why is it some stainless, even with a low iron content, can be used with a ferro rod

dogwood dan

dogwood dan

Joined
Aug 19, 2011
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I had a customer asking about throwing sparks with CPM-154, he was concerned with the low iron content. Other than to show him it could be done I could only say things like "magic, trade secrets, it must not take much iron, and that is a good question let see if I can find out " I do not have a good answer for him. Can anybody help me out, I am struggling to find the why of it.

Thank you for your time and help

Dan
 
I´m not at all an authority on ferro rods but 154CPM has an iron content of more than 80 percent.

I´d think that is enough?

Brian
 
With a ferro rod, the steel shouldn't matter, as long as it is hard/sharp enough to remove material from the rod, thus exposing fresh ferrocium to oxygen and heat (friction) and causing the chemical reaction which results in sparks.

I suspect that the "carbon only" idea, while true for striking sparks with the traditional flint and steel method, is something that has been repeated so many times here that it is simply accepted as fact.


Edit to add: As a test, I just struck sparks from a ferro rod with my Kabar TDI (AUS 8A).
 
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It has nothing to do with the material you use to strike it. Sparks are created because of a material property called pyrophoricity whereby your ferro rod will spontaneously combust on contact with oxygen. However this only occurs when the surface area is high enough, so for a spark to form you need to break the rod into dust by scraping off a little bit.
 
Firesteels by their many names(ferrocerium, mischmetal, etc...) are very different than traditional flint and steel. Anything harder than the firesteel(whether it's metal stone or glass) with a sharp edge will cast sparks. The special alloying in the rod, when scraped rapidly will self ignite. Part of that alloying is magnesium which burns at a high temperature and allows you to light many forms of tinder.

I know this tool well and have instructed many folks in its use.

Traditional flint and steel is very much dependent on carbon content and hardness because you are actually shaving bits off the striker with the flint.
 
I have an Exotac Nano Striker with a Tungsten Carbide scraper. It works fine on the Ferro-Cerium rod.
 
I managed to get sparks from the back of a Gerber Big Rock just the other day. Although they wouldn't light a bull of cotton and Vaseline. Don't ask me why...
 
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