Whittler Kev
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
2nd (or 23rd whatever) about not annealing. I've tried sequential hardening and annealing as I would a knife blade but they don't through sparks. I get the striker I've made as hot as possible (very red but not sparking) and quench in water. All buyers and users have said how many sparks my strikers throw 
. When I have just water quenched the striking edge and held the bit you hold out of the water until the whole thing goes cold, the sparks are much less bright and fewer
I make my charcloth from old t-shirts or old jeans. Anything that is 100% cotton. The 1st stuff I made didn't work. I later found out that the "100% cotton" shirts I used weren't so they went to a melted blob in the pot.
I have used my barbeque as the fire when I needed some as wasn't going to the woods to make some on a fire.
Good looking set JonE. Did you make the bag as well?
BTW always make sure you have a sharp edge and do glancing not smashing blows.
I'll have to have a try with cotton wool balls as I've always used a ferro rod with them
. When I have just water quenched the striking edge and held the bit you hold out of the water until the whole thing goes cold, the sparks are much less bright and fewerI make my charcloth from old t-shirts or old jeans. Anything that is 100% cotton. The 1st stuff I made didn't work. I later found out that the "100% cotton" shirts I used weren't so they went to a melted blob in the pot.
I have used my barbeque as the fire when I needed some as wasn't going to the woods to make some on a fire.
Good looking set JonE. Did you make the bag as well?
BTW always make sure you have a sharp edge and do glancing not smashing blows.
I'll have to have a try with cotton wool balls as I've always used a ferro rod with them
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