So i was out at my forge the other day and i thought back to my summer camp days, and remembered fondly my setting of the camp record of starting a fire with flint and steel. So i made this:



Anybody else make these for use? If so show us all your style!

Here are a few that I have made in the past:

These are copies of Roman "sled" steels:


Don

ya ive make a few hundred every year for the mountain men rendezvous

sorry about lousy picture havnt updated the pics in my web sight yet..what steel you using? i use garage door springs theyre cheap and make a good spark! I harden in a crisco beeswax mixture (also use as a finish for my ironwork)

I've been using mystery steel, per usual.

But the funny thing is, i have no flint!

Mystery steel is fine for a flint striker provided you know it's a high carbon mystery steel. If you've never seen someone trying to strike a fire with a flint and a mild steel striker, you've never seen someone swearing a lot and taking a very long time to do what should be a fast task =P

I've been using mystery steel, per usual.

But the funny thing is, i have no flint!

Chert will work though not as well.

I've used local chert for strikers and knapping. It isn't as good for sparks as flint and isn't as good for knapping as obsidian. Worked though.

You could also try one of the rock shops in Reno or try contacting one via the web in Oklahoma or Texas, both have large deposites of flint.

My folks used to live just above Lake Davis over by Portola. Small world eh?

I've made a few strikers but no pictures. Used mostly spring or hex, but some mystery Fe. Hex worked better than spring but neither worked as well as the stuff that was the real mystery chunk of rusty steel from the parking lot gravel. Of course.

Frosty

I've made a couple but I won't show you as I'm sure you enjoy your sight... files are good recycled steel, as are springs.

I would hate to guess how many steels I made from heavy comercial garage door springs. Our black powder club used to give them away as prizes for the junior shooters, each kid got a prize.
I would zip down one side of the spring with a Oxy-map torch and make a mess of blanks. Then to the forge to heat, straighten, and clip off the burnt ends on the anvil hardy. Then I'd draw the ends out to a point and form the little curls. Next heat, the big curls. Next heat I 'd use the flatter to forge em out flatter. Next heat treat. I quenched them in water and drew the curled part back to blue and left the face about straw. It sounds a bunch more time consuming than it really was. I doubt I had 10 min in each steel.
B.J. Habermehl