True Flint & Steel Firemaking

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There have been several topics on this forum concerning tinders and firestarting.

Flint and steel (not metal match) has become a hobby of mine after a well-experienced friend made note that his 'acid test' for survival skills is someone who can start a fire consistantly with true flint and steel.

After using these methods and learning what works, I tend to agree with the above statements since it forces you to learn firemaking skills from the very basics, and in some ways much better at starting fires than a match or lighter.

Sure, we can all identify tinders and understand the theory behind flint and steel but what I would like to hear is what folks have actually used to consistantly catch a spark and what tinders they have actually used to blow that spark to life.

What I've been using to catch a spark everytime is a new wick from a kerosene lantern (minus the kerosene) that was initially charred about a 1/2". This works everytime using a piece of high carbon steel and natural flint or hard chert found everywhere in the southeast. Another material I used from my friend's advice was charred punk wood. This produces a good coal and burns a long time.

What I cannot get to work at all is a pure cotton ball for catching a spark. Cotton balls work fine with a metal match but will not work with true flint and steel. Several 'fire gods' I know have tried this method without any good results.

My steel is a piece of an old file and I've also used the back of a Livesay knife with good results.

I have used tinders ranging from bird nests, cedar bark, and dry pine needles crushed into a tinder ball. Another tinder that we've been successful with is fine scrapings (not slivers) from rich pine - this worked well during a rainy day flint and steel fire making session, although it takes a considerable amount of blowing to life.

I'm not interested in what we think will work, instead I want to hear what you have actually used, with the only materials in your pocket before walking into the woods being a piece of steel and char cloth or other spark catching material.

We all know metal matches will light good tinder without any char cloth, but concentrate on true flint and steel methods and let me know. - Jeff

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Randall's Adventure & Training
jeff@jungletraining.com



[This message has been edited by JeffRandall (edited 26 December 1999).]
 
I'll tell you my experience of what I like to do with flint and steel:

Charred cloth and very finely prepared cedar bark are my three favorites. Charred cloth being the easiest and best.

From there I usually place the ember in Lichen (made into a birds nest) or cedar bark (made into a birds nest)

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Greg Davenport
http://www.ssurvival.com
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?

[This message has been edited by Greg Davenport (edited 26 December 1999).]
 
Greg, Jeff, I'll agree on the cotten ball thing. I wore myself out trying to get a pure cotten ball to catch a spark. I played with it, fuzzed it up, did everything I could think of but no sucess. A good friend of mine who has played with flint and steel for years laughed at me when I told him about it. He has never seen anyone who has done it.
I am curious though about the hemp rope. How do you prepare it to catch a spark? Is it only hemp or will other kinds of rope like sissel work? Mike
 
I took hemp rope off of my favorite list. Heck when I thought about it... it is not easy to use and I have only been successful once or twice.

I fray the top of a small section of rope and hold this against the rock in a manner that allows it to catch the spark. Very tempermental and often leads to bloody knuckles. As with all, preperation is the key.

I don't know about other ropes... try it
smile.gif
and let us know...

Best,

------------------
Greg Davenport
http://www.ssurvival.com
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?

 
Greg,

Haven't tried any rope yet but have tried the cedar bark to catch a spark. Fire guru and otherwise pyromaniac
smile.gif
, Darryl Patton, swears it will work and he managed to catch a spark briefly but couldn't blow it to an ember. Of course we were working in damp and rainy conditions although we had dried the bark over a fire and refined it before attempting.

With a metal match, cedar bark will go instantly.

The kerosene lamp wick is by the far the best char cloth I've found yet. Also, if your fire building methods primarily use a metal match, the lamp wick is still a valuable partner since it will catch without being charred (with metal match) and hold an ember forever. - another Patton suggestion that works great.

Jeff

------------------
Randall's Adventure & Training
jeff@jungletraining.com

 
i bought a little flint and steel tinder box kit a few years ago at a black-powder hunting supply shop, it came with a small metal tin(kinda like a shoe polish tin, but deeper) a bunch of cotton rags, a piece of flint, and a U-shaped steel.
it said to punch a hole in the tin, stuff all the cloth in it, and heat it over a fire or stove(worked pretty well, but i didnt leave it on long enough, so i only had a little char cloth, and a bunch of browned cloth)
anyways, it worked pretty well, ive started a few fires with it, and the U shaped piece of steel is a real knuckle-saver.
i havent gotten anything other then char cloth to work, but i heard somehting about some type of fungus that grows on cherry trees, and the inside of one of those bracket fungi things, but i never got around to getting some and trying them.
also, a couple years ago, i picked up a combo knife-flint striker for a few bucks, it has a knife blade, and the handle curls around towards the front of the knife to make a u shape, you hold on to it and strike the flint with the handle/blade spine. i think it was forged from an old file. its not a great knife, but its more usefull then just a u=shaped striker.

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AKTI member #A000911

 
I have used flint and steel for years with very little proublem, but I always use charred cotton. I have never been able to get a raw tinder to hold a spark long enuff. But catch a spark on the charred cloth and wrap it in a nest of inner cottonwood bark and you should have her going in no time.
 
