I went to a "sportsmans" show today, and picked up a flint and steel fire starting kit. A local blacksmith had a table set up and I had to buy the kit. I have never started a fire this way. Honestly I am quite excited by the prospect of learning this primitive tool. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Flint and Steel Questions
- Thread starter MattV
- Start date
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Ok, I am more than a little dumb. I should read more here. I just saw a similar post. I will read it and then ask questions if I have any.
Flint and Steel is an excellent fire starter especially in windy weather, but you need to make some char-cloth before setting out with sparks here. I use either jute or cedar bark torn and worked into a fiberous nest then put the char-cloth in the middle. After the char-cloth catches a spark blow into the nest as you would with a bow drill ember, and thats it..... enjoy this great tool!
Brian - You should have milkweed and mullein down that way. Either will make a natural tinder alternative to charcloth.
Thanks Jeff I will be trying that, We do have a lot of Mullein here as matter if fact There is some still standing about a mile from my house. Have you tried using it in a fire piston?
Matt,
The next time we're out in the woods I'll show you how it's done. It's really quite simple once you've had some practice and understand the basics.
B
The next time we're out in the woods I'll show you how it's done. It's really quite simple once you've had some practice and understand the basics.
B
Hi Matt,
I've used the following with a swedish fire steel (the alloy metal ones as opposed to the 'real' ones), they may not work with a traditional one as I believe the sparks are less fierce:
Cattail (bullrush)
Thistle heads (down)
Dandelion heads
Clematis (may have that wrong - old mans beard?)
I guess any similar fluffy seed heads will work, just give them a go!
Char cloth is easiest, but it's nice to use naturally occurring tinder, just make sure they are really dry and pull them gently apart to make them really fluffy and airy. You will find that they generally burn out really quickly and it's best to put them in a dry grass 'nest' and light them there.
I've used the following with a swedish fire steel (the alloy metal ones as opposed to the 'real' ones), they may not work with a traditional one as I believe the sparks are less fierce:
Cattail (bullrush)
Thistle heads (down)
Dandelion heads
Clematis (may have that wrong - old mans beard?)
I guess any similar fluffy seed heads will work, just give them a go!
Char cloth is easiest, but it's nice to use naturally occurring tinder, just make sure they are really dry and pull them gently apart to make them really fluffy and airy. You will find that they generally burn out really quickly and it's best to put them in a dry grass 'nest' and light them there.
I have forged hundreds of strikers and have been making fire with them since I was 15. (im 40 now) Ive successfully created fire with this technique a LOT.
The moutainmen traditionally used char choth. They only used the natural tinders when char cloth was unavailble to them as the char cloth is more reliable. I would stick with the char cloth until you can make fire with that first. The natural tinders are more of a challenge so I would master char cloth and then the rest will come easier after you figure out the technique. Tinder fungus would be the next tinder to try after the char cloth, then try milkweed, mullien, ect. But the flint & steel is the most reliable of the primitive ways to make fire.
I would also make sure you have extra flint as the first couple flakes usually get pretty beat up in the practice stage.
The moutainmen traditionally used char choth. They only used the natural tinders when char cloth was unavailble to them as the char cloth is more reliable. I would stick with the char cloth until you can make fire with that first. The natural tinders are more of a challenge so I would master char cloth and then the rest will come easier after you figure out the technique. Tinder fungus would be the next tinder to try after the char cloth, then try milkweed, mullien, ect. But the flint & steel is the most reliable of the primitive ways to make fire.
I would also make sure you have extra flint as the first couple flakes usually get pretty beat up in the practice stage.
A few experiences with flint and steel.
1) If I leave a closed shoe polish tin with char cloth in my shed in the darker damper months then it can be difficult to light when I need it. In the same conditions I can usually get hand or bow drilling to work. So in this situation fire by friction may be more reliable than flint and steel.
2) A couple of years back I did some experiments on natural replacements for charcloth. I hit on chared lime tree bark fibre. It lights as well as charcloth. Its main drawback is it is fairly fragile and if carried in a kit for a day would probably turn to dust. For sedentary fire lighters though it is excellent.
3) If you use a rounded flint pebble or stone rather than a sharp edge then you don't need a sharp edge to get your spark off, and it can be used almost indefinitely. I haven't needed to yet but I think just an occasional roughening up by rubbing it on stone might be needed if the surface gets too smooth.
4) With a blunt flint edge or with a pebble the sparks jump off at not quite predictable directions. Rather than have one piece of charcloth on your flint lay your pieces of char cloth out in the tin and its lid and strike sparks over the whole lot. One piece will catch and the rest can be put away.
1) If I leave a closed shoe polish tin with char cloth in my shed in the darker damper months then it can be difficult to light when I need it. In the same conditions I can usually get hand or bow drilling to work. So in this situation fire by friction may be more reliable than flint and steel.
2) A couple of years back I did some experiments on natural replacements for charcloth. I hit on chared lime tree bark fibre. It lights as well as charcloth. Its main drawback is it is fairly fragile and if carried in a kit for a day would probably turn to dust. For sedentary fire lighters though it is excellent.
3) If you use a rounded flint pebble or stone rather than a sharp edge then you don't need a sharp edge to get your spark off, and it can be used almost indefinitely. I haven't needed to yet but I think just an occasional roughening up by rubbing it on stone might be needed if the surface gets too smooth.
4) With a blunt flint edge or with a pebble the sparks jump off at not quite predictable directions. Rather than have one piece of charcloth on your flint lay your pieces of char cloth out in the tin and its lid and strike sparks over the whole lot. One piece will catch and the rest can be put away.
rich59 said:
I don't know if you noticed but a shoe polish tin has a tiny hole in the side to break the vacuum so you can open the tin, if this was not sealed the tinder would absorb moisture.
I store my spare tinder for long periods in a kilner jar.
As for reliability, I once fell off one of the Viking ships we were filming in, wearing full armour. Sank to the bottom and had to walk out.
Everything was soaked or so I thought.
The tinder and flax fibre I was carrying was damp round the edges but we still got a fire going from the stuff right in the center of my tinder box.
Took about two minutes longer than usual though.
rich59 said:
I had the same fragility problem with charred flax fibre. My solution was to plait the fibres before charring them, which makes them much more transportable. Might work with lime tree bark fibre too...
Thanks all for the excellent input. I have been practicing with the striker and flint. Getting better at producing sparks. My first problem was that I wasn't striking the steel against the flint hard enough to get sparks. I will keep practicing.
Is a flint and steel spark a risk to the eyes? Or does it not have enough velocity or heat to actually penetrate, or stick to the eye? Does anyone know of any experience of a flint and steel spark getting in the eye and what the consequence was?
It can certainly be a risk to my fingers and knuckles if I miss with my strike - especially if it is a small flint piece I am using.
It can certainly be a risk to my fingers and knuckles if I miss with my strike - especially if it is a small flint piece I am using.
I tend to strike downwards with the flint which causes a downward spark.
Mainly this is because it is better for the my demonstration (usually to a group), but also it reduces the risks of sparks, or more dangerous, flint chippings travelling towards the eyes.
I've never had nor have I witnessed such a problem but "P.P.P.P.P.P.P." and all that.
Mainly this is because it is better for the my demonstration (usually to a group), but also it reduces the risks of sparks, or more dangerous, flint chippings travelling towards the eyes.
I've never had nor have I witnessed such a problem but "P.P.P.P.P.P.P." and all that.
Reminds me of my mother when as a lad I first expressed an interest in making stone arrowheads. "Stop that or you'll put your eye out!". Glad now that I paid no attention...
I have never heard of any sort of risk associated with sparks from flint and steel other than an occaisional scorch mark on a favorite shirt.
I have never heard of any sort of risk associated with sparks from flint and steel other than an occaisional scorch mark on a favorite shirt.
