Mike Ameling Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 (edited) Here's another batch of flint strikers - yesterday's project. They are based upon originals from around 900 to 1000 A.D. The top two "pin" style flint strikers are based on an original found up in Newfoundland at an Innuit/Eskimo village site. The other two styles have been found in numerous burial sites like Birka. The Vikings really liked that high center "peak" in their C-shaped flint strikers. For the coiled snakes pair, I started with a piece of 1095 3/16 inch thick 3 inches long by 1 inch wide. The other C's I started with a piece of 1095 1/8 inch thick by 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. I tapered and drew out each half to 4 inches from the center for the simpler C's, and 5 inches for the coiled snakes C's. It really helps to have both halves the same length and taper before you start bending them to final shape. And here's a couple pics of a Viking style riveted sheet iron pot/kettle I finished up yesterday also. The beverage can shows you the relative size - around 4 1/2 inches deep by 5 1/2 inches wide. The fun little ... projects ... we play with. Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands p.s. The small town near me is having their Nordic Fest starting this evening. 30 to 40 thousand extra people in town for the Fest (town of around 10,000). So I had to do some ... Viking era ... blacksmithing. Edited July 23, 2009 by Mike Ameling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yance Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Fine work as usual mike. The bucket is really neat. Lotta work in that one. I especially like the "coiled snake" Viking strikers. I tried to make a couple that style last week by forging sections of 3/8" round spring flat so my peaks weren't high enough. Next time I'll try cutting a couple of sections of leaf spring and go from there. BTW, the shovel frying pans in you gallery are really neat too. Nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 I've noticed the peak in your viking flint strikers too and it wasn't till you mentioned that they must've liked them a thought occured to me. If you flattened and widened the "C" a little and extended the peak higher it'd look like Thor's hammer. Another nice batch and the pot is outstanding Mike. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Ameling Posted July 24, 2009 Author Share Posted July 24, 2009 (edited) There was a Thor's Hammer version of a flint striker that the Vikings liked. I've made a few over the years. I'll see if I can scrounge up a picture of one to post. The striking surface was across the top of the "hammer". Highly decorated ones were often worn like a necklace. I've tried several versions of drawing that central peak out and up from round or square stock, but just couldn't get much of a peak. So I start with wide stock, and then taper both ends down. The real trick is to make sure both halves are tapered and drawn out the same length and matching before you start bending up the "coiled snakes" ends. And then bend carefully. When doing a symmetrical item, slight variations in the bends show up really quickly! And if you taper that flat stock too fast, you can end up with almost a ... cold shut ... showing up on the sides of the taper. Not really lapped over on itself, but still a visible "line" following the taper. One guy several years ago asked me how I got that line to show up on the flat sides of the tapered steel. I mumbled something about a ... trade secret, or something like that. Mikey Edited July 24, 2009 by Mike Ameling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Very Nice work Mike!!! Having done some recent sheet metal work with rivets myself, I fully appreciate what it takes to make a bowl/pot shape like that. What gauge did you start with? I was going to make a joke about the pot being the Viking version of a bar booey:rolleyes: but the work deserve more respect than that.... Thanks for sharing:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Ameling Posted July 24, 2009 Author Share Posted July 24, 2009 I made the pot using 18 gauge sheet. Although, when it came to that bottom piece, I grabbed a 12 gauge slug/knock-out instead of cutting a new circle from the 18 gauge. I should have just cut a new piece. But that extra weight does help keep it from wobbling over when you set it down. But doing those rivets inside such a small pot is a real pain! Now I know why most originals were around twice that size or larger! Mikey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 heya mike, thx for posting the pix of the strikers, in your other post i used the pix to make one today, i should have read this one instead about the keeping the sides at even length which i didnt so it didnt come out great but good enough to impress allot of my friends. i also didnt do the high center peak but here is my first try at this, this lat week has bee allot of trying at this blacksmithing thing, i'm working on taking classes but have to wait till Jan for that so till then i bang till i get it right! thx for posting and the history of as well, all very interesting stuff.....to me at least..:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Very nice work Mike. Does repeated heating and cooling affect how watertight the riveted joints are? I would guess that it is a metal to metal joint with no sealing agent in it to keep it food safe. