Right, like I state in the subject, I've not tested this, but it's collated information from sources on the web...
Ingredients:
a piece of flint, vaguely rod shaped,
a piece of marcasite, big enough to hit with the flint,
a piece of amadou or other tinder,
a small piece of wood to help support the marcasite.
Marcasite is a naturally occurring mineral, similar to iron pyrites (fools gold). The chemical composition is FeS2. It has been used for jewellery, so should be available from lapidarists.
The technique is to hold the piece of marcasite on the wooden base, with the tinder on the ground next to the base. Now, strike the marcasite with the flint. The flint being harder, it will stike big, hot, long-lasting sparks off the marcasite, which should fall on the tinder and set it alight. You should smell the distinctive sulphur odour of a struck match.
The rest, blowing the tinder and gradually adding bigger kindling, should be common knowledge...
Keith.
Ingredients:
a piece of flint, vaguely rod shaped,
a piece of marcasite, big enough to hit with the flint,
a piece of amadou or other tinder,
a small piece of wood to help support the marcasite.
Marcasite is a naturally occurring mineral, similar to iron pyrites (fools gold). The chemical composition is FeS2. It has been used for jewellery, so should be available from lapidarists.
The technique is to hold the piece of marcasite on the wooden base, with the tinder on the ground next to the base. Now, strike the marcasite with the flint. The flint being harder, it will stike big, hot, long-lasting sparks off the marcasite, which should fall on the tinder and set it alight. You should smell the distinctive sulphur odour of a struck match.
The rest, blowing the tinder and gradually adding bigger kindling, should be common knowledge...
Keith.