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flint and steel firemaking
- Thread starter MN284
- Start date
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A properly hardened striker should out live the original owner. I have a few that are several decades old and still making a shower of hot sparks, However, not all strikers are made equal. I also have some inexpensive ones that I purchased in evaluation from a potential supplier that have never made a spark. Sometimes, you get what you pay for.
I own two. My primary is a D shape with open bottom. I bought it in ‘77, used hard and looks new. My c shaped one that’s a back up has only started a few fires over the years.
Just got started making fire with a cheapo paracord bracelet with steel and rod. two strikes with drier vent and started a fire! Last one too? Maybe need better lint (dog hair as shedding season arrives). gonna get good at it though!
Brokennock
Cannon
A ferro' rod and something to scrape it with is a far cry from flint and steel. The sparks are much hotter and will result in direct ignition to flame of some materials instead of a coal that must be used to coax a flame out of something else.
I’ve never worn one out but I have bought a couple that didn’t spark too well...
Umm ya, what Brokennock said.
Ferro rods are fun to play with but they are not the same as a flint and steel.
Ferro rods wear out rather quickly because the rod itself is a consumable. A good steel on the other hand can be easily made and can last for decades. Flints ? Well they are just rocks you pick up off the ground.
I much prefer a real flint and steel to a ferro rod.
Well I was pleased with myself. How many started with a Red Rider instead of a 30-06? My initial success with my "rod" motivated me, now I will go forth and multiply (flames I hope).
Yep, I started with a Red Ryder too.
Here is a Youtube channel I think you will enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Bgood2ppl/videos
Brokennock
Cannon
No doubt. If you scraped your sparks into something that created an ember, then had to coax a flame from that, then, it is part of the learning curve. Going from ember to ignition is the hardest part.
Unfortunately people like Bear Grilles (spelling) have gotten people confused with terminology. So now we have folks with ferro rods thinking, and telling people, they can make a fire with flint and steel.
You are on your way though. Keep at it.
You don’t have to have flint, or worry about sharp edges. Iron pyrites... fools gold I’ve carried better then twenty years
And with fine grained pyrite one doesn't even need a steel striker.
It depends.
Back in medieval times up through the colonial and fur trade era, steel was a precious commodity. Fire steels were often made of wrought iron or low-carbon steel and either had the striking surface case-hardened or a thin piece of better steel welded on. It was quite possible to wear through the carburized surface over time, into the softer, low-carbon material beneath. When that happened, the "steel" would not spark well.
Most of the blacksmith made fire steels nowadays are made entirely of better-grade carbon steel, but sparking depends on the quality and sharpness of the flint, the user's skill and technique, the basic quality of the metal, and the quality of the heat treatment. If you have a good one, I don't think you are likely to wear it out.
However, I have a New Mexican-style eslabon, which is a "U" shaped steel. One leg of the "U" makes great sparks, while the other leg isn't anywhere near as good. I think the two legs responded differently to the heat treatment. A lot depends on the skill of the blacksmith.
Notchy Bob
Stony Broke
32 Cal.
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- Jan 9, 2014
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I've made a bunch of fire steels over the years for friends, and they are easy to make if you don't want something really fancy. I just took a piece of a large file...they are easy to break off. I would grind the edges smooth to get rid of any of the file ridges, heat it up red hot with a torch, and drop it into cool water. You want your steel to be really hard to throw hot sparks. Never had a problem with them and a good quality file has a high carbon content that will spark for years to come.
Yep! I dropped a file and it broke in half. I've also broken 2 strikers using them as knapping hammers to sharpen the flint edge.
Oh the heartbreaking sound of "tink" when they break.
Stony Broke
32 Cal.
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2014
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- 763
I just figure out how large a chunk of file I want, put it in a vise and hit it with a hammer. Then all I have to do is go across the room and pick up the piece. I think the harder the striker the better and hotter sparks I get.
