best steel for sparks

[Robert Egler]

If your looking for flint, look for clay soil, riverbeds, constructions sites, etc......It's probably right under you feet and you don't know it.....

Some places probably, but not everywhere.

I've studied geologic and archaeological reports for NC and find there are only 4 known, SMALL, flint/chert outcroppings in the state. Two are now covered by major highways. One is under a housing development. The remaining one shows up in a geologic report from the 1920s, but none of the landmarks used to specify the location in the report still exist (half mile down a dirt road that no longer exists past the 'old Johnson barn', which also no longer exists), so I have only a fairly vague idea of its location and have been unable to find it, although I have found a few small gunflint sized scattered pieces of chert in the general area. As far as I can tell the most likely area is on private land, if it is still available at all. (We're talking an outcropping reported to be about 1 m long and 1/2 m high, so pretty easy to get covered up or missed.)

Archaeologically speaking, it is well established that the NDNs of the region used rhyolite in place of flint/chert, almost all of which comes from a small chain of 4 or so mountains in the south-central state in a present day National Forest. Rhyolite is MUCH harder to knap. It does make decent fire 'flints', but the edges don't stay useful as long as flint edges do, and they are hard to knap back into sharpness. It's almost impossible to knap into gun flints (at least for my limited knapping ability).

Quartz, on the other hand, is everywhere around here, and works well as a fire 'flint' when the edge is fresh, although the edges are pretty brittle.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Some places probably, but not everywhere.

Very true!....But more to the point is that; I never thought there was much if any in my area, until I started looking........Now I see it everywhere.....It was under my feet the whole time, I just didn't know how to identify it or where to look....

Kind of funny really!....I started looking for a rock to start a primitive fire and found myself studying geology... :haha:
When I switched from char cloth to punkwood, the same thing happened....I found myself studying trees and birds...

 

[Rifleman1776]

Quartz, on the other hand, is everywhere around here, and works well as a fire 'flint' when the edge is fresh, although the edges are pretty brittle.

Interesting comment. Arkansas is famous for it's quartz. I purchased quite a bit years ago for jewelry (long story, Fusco free enterprise failed attempt #82 ), ennyhow, I tried sparking it and never got anything. I know it is quite high on the hardness scale, right up there with flint. But, it is different and don't/didn't spark no way no how. As a side note of interest: those quartz mines are very far from the famous mines that produce Arkansas whetstones. And, those do make good sparks and are used as gun flints. So....go figger. :hmm:

 

[necchi]

(We're talking an outcropping reported to be about 1 m long and 1/2 m high, so pretty easy to get covered up or missed.)

Or completely harvested over a century ago.
Mankind has a tendency to do that, they just don't stop taking until the resource is completely striped/gone.

 

[Gene L]

Tried for the first time today, with char cloth and ToW flint and steel. Sparked good enough to catch the cloth (which I charred last night) but I didn't have the proper tinder. I had flax, which might would have worked, but didn't give off a flame.

What's a good tinder that will fit in an Altoids box along with the rest of my kit? I understand hemp rope will work, but I don't have that either.

 

[Cruzatte]

What's a good tinder that will fit in an Altoids box along with the rest of my kit? I understand hemp rope will work, but I don't have that either.

I haven't priced hemp rope lately. Sisal, manila, or jute work. Also, if you have made a hickory ramrod lately, save the shavings. Matter of fact, save the shavings of any DIY project made of wood.

 

[coloradoclyde]

If you want some dynamite tinder starting out, and don't mind buying it......go to a craft store and buy some excelsior.....Once your skill develops you can start a fire with almost anything...
http://factorydirectcraft.com/cata...h-2uvIQ76QTV1tGaMo2PfZOpTPdahl7BiMaAsH78P8HAQ

 

[coloradoclyde]

What's a good tinder that will fit in an Altoids box along with the rest of my kit?

What I carry are;
A piece of fat wood that can be shaved into a feather stick....
Punkwood, makes a great coal extender.
Punkwood char instead of charcloth.
jute twine.
waxed jute
candle stub

One of the most important things you can carry is a candle stub....
Once you get a flame light the candle.....it will burn for a long time, and will light wet wood, and will relight your fire if it goes out.

 

[Gene L]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I don't mind buying stuff (like excelsior) as I don't have access to wood shavings otherwise. Not sure how much I can carry in my Altoid tin, though.

