I'll browse a little there, and see if they have anything similar.

Thanks for posting!

Notchy Bob

sawyer04 · Apr 13, 2020

Carbon 6 said:
Yes, a striker can wear out just like a frizzen of a gun.

I use worn out files forged into strikers and have never heard of one wearing out.

Carbon 6 · Apr 13, 2020

sawyer04 said:
I use worn out files forged into strikers and have never heard of one wearing out.

I had one years ago, I think it was made by a blacksmith out of bar stock I must have been surface hardened. Repeated strikings eventually wore through to the softer or less carbon material and one half of the striker would no longer spark. eventually it broke, but it was a good striker for about 10 years and really threw sparks when I first got it. Like a grinder.

Rató:rats · Apr 13, 2020

Notchy Bob said:
Wow! I love this picture! Where in the dickens did you find it, and where was it taken?

I think the old reliable flint and steel continued in use for a long time among the country folk of eastern and northeastern Europe. This interesting lady looks as if she might have lived in that part of the world.

She shows good form in manipulating her strike-a-light.

I think her striker may be a somewhat angular variant of the "0" shaped steels, although we can't say for sure what the part clutched in her fingers looks like. The online database for the Finnish National Museum shows a variety of European fire steels. Maybe I'll browse a little there, and see if they have anything similar.

Thanks for posting!

Notchy Bob

Hey Notchy. Can’t remember where I found this gem, it’s been on my computer since college ten years ago. You are 100% correct on the locale, the original caption says “Swedish housewife, early 20th century”.
Not sure if it was the same for you Yanks but Canadian infantry were issued flint and steel kits for cigarettes in WWI. The spark and ember on the char couldn’t be seen from the enemy trenches at night, unlike matches or a lighter which was the equivalent of ringing the dinner bell for a German sniper.

Notchy Bob · Apr 13, 2020

Just in case anybody else is interested...

This is the photo Rato:rats showed us earlier:

.... and a detail of the steel:

Here is a picture of a Finnish man in his "national costume," circa 1889. Note the accoutrements, including the fire-steel, hanging from his belt. That knife sheath incidentally, is probably woven from strips of birch bark:

And here is a firesteel from an archaeological dig in Finland, dated approximately 1050-1250. Some things don't change much, over time:

The last two images are from the Finnish Museum Collections. If you want to check them out, you can use the search function in the link. Put in tulusrauta as the search term, Finnish for "fire-steel."

Notchy Bob

Brokennock · Apr 13, 2020

I wish I could see what is in her left hand. It is a great image though.

Carbon 6 · Apr 13, 2020

Brokennock said:
I wish I could see what is in her left hand. It is a great image though.

Looks like flint and charcloth to me.

sawyer04 · Apr 13, 2020

Carbon 6 said:
Looks like flint and charcloth to me

That is what it is, the rings on the finger also is sharp after expanding the picture. interesting indeed.

toot · Apr 14, 2020

Rató:rats said:
View attachment 28503what is the story, picture of the ethnic lady using flint & steel to make fire?

toot · Apr 14, 2020

that is a fantastic picture of an ethnic ladie still using this method of fire making. any information on it?

Kev308 · Apr 14, 2020

Love the video from Tom A Hawk I have never tried that method I always laid the char cloth in the tinder pile and tried to sort of aim my sparks.
I have made strikers from files but some of the best ones I made came from the tines of an old four pronged rake. Those thinge really threw sparks. Thanks for the video, got a new way to catch sparks!!
Kevin

Tom A Hawk · Apr 14, 2020

Kev308 said:
Love the video from Tom A Hawk I have never tried that method I always laid the char cloth in the tinder pile and tried to sort of aim my sparks.
I have made strikers from files but some of the best ones I made came from the tines of an old four pronged rake. Those thinge really threw sparks. Thanks for the video, got a new way to catch sparks!!
Kevin

You're welcome. The tinder on top method is also the best when using tinders other than charcloth. Such as mullein pith.

Carbon 6 · Apr 14, 2020

Tom A Hawk said:
The tinder on top method is also the best when using tinders other than charcloth. .

It sure does. it also allows you to "short stroke" the throw of the steel.
When you get good, you can reduce the throw arch down to just a few inches,(like in your video) instead of looking like a blacksmith swinging a hammer. Look at how high the lady in the photo is holding the steel preparing to strike, a real knuckle buster if she misses.

smo · Apr 14, 2020

I fold my char cloth in half, then in half again.
This leaves 4 exposed edges too catch the spark.

Place the char cloth on top of the flint holding them between the thumb & forefinger.

I use a short stroke with the striker coming into the flints edge which he angled upward.

As the striker crosses the flints edge small bits of hot steel are shaved off by the leading edge of the flint in an upward direction.... works for me.

Carbon 6 · Apr 14, 2020

I face a torn edge towards the flint edge.

toot · Apr 15, 2020

the practice of placing the char cloth in the tinder pile is called THE BOY SCOUT METHOD! practiced by them and in the BOY SCOUT MERIT BADGE MANUEL on fire making. not a merit badge requirement any more. I guess that they have gotten into the 21st. century?

toot · Apr 15, 2020

you hear that back in the day the old timers would put a piece of fire catching material in the pan of a flint lock and strike it to catch a spark.

JBrandon · Apr 15, 2020

toot said:
you hear that back in the day the old timers would put a piece of fire catching material in the pan of a flint lock and strike it to catch a spark.

Yes and I'm sure all you other flinters are aware that for home use and the fancy folk (since they were surely expensive) there are flintlock tinder pistols, basically a pistol without the gun - instead of priming and a barrel with charge, the hammer kicks back the frizzen to expose a box containing a bit of tinder. A couple photos -the wood handle one is modern replica, these used to be sold by Dixie, can still be found for not too much, and work pretty well.

Carbon 6 · Apr 15, 2020

toot said:
the practice of placing the char cloth in the tinder pile is called THE BOY SCOUT METHOD! practiced by them and in the BOY SCOUT MERIT BADGE MANUEL on fire making. not a merit badge requirement any more. I guess that they have gotten into the 21st. century?

Any idea when the Scouts first started using ferro rods ? I know it goes back at least 50 years.

Carbon 6 · Apr 15, 2020

JBrandon said:
Yes and I'm sure all you other flinters are aware that for home use and the fancy folk (since they were surely expensive) there are flintlock tinder pistols, basically a pistol without the gun - instead of priming and a barrel with charge, the hammer kicks back the frizzen to expose a box containing a bit of tinder. A couple photos -the wood handle one is modern replica, these used to be sold by Dixie, can still be found for not too much, and work pretty well. View attachment 28670 View attachment 28672

I still kick myself for not buying one of those when they were cheap.
I really like the second one. :thumb:

flint and steel firemaking

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