Flint and Steel

O

ordawg1

Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
186
Looking for details on using a flint and steel for fire starting. What knid of steel ? Where can I get flint ? How large ? If this is detailed on other threads please advise and I apoligize if already been covered extensively-Thanks
 
Don't worry, the bandwagon will be here shortly :D You could take the easy way and get a magnesium/firesteel at wal-mart for about $7-8 usd. Works great if you use a piece of a hacksaw blade as the scrapper.

As for using real flint, that's what the bandwagon is for 'cause there's not much in my area to run into. As for the steel, any good knife can do that for ya :thumbup:
 
I don't want to hijack the thread, but, on the topic of what kind of steel for true flint and steel fire starting:

Will INFI work? Will Scrapyard's SR-77 work?

It's time for me to learn this technique, and it would help me to know if these steels work, before I go scraping them up with sharp chunks of flint.

Thank you.
 
If you live in Oregon then you can pick up an authentic looking primative steel and flint from the Gun Works in Springfield or go to their website and order on-line...or call them.
 
Check out the link tonym posted it should have all of the infor you are looking for. You can find them online, there are a few makers on ebay who sell very nice strikers (drop me a line and I can send you a link to an ebay store or two). Matt of ML Knives makes fantastic strikers that I can personally vouch for. Speak up if the other thread still leaves you with some questions, though it was cover pretty well. :)
 
You are awesome !! Not only did the thread cover everything- it sparked even more interests !! ( no pun intended) I would like a link to that spot in Springfield, OR though ? Thanks
 
Here are some videos I made that may help by visually showing the technique...



Did this to show different types of steel will work as long as they are soft enough to have a piece a steel flaked off by a sharp edge. In the case, the sharp edge is a rock with high glass content ~ could be flint, chert, coral, etc. Has to have high glass content and a sharp edge.


 
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I dont know. Theres lots of flint around here. Ive tried lots of times with different steels. Flint is harder than steel. I knocked chunks off a Schrade LB7 . I Think you would need some char paper to be successful.
 
dipbait said:
I dont know. Theres lots of flint around here. Ive tried lots of times with different steels. Flint is harder than steel. I knocked chunks off a Schrade LB7 . I Think you would need some char paper to be successful.
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Yes, char cloth or the most forgiving tinder is needed for this method as the spark is weak, much weaker than what you get from a firesteel.
 
Quirt said:
Link to that spot...okay you could go to google and type in the Gun Works and get it but I'll do it for you....www.thegunworks.com
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Sorry _ thought of that right after I replied and felt like an idiot.I went to the site and they have some real nice steel ( thank you) Seems that this steel/ flint fire making is really interesting to many !! Thanks Again- i appreciate you folks !:o
 
No prob...I was flippant and tired after two weeks of elk hunting and shouldn't have retorted as I did.

The folks at the Gun Works are super nice people and they sell good affordable steel...I work for a school that teaches wild skills and we bought a number of steels from them for class - they work great - started lots of fires! It takes a little effort to learn to make a spark, then catch a spark...but the key is the tinder bundle. If you're struggling with any of the above - reach out and I'll do my best to help you along the way since we're neighbors of the same great state!
 
Quirt said:
No prob...I was flippant and tired after two weeks of elk hunting and shouldn't have retorted as I did.

The folks at the Gun Works are super nice people and they sell good affordable steel...I work for a school that teaches wild skills and we bought a number of steels from them for class - they work great - started lots of fires! It takes a little effort to learn to make a spark, then catch a spark...but the key is the tinder bundle. If you're struggling with any of the above - reach out and I'll do my best to help you along the way since we're neighbors of the same great state!
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Am ordering from them now. Was a tough year for elk here in Oregon. Hope you did OK-Thank You
 
My neighbor made this little cutie. I like the smaller ones for packability and they just seem to work better for me. I like the curve on the face.
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Score: My Hunting Group = 1 Elk/Elk = 5. We got a 2 year old bull with traditional muzzleloader under the worst hunting conditions possible and after a high winter kill. I'd say we did about 94% better than everyone else. I only know of one other taken during the week. Great weather for primative camping but lousy for hunting.

Once you get you steel and flint and if you're struggling just fire me an email and I'll do my best to help via electronic media.

Jeff H - where did you find the tin or where did you neighbor find it...that is awesome!
 
Quirt said:
....Jeff H - where did you find the tin or where did you neighbor find it...that is awesome!
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Congrats on the Elk hunt!:thumbup:

The tin is from a small tobacco shop in the town where I work. Popped in after work because a detour took me close:o and I felt like having a cigar for the long drive home. Spied the little tin of Navy cut, snatched it and didn't let go. He had quit carrying tins of tobacco a while back so I order mine online now and am never sure how it will be packaged. What was unique about this tin is that it's half the size of a normal 100g. tin. Not sure whether I first thought about the tobacco or the tin, but I got both and both were great. Didn't quite cost what a brass Ted Cash tinder box would but an "expensive" tin none the less.

Not quite the same but:
http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=41
 
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Here's a related question.

The vast majority of those describing the technique say to hit the flint with the steel. Why? A flintlock doen's work that way, and the objective is to slice steel off with the flint. So why not hit the steel with the flint. (Was my Patrol Leader wrong all those years ago? :eek:)
 
Thomas Linton said:
Here's a related question.

The vast majority of those describing the technique say to hit the flint with the steel. Why? A flintlock doen's work that way, and the objective is to slice steel off with the flint. So why not hit the steel with the flint. (Was my Patrol Leader wrong all those years ago? :eek:)
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It doesn't make a difference which is hit by what, other than comfort and preference. Often the size of the flint or the size of the steel makes one or the other easier. With a large steel I like to hit the flint. With a smaller steel I prefer to hold the steel steady and hit it with the flint!

Often, what will also change will be where you are holding the char cloth. Using a flint and steel to strike a spark is easy IF.....
A) you have a well made steel striker
B) you have a good piece of stone
C) you are using an aggressive strike, fast and hard enough to shave a piece of metal off the striker
D) your char cloth is positioned correctly to catch the spark.

It ain't rocket science. People who could only count
one, two, three, many,
were using flint and steel to light their fires. Be sure you ARE getting sparks. Watch where the sparks are going. Use the spark to light your kindling.

Stitchawl
 
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