How to make the spine of a Clipper good for striking?

[Goliath]

Good day all.

I like to use a Firesteel to make fire, but I can't get any descent amount of sparks with the spine of my Frosts Clipper, while it goes great with my Marttiini knive. I've read that one can file the back of the blade so it gives better sparks.

But here's the problem: How should I vile it? Should I give the spine a more flatter or sharper (pointier) edge to get the monst sparks?

 

[Big John]

I think the idea is to file it flat so that there are sharp right angles between the spine and the side of the blade. On my Frosts Mora the edges are slightly rounded where they have been pressed out of the machine (or however they are mass-produced).

 

[Goliath]

Alright, that's what I thought.

I wonder what's the best way to do that. Do you think I can do it with the diamond side of my DC 4 whetstone? Without damaging neither of the two Or should I just use 'normal' fine-file.

 

[addyb]

I did both. I took a flat bast*rd file and squared the spine of my Clipper off (gently of course) and then flipped it upside down and completed the job on a medium grit stone. It works wonders.

Adam

 

[Goliath]

Great I'm gonna try that soon then!

I'll let you know how it works out

 

[KAE1]

Can you get good sparks from both stainless and carbon or is one better than other??

 

[Ogri the trog]

I remember a thread from long ago about what materials were good for use on a firesteel.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=945&highlight=glass

You might be supprised at some of them.

As for squaring the spine of your knife, try anything that you don't mind getting damaged to start with, just in case the spine turns out to be harder than expected. I wouldn't want to reccomend using a diamond slip only for it to rip the diamonds off the surface!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[-Switch-]

Can you get good sparks from both stainless and carbon or is one better than other??

Doesn't matter. As long as the edge you use to strike the firestick is sharp then you should get sparks.
I've got sparks from my firestick using all kinds of things: stainless knife, carbon knife, back of a Laplander saw blade, edge of an axe (not recommended), billy cans, pieces of flint, newly cut house keys etc.

Basically as long as your striker is hard and has a good sharp edge then you'll get sparks.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Basically as long as your striker is hard and has a good sharp edge then you'll get sparks.

Thats true, in the case of a firesteel, its the rod that is generating the sparks. The opposite goes when using flint & steel striker, when it is the flint cutting a piece of steel away from the striker that becomes a spark.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[RobG]

It's true that so long as there is a sharp edge, stainless will through sparks, though perhaps not as well as Carbon.

One thing I was led to, say for a laminated steel Mora, strike the steel close to the tip of the knife. This produced better sparks for mine.

YMMV.

 

[-Switch-]

It's true that so long as there is a sharp edge, stainless will through sparks, though perhaps not as well as Carbon.

One thing I was led to, say for a laminated steel Mora, strike the steel close to the tip of the knife. This produced better sparks for mine.

YMMV.

Perhaps this works because the spine of the blade is thinner toward the tip of the knife? There is less surface area of the knife in contact with the steel so it is able to cut more of the steel away and produce more sparks.

Also I would say that, if anything, the stainless blade would produce better sparks as stainless (very generally speaking) tends to be harder than carbon steel. But it would make so little difference as to be almost unnoticable.

 

[addyb]

I'd also like to add this little nugget of info: The can opener attachment on an SAK works wonders as a firesteel striker. The combination tool found on some smaller size SAK's does not work, however.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[Martyn]

Perhaps this works because the spine of the blade is thinner toward the tip of the knife? There is less surface area of the knife in contact with the steel so it is able to cut more of the steel away and produce more sparks.

Also I would say that, if anything, the stainless blade would produce better sparks as stainless (very generally speaking) tends to be harder than carbon steel. But it would make so little difference as to be almost unnoticable.

Depends on how high it has been heat treated. The material itself, as you suggest, is irrelevant. The only factors are how hard it is and whether the cutting edge is sharp enough to bite into the rod. The harder and sharper the better. A shard of obsidian is fantastic. The best striker would be made of flaked diamond.

 

[Goliath]

I've just filed the spine yesterday (only at the tip of the knive) and it works like a charm! Took me 3mins and I'm getting better sparks then ever

Thanks all!

 

[RobG]

Oh yes...the saws on SAKs work marvelously well, too!

 

[gorilla]

i've never had any trouble getting sparks with the spine of my clipper near the handle without filing it. the little knife on my multitool works as well