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Nice job Outsider. I'd be impressed with a beginner producing either of those pieces. How well does the striker work? Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Nice job Outsider. I'd be impressed with a beginner producing either of those pieces. How well does the striker work? Frosty well to date i have made 5 leaves, one spike tomahawk, one mostly stock removal knife (which i now see needs to be altered due to sharp 90's at the tang) and 3 "J" hooks and of course this flint striker. so i'm still pretty much a beginner it is safe to assume...lol i tried the flint striker on the flint that is mounted in a magnesium bar for fire starter and it worked as well as any knives i have used it with, perhaps even better since i dont have to worry about dulling a knife or cutting myself using the spine and it scrapes the magnesium off very well also so it would see this ancient tool is the perfect compliment to a modern survival tool and looks really good, pretty dam sweet if you ask me! i'll try some more and post them as i get to it since i'm headed up to blacksmith depot today to get a new hammer with a better weight for me to see if that helps me out any and i'll be sure to measure this time to get the scrolls more even, this one started as a goof since i didnt think i could do it but it worked out so well on the first side i decided to do the other side but since one side was scrolled already i could not measure so i winged it and got close, thx to years of construction! well thx for the compliments and i'll be sure to post more as i do more and always feel free to critique my work, that way i can improve. thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Ameling Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 That "flint" on those magnesium bar fire starters is a rod made up of Ferro-Cerrium. That is the same material used under the wheel of a BIC lighter. All you have to do with that rod is ... scrape ... it with a hard/sharp edge, and you will get tons of hot sparks! So a traditional flint striker doesn't have much to do with them. One of the best "scrapers" to use with those ferro-cerrium rods is to just snap off a chunk from a small hacksaw blade. That sharp edge will give you tons of sparks with those fire starting rods. A traditional flint striker is different. You need a sharp edge on a flint like rock to chip/dig out little bits of that hardened tool steel. Chipping/digging out those little bits of hardened tool steel heats them up enough that the carbon in them burns. That's the sparks you see. There are a number of original flint strikers in the one British museum book that have the ends tapered and curled like yours. They are dated from the late 1700's to early 1800's. And when you start to look at a bunch of originals, you do start to notice how they may look symmetrical, but are just a little ... off. The tapers can vary a bit. The length drawn out can also vary. And curves sometimes just don't match that well from one side to the other. Just some of those normal blacksmithing processes. Riveted sheet iron pots. There is no "sealer" added to the joints. They seal up naturally from food being cooked. It gets into that seam and plugs it. I start it out by filling it with water and swirling in some corn meal, oatmeal, or flour. As the water seeps through the joints, it draws that meal in with it. And that starts sealing the joints. It also starts some "rust" in those joints. As you cook in it, that adds more to the sealing of the joints. I'll see if I can post some pics of some Irish flint strikers I just finished. Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Ameling Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 Here is a picture (scan) of some Irish flint strikers I made this week. The bottom 3 are the Irish ones, the top one is a Burgundian flitn striker. Note the similarities. That Burgundian one has that little "peak" in the center, while the Irish ones are flat inside. The Burgundian ones date from the 1400's on up into the 1600's. They also show up in lots of family Crests. The Irish ones are based on originals in a British museum book. They date them to the 18th century - 1700's. The influence came from their dealings with France. And here are some more flint strikers to offer more inspiration. The bottom two are Roman era strikers - 1st to 3rd century. These were never North American shapes/styles of strikers. The next two above are based on a French painting dated 1566. They are the Nose and Ear of a fire creature in the painting. The top right flat one is made to be sewn into a leather pouch along its bottom. The main influence for them is China and Tibet, but there were a few Medieval ones in Europe - probably from trade with the far East. They were never really found in North America until modern times. The top left and very top strikers are 1700's trade styles of British/Dutch/French/Italian origin (they all "borrowed" ideas from each other). Just a few more flint striker styles/shapes to help inspire your own work. But don't get discouraged. Just keep in mind this one British/Welsh striker dated 1590. Just a simple basic striker. (and surprisingly hard to get to turn out looking right) Have fun tinkering, and ... feeding ... this blacksmithing addiction! Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 cool deal Mike, thx for posting more styles, this is great practice for for somebody as new to thins as myself and has good skills to refine, the first one was just a goof to start but it started to turn out that i figured what the heck and did the other side to completion, the only reason i didnt spend more time getting it to the point i wanted was because the wife made friend chicken and thats something of an event in my house, one that i will drop anything for....lol i'll post more of these as i get to them so that others that are starting can see that even a beginner as myself can do this kinda work and what a great learning tool this is. thx again Mike for posting this thread, it has been a great learning experience as well as a great confidence builder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 I guess the question now is when is Mike going to write a book an the development, and styles of flint strikers around the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Ameling Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 (edited) Tiss something I have contemplated. Along the likes of a ... Sketchbook ... in style, with styles/shapes by time periods and cultures. Even some "tips" on making each style. But it also is a pretty small ... marketplace. There are not that may people interested in such a book. I had to work hard to find the couple books already written. And they are basically "collector's" type books. It's hard to justify the work writing/publishing to be able to sell only a couple dozen books. Self-publishing helps, but the demand just isn't there. I would love to buy such a book. But writing/publishing one just isn't justified right now. Plus my drawing skills are lacking ... Mikey Edited September 13, 2009 by Mike Ameling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 How big of a book do you think it would be? I was thinking something on the lines of a spiral wound type reference that could be done at a Kinko's or similar facility. Kind of like some of the reloading books out there where each page would have a different striker. Actually, using the page puncher, and spline installer is fairly easy. With the splines, updates could be added later. It could also be done as just the pages that the customer could put into a 3 ring binder. I think that there would be a bigger market than the couple of dozen that you think with all of the Ren faires, Celtic games, Scottish games, mountain man rendezvous, Civil War reenactments, etc. As for your sketching ability, I can draw them up for you, or a digital photo could be taken of the ones you have made. C,mon Mikey think big:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittler Kev Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 Sorry but the original pics are missing on my PC, Any chance of a repost of them as I like making them as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 Mike is going to have a hard time replying, http://www.navoyageur.org/ameling.htm but happily these images are in the gallery under his name http://www.iforgeiron.com/user/7570-mike-ameling/ and preserved on his website (which I think is still being maintained for reference) http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/firefromsteel/ Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittler Kev Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 Mike is going to have a hard time replying,http://www.navoyageur.org/ameling.htm but happily these images are in the gallery under his name http://www.iforgeiro...0-mike-ameling/ and preserved on his website (which I think is still being maintained for reference)http://www.angelfire.../firefromsteel/ Phil If I caused anybody any undue stress or grief pleased let me apologise. As a newbie to the site, I didn't know he had passed on. Thank you for the links Phil and explaining my error. His ideas are still inspiring others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 If I caused anybody any undue stress or grief pleased let me apologise. As a newbie to the site, I didn't know he had passed on. Thank you for the links Phil and explaining my error. His ideas are still inspiring others No reason to let a good thread die too. There are others here who are very well versed on making and using strikers. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kube60 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I've never made a striker before but I do have quite a bit of good spring steel that should be perfect for it. Before I try, I've got a couple questions. I notice that a lot of the strikers I've seen have a larger area on the side. Is it this area that you're supposed to strike the flint on? Also, should the striking area be smooth or rough? I did try making one a while back but I couldn't get a single spark off of it no matter how hard I tried. Do you guys put any kind of finish on your strikers? Sorry for all the questions but I really want to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.