Iron Cross Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Does anyone know offhand where to find 5/15" or 3/8" square high carbon steel? A customer requested some custom flint strikers, but I'm having difficulty locating usable steel with little time involved acquiring it. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Why does it have to be square, garage door springs are great for making strikers. If you must have square stock, take some coil springs off a car and beat them square. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithh999 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 some of the best strikers i ever made were from 1/4" square spring steel oil quenched from critical temp. and that size makes them lighter and easier to pack around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Old files are an easily found source of good steel that can be hardened to make strikers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolhand Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Where do you all find the flint to go with the striker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nc_cooter Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 coolhand, this guy has the best English flint chards I have found. Just contact Shannon as they are not listed on his web site.http://www.smoke-thunder.com/ Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Would a long slice of railroad spike (marked HC on the head) make a good striker? I have a few pieces left over from a project I was wondering what to do with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 No. Nowhere near 100 points of carbon, like a file (worn out chainsaw files are great) or spring harrow tooth or garage door spring or grain auger coil. Simple test to gauge carbon content and hardenability for unknown alloys. Heat a thin section (under 1/4") to slightly above non-magnetic, immediately quench in cold water. Wrap it in a rag and wear your safety glasses, stick one end in the vise and whack sideways with hammer. If it snaps cleanly, it is high carbon/low alloy. If it bends and then breaks, it may be useful for impact tools like axes and chisels. If it just bends, it is low carbon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 for strikers i like garage door springs (as mentioned above) and also potatoe digger rods . they are usually 3/8 or 1/2 in rnd and asking at the manafacture i learned they are currently using 5160 . forge to square and your set!just about any spring steel should work ...I oil harden mine so i dont get breaks . was water hardening but had breakage . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithh999 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 you can order a large flint nodule (about 5-6 lbs) from Dixie Gun Works. enough for hundreds of strikers and its about $12 i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Cross Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 Thanks, guys. For some reason, garage door springs didn't even cross my mind. CRS (Can't Remember Squat), perhaps? I tried ripping leaf springs with a plasma cutter, hence the time consuming part. It worked, but left a rough edge. Since we have an overhead door company in town, I'll call them Monday. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Cross Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 About forgot (that CRS thing again!), Ohio is blessed with flint. I've found it in fields and in driveways before. Not as good as English or French amber, but throws sparks just the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Lisa sells a lot of striker kits..She uses either worn good quaility files or W-1 drill rod to make hers..Then fully hardened in Parks 50..They throw awsome sparks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Where do you all find the flint to go with the striker? Where do you all find the flint to go with the striker? [ I don't know where you are coolhand but Iron Cross should not have much of a problem......Flint is the Ohio state gemstone.... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backwoods Blacksmith Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I like O-1 tool steel. Forges easiely, quench when non magnetic in oil. No drawing temper. Comes in all major sizes. I get mine from Enco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 As was said coil springs and files are great. I also use titanium. Surprised me, but it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I've always used those cheap screwdrivers you can find at flea markets and "dollar bins". Depending on how long the shaft is, and the design of the striker, you can get two strikers from one driver shaft. That's mighty cheap strikers when you consider the screwdriver usually doesn't run more than a buck to begin with! Like others have said, don't temper the striker. I've never been able to get tempered steel to throw a shower of sparks, but only-hardened strikers work great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Harrow spikes are high C and about those dimensions---depending on the type. In OH we mainly used hay rake tines and old potato digger bars (the old were generally 1095 the new may be 5160) Boteh could be found for sale at Quad-State generally. Ohio has been famous for it's flint since Pre-Columbian times! (Native American tribes had a peace accord allowing access to the flint areas!) Flint Ridge State Park for example. You can't scavenge flint from the park but there were a lot of places selling it around the park last time I visited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 ENCO carries W-1 drill rod in about any diameter. I've had good luck with it. PM me if you need some good flint. I can hook you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stribett1 Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 @Keithh999 Thanks for the Dixie Gun tip. Not only a great deal on flint, but I found a sight for my black powder Hawkins that I needed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Budd Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 As was said coil springs and files are great. I also use titanium. Surprised me, but it works! titanium? really?! that would be a cool thing to sell to kit junkies what grade of ti was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I use CP 1 or 2 as they seem to forge better than the Al-V alloys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 If you are cutting up garage door spring, slide it over something like a broomstick and clamp the last coil in your vise with the stick, then run up it with a thin cutoff disk on your angle grinder. Work slowly so you don't get bouncing (breaks up the disk). A stick can help here on the outside too. The spring cuts surprisingly quickly, and a single round is a good starting size for a lot of different things. If you cut up more than one spring at a time, keep each spring's coils separate until you test harden samples of both to make sure they act the same. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Covington Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I bought a chunk of flint from Dixie per Keith great stuff and reasonable price. Thanks Keith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 We just had to order 4" tins(down to four) for strikers..Lisa bought flint off of ebay.Got like 15-16 pounds for like 27$ shipped..Its fun to just set and knp flint for a while.. I have always just picked up good used files from the flea market..Like Nicholson and Black Diamond. Then spend a while forging them down to striker sized material(under the LG)..Lately they have kinda dried up..Then went thru all my used files..So this time i happen to find a place selling a 36", 7/8" thick W-1 drill rod for $23 shipped to my door Thats real cheap and will make a bunch of strikers.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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