Sparks & Steel

[marcja]

I tried running a search but couldn't find anything. In saying that I can imagine this being a subject that has been raised in the past.

It's about time I got a new knife, but I want to sure the steel will throw a good shower of sparks from my firesteel. Can someone explain which steel types are good for this and which wont. I know the laminated bllades don't (or does it depend on which steels are laminated).

I appreciate that this is far from the most important thing to be looking out for in a good blade, but it would be handy.

Cheers

M

 

[leon-1]

The laminate thing does not always hold, the F1 is VG10 laminate and it gives a very impressive shower of sparks.

Most knives will give a good shower of sparks from a firesteel as long as the spine is readily squared off (the edges on the spine of an F1 are quite agressive).

Steel type only really comes into play if you are going to be using flint as in strike a light to cast a shower of spraks from the spine of the blade. In this case you will require a high carbon tool steel.

For using a firesteel you could use just about any blade that has sharp edges to the spine. The Lauri PT blades have good sharp edges as well

 

[Martyn]

I tried running a search but couldn't find anything. In saying that I can imagine this being a subject that has been raised in the past.

It's about time I got a new knife, but I want to sure the steel will throw a good shower of sparks from my firesteel. Can someone explain which steel types are good for this and which wont. I know the laminated bllades don't (or does it depend on which steels are laminated).

I appreciate that this is far from the most important thing to be looking out for in a good blade, but it would be handy.

Cheers

M

You might enjoy reading this...
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=945

 

[j.roberts7]

falkniven S1 is the one i use and it gets fantastic sparks from my swedish fire lighter, if thats what your after mine cost me £85 new and it takes a lot of abuse and i have found it very hardwaring in all weather not realy into spending an extra £60 or so just for a wooden handle as we live in the 2000's not the 1800's
and theres just as good handles about for less. ( reliablety not looks)

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

I don't understand using a knife for sparking in the first place. I have a short length of hard hacksaw blade with a ready made lanyard hole tied off with paracord to my steel. So it doesn't look as cool as a sheath holding the bare essentials for "MAN AGAINST THE WILDERNESS' tonight at P.M. People lose wieght over achieving some mythical vanishing point of the ultimate edge, a handle of fossilized ivory and then spark a metal match initiating fine pitting on the lliteral backbone of the tool.

 

[baggins]

Some people have said that stainless steel is'nt so hot at producing sparks. I've got a lapp pukko (stainless steel) and it is superb. We used it for 2 weeks in Canada and it never failed once, even in driving rain. I think i depends more on your technique rather than the steel.

 

[tomtom]

I don't understand using a knife for sparking in the first place. I have a short length of hard hacksaw blade with a ready made lanyard hole tied off with paracord to my steel. So it doesn't look as cool as a sheath holding the bare essentials for "MAN AGAINST THE WILDERNESS' tonight at P.M. People lose wieght over achieving some mythical vanishing point of the ultimate edge, a handle of fossilized ivory and then spark a metal match initiating fine pitting on the lliteral backbone of the tool.

i have found that an O1 knife i own throws much better sparks that that bit of hacksaw they supply with the steels.

 

[Doc]

I think that to throw sparks the back of the blade needs to be a) hard and b) a good square angle.

My Brusletto laminated and Frosts Mora laminated don't throw sparks well.

Carbon steel Opinels work very well.

 

[Andy]

My F1 didn't throw sparks, it just marked the spine

So far the best knife for sparking has been a mora from woodlore that I tried using with some flint. The metal saw on the swiss toll is good but messes up the rod somewhat. I think this is the only use for the metal saw in question as it's the worst part of said tools