Nearly just set myself on fire...

**knotty** · 30th April 13, 02:21 PM

Havent seen a fire steel in many years. Congrats
Does the file get more sparks?

**Holcombe Thomas** · 30th April 13, 02:29 PM

I've been told that the harder steel in a file (both by composition and temper) makes for better sparks, but I can't speak from experience. All I ever used was a piece of a file. One old file from somebody's garage and a hammer and you'd have fire steels for two or three Scouts.

Holcombe

**Old Hippie** · 1st May 13, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by Holcombe Thomas

I've been told that the harder steel in a file (both by composition and temper) makes for better sparks

Might have to re-heat these guys and re-harden them. It's high-carbon tool steel of some unknown type. I assumed that a hand-forged steel might not be hardened. (And I didn't have an oil quench set up when I was playing with this out in the shop.)

**Laird_M** · 13th May 13, 04:54 AM

Old Hippie,
Sorry been very tied up with job hunting and PC problems.
I'd be very interested in seeign those.

As for teacher, I'm a wee bit far away from you but the best piece of advise I can give to save your knuckles and get good results is to role your wrist as you strike the flint so that the whole edge of the steel is used rather than just the few millimetres that are used when you strike vertically.
I've taught people from 4 to 92 to use this method, and they always get good results.
Also make sure the char cloth is 100% cotton - be very wary of ebay if you buy from there as the last lot I bought was polycotton and absolutely useless!

**Mither Tap** · 15th May 13, 07:26 AM

Martin,

Glad you received it in one piece and I'm glad that it works too. I didn't have any flint to try it before I posted it off.

Im just getting back into the forging thing after a break (due to having a bairn running around). So hope to post some more kilt-related work shortly.

**Pleater** · 15th May 13, 12:25 PM

Not much flint?

Wow - no sedimentary rocks then.

Hmm - is there a business opportunity here, cos there is so much flint around here that they make buildings out of it in some places.

Though the look an the face of the man who saw me making a sharp edge by cracking flint on a rock was pretty priceless. I had forgotten my kitchen knife and needed to cut meat for frying on my little camp stove. I never thought about using it to light a fire though -

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**Mither Tap** · 16th May 13, 01:23 AM

Originally Posted by Pleater

Not much flint?

Wow - no sedimentary rocks then.

Hmm - is there a business opportunity here, cos there is so much flint around here that they make buildings out of it in some places.

Though the look an the face of the man who saw me making a sharp edge by cracking flint on a rock was pretty priceless. I had forgotten my kitchen knife and needed to cut meat for frying on my little camp stove. I never thought about using it to light a fire though -

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

We have Granite a plenty up here but not much flint lying around (I wont say none). I think there are prehistoric flint quarries South of Peterhead but the law would take a dim view of me pinching bits from there I think.

Not that I need it anyway... I start fires with matches

I'm sure Martin would appreciate an endless supply though.

Chris S

**Pleater** · 16th May 13, 08:12 AM

Ah - igneous intrusions of granite - the geography must have been a bit lively when they were forming.

I just remembered though - at school we used a steel and something rubbed over it to light the Bunsen burners. They were handy little devices, just squeeze and the holder of whatever it was ran over the steel and the spark ignited the gas.

As the weather is fine I shall go and look around in the garden to see what I can find in the way of flints.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: