Flint on steel or steel on flint

[leon-1]

Why do we strike the flint with steel, could this be an inherited thing ?

Probably more of a comfort thing, I don't particularly like striking towards my hand with a piece of "Nature's Scalpel", it's a bit like chopping towards ones own hand with a machete. What's more the flint can be a little fragile or difficult to get a really solid grip on.

The steel is normally easier to hold as well and provides a visible barrier between fingers and flint

 

[Fraxinus]

The striking flint against the steel to get the sparks mostly downward is employed when using a tinder box... a tin with charred punkwood or suchlike, it creates a large ember area that makes lighting your
tinder bundle easier, helpful if it is not as dry as one would wish. Short vid by Keith H Burgess below, worth watching.

[video=youtube_share;tSwLly61QJs]http://youtu.be/tSwLly61QJs[/video]

Rob.

 

[MegaWoodsWalker]

Rock on steel.

For me it depends on the available materials and needs. For example here I am getting ready to strike rock on steel to drive sparks into a tin full of charred punk wood. This material is too delicate for myself to keep on a rock.



I prefer using natural materials for F&S.

[video=youtube;0hKDY1OfGU0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hKDY1OfGU0&list=UUyiVQqLC0A-ocbxknOQ5Ung[/video]

 

[MegaWoodsWalker]

Steel on rock.

Other tinder demands to be placed on a rock. Here I am starting a fire using Flint and Steel but ONLY with materials gathered that day. This is actually harder for me than friction fire in damp conditions as tinder which can catch the weak spark from carbon steel without processing aka longer term drying, charring etc etc is difficult.

All tinder and rocks gathered that day. The holy grail of flint and steel.



[video=youtube;d9iQGOa-OJQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9iQGOa-OJQ&list=UUyiVQqLC0A-ocbxknOQ5Ung[/video]

But to make that work I had to break the ovum in two then place the very edge on the rock's edge. Then striking steel on the rock. Bushcrafters adaptable nearly by definition. There are IMHO no set rules simply what works best for you. For example in the above video I used both methods.

 

[Fraxinus]

Nice vids MWW, that Colonial style steel lends itself to both throwing sparks up or down without risk of " flaying ones knuckles open" as I have read of, although I suspect anyone who manages to self harm with either technique is doing something very wrong...wearing the steel like a knuckle duster comes to mind...
I have to admit that throwing sparks downwards to get an ember took much more practice than the other way, possibly due to the fact that the steel is easier to place into the correct angle of attack than an irregular shaped lump of flint :sulkoff:

Rob

 

[MegaWoodsWalker]

Nice vids MWW, that Colonial style steel lends itself to both throwing sparks up or down without risk of " flaying ones knuckles open" as I have read of, although I suspect anyone who manages to self harm with either technique is doing something very wrong...wearing the steel like a knuckle duster comes to mind...
I have to admit that throwing sparks downwards to get an ember took much more practice than the other way, possibly due to the fact that the steel is easier to place into the correct angle of attack than an irregular shaped lump of flint :sulkoff:

Rob

Thanks. The colonial is one of my favorites however the C and oval are also good. It seems the universal shape of the human hand has created much of the same basic shapes of firesteels within the history of Flint and Steel.

Another tinder that would be very very difficult to ignite on top of a rock. Chaga dust and ultra thin shavings.

 

[Goatboy]

My goodness is Clouston ill? A thread on firesteels and he's not here.

Being slightly ambidextrous I can do it both ways, though it hugely seems to depend on the qualitly of the flint and steel for me. Used to be terrible at it either way. But with a bit of practice and decent materials it now depends on where I'm setting a fire and the wind and the like. Interesting thread, for years I was worried that it was just me that was really pants at it, and I was gutted when a mate started a blaze with pretty much the first strike with the new kit I'd got him for a prezzy. (Not that he gloated much) But when I had a go it was like a revelation.

Cheers for making me feel less bad about whats a basic and very important skill.