Iron Pyrite question

[Fallow Way]

I have to admit i`m one of those annoying buggers that, as with frire by friction, got it first time.

A good hint is to hold the flint with its longest axis vertical and place the iron right on the tinder, not hovering above it somewhere

 

[Realgar]

I got some nodules of someone on the group ( can't remember who ), I can strike a spark off them with a piece of quartzite. You need to find the right spot on your nodule and use a very glancing blow - almost just dropping the stone past the nodule. The sparks are dull red, few and drift downwards slowly like an ember from a fire.

The sparks from flint as far as I know a piezoelectric - they're electrical sparks. You used to be able to get white lumps of rock called glow stones that produced very vivid sparks when rubbed together. They like flint were a form a quartz. I think to catch a spark you still need something that's going to break off and fall away from the impact whilst remaining hot. I've seen sites with demos using two pyrites to light something but never two flints.

Just a thought - would flint glass work?

 

[KIMBOKO]

The sparks from two flints do seem to me to be external of the flint and are perhaps a possible source of ignition.
I have a piezo electric lighter that seems to work fine I dont see why you believe you can't use electricity to start ignition. I think its just a case of finding what can be used to catch the spark.

I've been told by my wife and her friend that the iron pyrites I showed her is grey to yellow or grey to gold and not green. I still maintain that its green but accept that it might be my eyes. The outside well weathered part looks a little rusty. Really old very well weathered pieces look just like a vety rusty piece of iron.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I have a piezo electric lighter that seems to work fine I dont see why you believe you can't use electricity to start ignition. I think its just a case of finding what can be used to catch the spark.

I'm not sure I understood that...

An electric spark is ionisation in air.

A spark from flint or pyrites against steel is a piece of very hot, burning metal falling through the air.

You can catch the falling metal on tinder.

I don't see how you can catch ionised air on anything much, but you can use it to ignite a gas...

You can use a tin can part filled with volatile flammable liquid (e.g. petrol) with an air space above it, an intake pipe and outflow pipe, and blow air through the airspace. This picks up evaporated fuel that then comes out through the outflow pipe mixed with air that you can light with a spark...

In fact, you've got a very simple blow torch that you can use to solder or light a fire.


Keith.

 

[KIMBOKO]

Does the ionised air heat up the gas to the point of ignition? Could it not heat up something else to the point of ignition?. In looking at the sparks produced last night it appeared that some at least were external to the flint and subject to gravity, so I assume they were a physical hot spark. More things to try out I think.

A friend of mine used to set fire to his excess wind so there's a natural gas source. I have lit a gas lighter from the static electricity from walking a carpet and earthing my finger across the gas flow. I have seen a cigarette being lit from the sparks from a car spark plug. So I believe it may be possible but diffuicult to use two flints, it may just be the correct tinder that is lacking.

Quote "I don't see how you can catch ionised air on anything much"

have you ever tried?.

 

[Pappa]

Thanks to both Oakwright and Inocent Bystander for the flint they sent me. I think however I need to get a new bit of Pyrite, because after a lot more digging, it looks like my lump of ore is actually Marcasite. I think the 'greenish to brownish black' streak, and the association with sulphurous smells are what convinced me.

Thanks to Motorbike Man too.

Pappa

 

[Keith_Beef]

Does the ionised air heat up the gas to the point of ignition? Could it not heat up something else to the point of ignition?. In looking at the sparks produced last night it appeared that some at least were external to the flint and subject to gravity, so I assume they were a physical hot spark. More things to try out I think.

A friend of mine used to set fire to his excess wind so there's a natural gas source. I have lit a gas lighter from the static electricity from walking a carpet and earthing my finger across the gas flow. I have seen a cigarette being lit from the sparks from a car spark plug. So I believe it may be possible but diffuicult to use two flints, it may just be the correct tinder that is lacking.

Quote "I don't see how you can catch ionised air on anything much"

have you ever tried?.

Maybe I was confusing two separate ideas in your post...

The sparks from two flints do seem to me to be external of the flint and are perhaps a possible source of ignition.

Banging together two pieces of flint should give you hot shards of flint falling to ground. But these shards are less long-lived, and probably cooler, than shards of hot metal struck off a steel by a piece of flint.

I have a piezo electric lighter that seems to work fine I dont see why you believe you can't use electricity to start ignition.

I was replying more tho this point, about a piezo-electric spark.

I used to do a few tricks with a dismantled piezo unit, including the fingertip spark to light the gas fire.

I drew the line at lighting a fart, though.

It'd be good to get the opinion of somebody who knows a lot more than me about electricity to find out how hot an electric arc through air can be. It may be that the spark from a car spark plug is hot enough to light a cigarette, but I still maintain that there isn't a physical shard of white hot material to catch on a piece of tinder.

 

[KIMBOKO]

Keith_Beef
I agree that with an electrical spark there isn't a physical shard to start a fire but I know that electrical sparks can cause fire ....piezo electric crystals, static electricity (dry powder containers are earthed to stop a build up of static that causes explosions in powders), lightning, welding, plasma cutters.

I think the opinion of someone might be a fine but at the end of all the talk I would want to know that either I could or I couldn't physically light a fire using two pieces of flint. That takes me practising and trying out different things to see if it is possible for me to do it.

I once soldered a cigarette lighter flint and wheel to a ring that I put on my finger. In my pocket I had a small pot of meths....I would put my thumb in the meths then make a show of using my thumb as a lighter ( as per Laurel and Hardy).....and in reality light the meths on my finger very impressive at night at a party. Just don't let it burn for too long.

 

[Pappa]

In my pocket I had a small pot of meths....

You hear about people getting Darwin Awards from doing stuff like that.

Pappa

edit: Although, I can't say anything really, because I occasionally fire-breathe with paraffin.

 

[Keith_Beef]

You hear about people getting Darwin Awards from doing stuff like that.

Pappa

edit: Although, I can't say anything really, because I occasionally fire-breathe with paraffin.

I used to light a small puddle of acetone on the palm of my hand. The flame is a nice blue, starting a 1/2 inch off the skin, which stays cool as the acetone evaporates.

I agree that with an electrical spark there isn't a physical shard to start a fire but I know that electrical sparks can cause fire ....piezo electric crystals, static electricity (dry powder containers are earthed to stop a build up of static that causes explosions in powders), lightning, welding, plasma cutters.

I think the opinion of someone might be a fine but at the end of all the talk I would want to know that either I could or I couldn't physically light a fire using two pieces of flint. That takes me practising and trying out different things to see if it is possible for me to do it.

Flour or caster sugar mixed with air is explosive. I think that it's far, far easier to ignite a flour/air mixture from a piezo spark, than to get tinder to light the same way.

I didn't mean to come on strong and knowledgable, you know. Just pointing out what I think is the case, and inviting comment from someone who knows better than me.

There's a saying "better to keep your gob shut, and be thought a fool, than to open it and prove it".

But I prefer to say what I think. If I'm wrong, I hope somebody will put me right. If I keep quiet, I might be carrying around a false idea the one day could land me in big trouble...

Keith.

 

[KIMBOKO]

Or the spores from a Puffball or other fungus or other spore bearing plant.

Just going outside to make sparks!!!!