Flint and Steel Strikers

Any ideas on making/finding/creating (without a forge, please) flint and steel strikers?

You can PM Askamice he makes Steel strikers. He would be the man to talk too. Cool

As well the flint. Cheers survivordan, good to see you posting.

{ Askamice } aka Rick.

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Heres a video of me using a hacksaw blade and a rock. It kinda sucks but you get the idea Very Happy

eric

^

wow turd that vid is really dark, hard to see whats going on. Shocked

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Last edited by Drummer Dave on Sat Dec 15, 2007 10:42 am; edited 1 time in total

Rick says this practically breathes fire. Cool

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	Drummer Dave wrote:
	^ wow turd that vid is really dark, hard to see whats gonig on.

Ya, I said it kinda sucks Laughing

I'm hitting the edge of hack saw blade with a rock.

eric

Cool. Ive been trying a couple different blades and files, but none of them seem to work. And all the instructions I've seen require a forge for tempering.

Did you try different rocks too? Very Happy

eric

Just get some high carbon steel and start playing around with the forge until you get something you like. I've used files before and they have work great! Here is the last one I made for my muzzleloading bag, I wanted more looks than anything else.

I've since polished it up a little, and used a dremel to put the "diamonds" along it. Laughing

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Cool, Azarcher! Very Happy

How many have you made and how long does it take to make one?

BTW I haven't got the charred cloth to light yet, just small sparks like the ones in the vid Wink

eric

The only problem i that I dont have a forge. LOL!!

	survivordan wrote:
	The only problem i that I dont have a forge. LOL!!

There are probably people in your area that do. Smile

Maybe you could put an ad in your local paper: I am in need of forge. Does anyone have one I could borrow?

That sort of thing. Very Happy

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The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. - Psalms 53:1

//There are probably people in your area that do.

Maybe you could put an ad in your local paper: I am in need of forge. Does anyone have one I could borrow?//

Thats a great idea!! It might go something like this:

25$ to a Smith to make a High-Carbon Steel Flint & Steel Striker. MEtal potentially provided

You should do it yourself, and just ask for guidance. Smile

Working a forge isn't that hard. I've done it before. Cool

_________________
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. - Psalms 53:1

	flashlightfreak9 wrote:
	You should do it yourself, and just ask for guidance. Working a forge isn't that hard. I've done it before.

I am an accomplished apprentice Blacksmith myself. Very Happy

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Survivor Kid 909 wrote:

	flashlightfreak9 wrote:
	You should do it yourself, and just ask for guidance. Working a forge isn't that hard. I've done it before.

I am an accomplished apprentice Blacksmith myself. Very Happy

Are you refering to your use of a microwave? Shocked

BushRat wrote:

Survivor Kid 909 wrote:

	flashlightfreak9 wrote:
	You should do it yourself, and just ask for guidance. Working a forge isn't that hard. I've done it before.

I am an accomplished apprentice Blacksmith myself. Very Happy

Are you refering to your use of a microwave? Shocked

Me? No, I have made 3 things using a forge with a friend of mine who is a smith, next time I am making a tripod for cooking.

_________________
-Thou may'st break, but shalt not bend me.

-Idleness brings want
To work today is to eat tomorrow
It is best to prepare for the days of necessity

-Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.

that I was able to get strikers. I made one at a blacksmith's shop. He has a group of people that come to learn at his shop once a week and I was able to make one. There might be a shop like that in your area. Just check the phone book and start calling. The other way was at the Michlimackinaw Fort. It is a rebuilt fort that is owned by the states park service and they have a blacksmith that comes in to make stuff for people visiting the fort.
Tomorrow I am taking my son to a working farm from the late nineteenth century and supposedly they will have a blacksmith on sight.

If you don't have a forge, all you might need to make a striker is a propane blow torch. Just heat the metal and start pounding. From what I remember about the color of the metal was that it needed to be a cherry red to get to the right softness AFTER you have shaped it, but I am not an expert.

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How well does yours work, Dutchman Very Happy

eric

Pretty well. To me it seems that the most important part of getting a spark is having a sharp edge on the stone. I looked for stones that when you break an edge off look like kinda like what thick glass looks like chipped, or what flint looks like when you break it.
As for the striker, I had the idea of using an old file from work, but the blacksmith said that was a bad idea because the metal is too hard and it is a lot of work to get it to the proper hardness for a striker. He suggested using a piece of spring steel like truck springs. Another blacksmith there heated the first piece for me, lengthened it, made it into an oval shape to fit your hand into, finished it, and then let me do one of my own. With a decent stone I can get enough sparks to start char cloth without trouble.

I went to that farm like I said but the forge wasn't running and I wasn't willing to ask the old guide to start it for fear of giving him a heart attack. Not that this story belongs in the fire section, but the story of the farm is kinda interesting. The name of the park is called The Wellington Farm USA. It originally was a small community started by a man with the first name of Wellington. Before the Civil War, he was a lawyers assistant, and during the war he was stationed in the Potomac area and was later assigned to guard the White House. He apparently became a friend to Abraham Lincoln. If you go to www.wellingtonfarmpark.org you can learn all about it. The current owner hasn't made enough money from the park to cover the costs yet but he still keeps it running. I learned alot about the types of cooking and food preservation that took place during the 1930's.

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No man (or woman) will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself/herself, or to get all the credit for doing it. -Andrew Carnegie