Metal match striker question

Could some one tell me what is the ideal steel striker to use with a metal match? I just received a 1/2"x4" metal match and have experimented with all types of steel types and hardness levels and some don't work at all, some barely create sparks, and a very few work well. Working well has been a piece of hacksaw blade(tooth side) and the narrow toothy side of a file. Knives of different hardness, including both stainless and tool steel have worked rather poorly or not at all using the spine, just fairly using the blade edge. The little piece of steel that came with another metal match I have(Gerber Strike Force) worked really well. Does anyone know what kind of steel is used in the StrikeForce
match? What do you all use?
Thank you for your replies.

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Alex Penton
 
Alex,

I think you figured it out on your own. Plain old fashioned steel works the best. A good rule of thumb; "the better it rusts, the better it sparks. Lacking the means to analyze a piece of steel for base elements, touch it to a grinding wheel. If it makes a lot of sparks it will do the same with flint or a metal match. It also helps if the steel has a fairly sharp edge.

[This message has been edited by Barry L. Schuchart (edited 01-15-2000).]
 
Joined
May 16, 1999
Messages
422
Just FYI. The contact point between the steel and the ferrocerium (sparker)gets very hot. It can actually boil off part of your blade. I often use my SAK (Rucksack) but it is so inexpensive that I don't mind replacing it every few years. If you have a custom blade... carry a steel.

You already hit on it, the Hacksaw blade is about the best. Just break off the last two inches (with the hole) and grind off the teeth. The edge of the steel itself will give you a good spark without gouging your sparker. The hold makes a handy lanyard attachment point.

Ron

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Learn Life Extension at:

http://www.survival.com ]
 
Gentlemen, thank you for your prompt replies. If there is one key thing I have learned on this great forum it is to experiment and practice BEFORE you need to really use your equipment in an emergency.
 
Probably exactly not optimal but I read somewhere that one can use sharp glass edge too.
Any comment or experience?
If glass is OK, how would quartzite/jasper or other crystal work?
Might be important in a pinch.

Thanks,

HM

 
Barry:
For a metal match, it matters little what the material is made of, only that it be sharp. For flint and steel (Where the sparks are actually made from the steel) it matters a great much the carbon content of the steel.

HM:
I've successfully used my petrified wood strikers on a metal match. I presume glass would work, but I believe glass is not as hard as the stone, and you may have a harder time of it. Though all that's needed is a very sharp edge, and the hardness to back it up on the match.

My knives work well on a metal match, but I dislike using a blade I've spent time sharpening on such a destructive task. I like the strike force for the very reason that it comes with a striker.

Stryver
 
MDP:

You need a glass-type rock, similar to what you would get for real flint and steel. Agate, obsidian, flint, some petrified wood all work. Glass will work to a lesser degree, and quartz will work as well.


Stryver
 
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