Since I don't trek, most of my interest is strictly theoretical. I like the idea of compactness and would like to store it all in an Altoid tin, for some reason. I've saved Altoid tins since when I used to put fishing flies in them.

No room for a candle stub and in my case, probably no need. A tallow candle would be helpful on a lot of fronts: grease, light, and in emergencies, you could eat it.

For me it's an exercise in learning rather than a necessity. I experienced a brief feeling of accomplishment when I struck a spark on the char cloth and feel sure, even with the flax, I could have started a fire in the wilderness with some proper starting material.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Study hard Gene!.....
My smallest kit is an Altoids MINI......

 

[Black Hand]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I don't mind buying stuff (like excelsior) as I don't have access to wood shavings otherwise. Not sure how much I can carry in my Altoid tin, though.

Since I don't trek, most of my interest is strictly theoretical. I like the idea of compactness and would like to store it all in an Altoid tin, for some reason. I've saved Altoid tins since when I used to put fishing flies in them.

No room for a candle stub and in my case, probably no need. A tallow candle would be helpful on a lot of fronts: grease, light, and in emergencies, you could eat it.

For me it's an exercise in learning rather than a necessity. I experienced a brief feeling of accomplishment when I struck a spark on the char cloth and feel sure, even with the flax, I could have started a fire in the wilderness with some proper starting material.

Dry grass, shredded inner bark, tow (is flax, but it isn't a very good tinder - smoky and harder to light than others), plant fluff, shredded cedar bark, other plant fibers...

 

[necchi]

I had flax, which might would have worked, but didn't give off a flame.

You really have to work a small bundle of flax/tow into a nice fluffy "nest" same as any kind of tinder,, then cuddle the ember of char in the nest and gently blow it into life(flame).
The store bought ropes are OK but many have a flame retardant chemical added

 

[Billnpatti]

Scrounge up an old file from an antique shop or some such place but make sure that it is an old file and not a newer one. Apparently, the old files were made with a different alloy, one that gives better sparks. Grind off the teeth on one edge and then heat the tang with a propane torch until you can bend it sideways into a handle that will fit over your fingers when you are holding your steel with the smoothed edge of the file positioned away from you. Give it a try and see if you get satisfactory sparks. If so, just stop there. If not, you may need to heat it to harden it. Heat it with your torch until it is cherry red and then quench it in oil. You ought to have a good sparker now.

 

[Billnpatti]

What's a good tinder that will fit in an Altoids box along with the rest of my kit? I understand hemp rope will work, but I don't have that either.

A friend of mine showed me a pretty neat idea. He mixed saw dust into some melted paraffin until it was mostly saw dust with some paraffin in it. He poured it into a little cardboard box and let it cool. He broke it into squares that would fit in his kit. To use it, He would use his knife to cut some shavings off the square and put it into his tinder. It burned very nicely and long enough to allow him to easily build a fire with twigs, sticks and then limbs.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Good dry punkwood will take a spark without being charred.....Good to know when times are tough....

All you really need is a good steel....everything else can be sourced from most landscapes.....

 

[Twisted_1in66]

I usually use a tow nest. Catch the spark on some char cloth and then put that into the nest. Fold the tow softly around it and blow from underneath. As long as your tow is dry, it will burst into flame quite readily. Needless to say you need to have your kindling arranged close by so you can stack increasingly large pieces over the tinder as it burns and the fire gets bigger.

I used to volunteer at the F&I period fort at Explore Park in Virginia. When doing fire starting demonstrations there, we would use sisal rope that you worked the fibers apart from and into a nest. That worked very well and very reliably and brought a smile to many a youngster who was blowing up at it from below to get it started.

Also, so that you don't cut your fingers one the flint, strike the flint to the steel, not the other way around. Hold a small bit of charcloth in place on the top of the steel with your thumb as you strike the face and it will easily catch a spark turning it into a cinder. Drop it into your tinder nest and blow on it to start a flame in the tinder and build your fire up.

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Dan

 

[Gene L]

I wonder how shredded paper (like through a paper shredder) would work as a bundle starter. Got plenty of that.

 

[necchi]

Well if your going to go there,
Lint from the dryer screen works.
I found the nest of a Red Squirrel in a trailer one time and that stuff was great.

 

[Black Hand]

I usually use a tow nest.

Try Cottonwood inner bark - Should be free for the taking along any waterway in WA. You can collect a lifetime supply from one large downed tree.

 

[coloradoclyde]

NO! shredded paper or dryer lint.... :slap: :slap:

We are full grown men....not 3rd graders.....