Char cloth is the way to go with flint and steel. You must use pure cotton cloth though. Polyester blends don't work. I cut mine up into small 1" squares. Put the squares into a small metal tin with a hole poked into the top. (a shoe polish tin will work. I usually use an Altoids tin) Place the tin in the fire and wait until you see smoke coming out of the hole. Light the smoke on fire. When the fire (from the vent hole) goes out (or when it stops smoking if you don't light it) remove the tin from he fire. You should have a fresh batch of char cloth ready to go! It catches a spark easily and will hold it until the cloth is burnt up completly.

I carry several lengths of jute cord in my fire tin. All you have to do is seperate the strands and fluff them up like a birds nest. It starts pretty easily. I also carry a candle stub in my kit. My steel curves all the way around my knuckles and I usually hold my flint with a piece of leather to keep from making any unwanted holes in my hands.

I've never gotten a raw piece of tinder to hold a spark long enough to start a fire. Raw tinder will work with a bow drill though!
 
Great topic!

My flint is either from New York (fair quality) or Giverny, France (great quality) but I've also used quartz or quartzite (fair quality.) My steel is 0-1 tool steel (I think, bought it as a small scrap at a flea market for $.50.) I als use a small file or a broken carbon steel knife blade.

Favorite tinders are cotton balls or steel wool - both are in my survival kit. Although, I probably use charcloth more frequently.

Favorite natural tinders are fine cedar bark (I've heard that the particular type of tree I use is actually a member of the juniper family.) Also, I like milkweed down.

Cattail down and bull thistle down are tough to get lit using real flint/steel, for me at least.

I keep a web page on this stuff <a href="http://lynx.neu.edu/m/mbennett">here</a>. Please feel free to check it out and send corrections or impressions. It's more or less evolving.

I'm looking for tinder fungus (Inonotus obliquus) and think I've seen it, but haven't been able to make it work.

Mike

[This message has been edited by Michael Bennett (edited 27 December 1999).]
 
I have to agree char cloth is one of the best and easiest, especially to learn with. But it can be farily fragile and one should try to keep it away from the flint and steel or anythign that can render it unusable when you need it.

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Lee

LIfe is too important to be taken seriously. Oscar Wilde
 
I have used flint and steel for years being a buckskinner. I have charred new mops to old blue jeans, cotton web belts, tee shirts etc. The trick is to have your char cloth thick enough to handle the banging about, then hold the ember as it glows. The cotton kerosene lamp wick works the best. Thick enough to hold the spark and start glowing till it is so hot you have to spit on your fingers to snuff it out. The nest I like to use is cedar bark from tall old trees, around here you find them near graveyards for some reason or old homesteads. Rough the bark up till lots of dust and fine fibersform then drop in the glowing char and raise and blow from down under the nest to keep the smoke out of your eyes. In the bottom of my tin , I cover the char up with a leather pad the same size as the bottom of the tin to keep it from busting up the char. Above is cedar tinder, flint and striker made from old files. Easy to make. harder to get the temper just right to throw sparks that sizzle.
 
I use char cloth and jute twine. I untwist the Jute into it's individual fibers, looks like a big handful of fine hair. Get an ember on the cloth, place it in an egg sized ball of the jute and BLOW, goes up in large flame but does not last long so you MUST have good tinder waiting for it.
 
I've also been using a flint and steel for decades, and always use either charred cotton cloth (denim) or charred punk wood to catch the spark.
 
Place a good-sized piece of charred cotton on a piece of bark or the like and pin charred clith down with 3-4" of old file in a vertical position.

Strike down the face of the steel with flint. This tends to channel the sparks down on the charred cloth.

When you see a spark catching, carefully place the glowing piece in a "bird's nest" of dead grass and cover lightly with natural tinder (cattail/nettle fluff/etc) or cotton, raise the bird's nest and blow through from beneath . (Blow just enough. :D)

I never understood why hitting the flint with the steel made sense when you are trying to shave steel with the flint. Think of a flintlock. That's the reasoning I was taught when I was 11.
 
Char cloth and jute twine is a GREAT combo. It was what I first learned with and works every time!

Jeff
 
jds1 said:
Char cloth and jute twine is a GREAT combo. It was what I first learned with and works every time!

Jeff
Click to expand...

Me too!

I ended up making my own striker with an old file and it was to hard to use with traditional flint, it would just tear the flint to bits. I found a nice piece of Jasper and now use that, my combo throws a shower of sparks and is simple to make a coal with char cloth.

knives8.jpg
 
Awesome thread. I just ordered a flint and striker online and I can't wait to try it. Time to make up some char cloth!
 
Sparks from steel are typically to weak to ignite natural tinders that are not charred. Powdered true tinder fungus and a dried mullein leaf are they only natural tinders not charred I have heard work.

Here are videos I have made on flint and steel...

http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/abodude/Gear and Stuff/?action=view&current=P3190030.flv

http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/...uff/?action=view&current=KnifeRockFireTwo.flv



Here is link to charring cattail down...

http://www.dirttime.com/cattail char.html
 
Not all flints are equal and jasper seems to hold up better than flint. I have also acheived good sparks with agate, quartz and obsidian, although obsidian is more prone to chip.
 
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