I Am Still New To BlackPowder Shooting (only A Few Years) And I Am Wondering If It's Possible To Make/Forge A Steel Striker For Flint/Steel Fire Making. I Have A Very Old Broken Small File That Might Be About The Right Size. I Have No Metal Forgeing Experience At All. Could This Be Done At Home Without The cost Of Building A Forge ? I Do Have A Propane Torch And An Old Charcol BBQ. I'm Getting The Primitive Technology Bug ! :idunno:
Making A Striker At Home
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paulvallandigham
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Use an old file. Grind off one surface with a good grinder. Then, using an acetylene torch- a propane torch can't get the steel hot enough, in my experience--- bend the end into a hook, with the smooth side OUT. The smooth side is the face side that you strike with your flint.
Now, you have a choice of leaving the other end "straight", or also bending it, so that the striker takes on the shape of the letter " C " . Strikers come in different shapes. "C", Upside down "J", Round, Oval, even with both ends closed on the middle of the long arm, to form the letter "B".
An old file should have enough carbon in it, that you don't need to harden it to get sparks. If it doesn't spark well, heat the striker up and dump it into quenching oil- vegetable oil that is warmed will usually prevent the steel from cracking.
Expect the steel to light the oil on fire, so do this away from flammables. Have a garbage can lid, or some other lid to snuff out the fire.
If you close both ends of the striker, you want it long enough to comfortably let your full hand into the "C" or oval, so you can hold and control the striker when you strike it with a chunk of flint to make sparks. :thumbsup:
Now, you have a choice of leaving the other end "straight", or also bending it, so that the striker takes on the shape of the letter " C " . Strikers come in different shapes. "C", Upside down "J", Round, Oval, even with both ends closed on the middle of the long arm, to form the letter "B".
An old file should have enough carbon in it, that you don't need to harden it to get sparks. If it doesn't spark well, heat the striker up and dump it into quenching oil- vegetable oil that is warmed will usually prevent the steel from cracking.
Expect the steel to light the oil on fire, so do this away from flammables. Have a garbage can lid, or some other lid to snuff out the fire.
If you close both ends of the striker, you want it long enough to comfortably let your full hand into the "C" or oval, so you can hold and control the striker when you strike it with a chunk of flint to make sparks. :thumbsup:
Dirk Perry
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"I Have No Metal Forging Experiance At All."
save yourself. just buy one. they're $8.
save yourself. just buy one. they're $8.
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If you have to harden it, your charcoal grill will be more than hot enough if you feed air to it with a hair dryer. In very dim light get the striker red-orange, quench it in a gallon of warm brine. Mix your brine 1/2 standard box of salt with 1 gallon of water. warm the brine to where it is very warm, but does not burn you. Brine will get the steel harder than oil will, and reduces the chance of it cracking. Afterwards, check it with a sharp flint.
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Very few good strikers are under $10.00. The cheaper ones I have checked, most often do not spark as well, or as easily as higher quality ones do, but there are always exceptions. The two types that stand out, properly hardened, are those from good files, and 1095 steel. Steels of lesser carbon usually get the job done, but not as easily.
I Would Like To Make My Own Rather Than Buy One. It Is Not The Price, Its The Desire To Build And Make My Own Things. I Would Like To Learn To Make Everything I Need !! Primitive technology Is very Interesting To Me, And I Belive That The Way Things Were Done "In The Old Days" Is The Best Way For somethings. While I can't Build My Own Forge I Would Like To Build and Make As Many Things As I Can Learn To Do. That's Why I Shoot A Flintlock Rather Than A Glock, And want To Use A Flint And Steel Rather Than A Bic. This Forum Is A Wonderful Classroom For Me. :thumbsup:
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Good point!
I've learned a bit from this post already.
Keep the answers coming, please!
I've learned a bit from this post already.
Keep the answers coming, please!
If you can dig a hole in the ground,you're half way to building a forge.nilo52 said:
Seriously, if you get a few fire bricks and set them up right they will make a servicable small forge with a propane forge. If you do an internet search for primitive forges, you'll be amazed.
One word of caution though, it's addicting :wink: ...Bud
Wayne Combs
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Google "build a forge from a truck rim".
Wayne
Wayne
http://www.anvilfire.com/
IMHO, the technique in the first vid is kinda hokey, but it gives the basic idea.
The technique in the second vid is better, but IMHO, still not the best.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=forge+a+fire+steel&aq=f
This guys forging technique is better, but I still don't like his striker, nor his hardening technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hld38Nqglgk&feature=related
IMHO, the technique in the first vid is kinda hokey, but it gives the basic idea.
The technique in the second vid is better, but IMHO, still not the best.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=forge+a+fire+steel&aq=f
This guys forging technique is better, but I still don't like his striker, nor his hardening technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hld38Nqglgk&feature=related
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You can use the file you have but another cheap source of good steel for strikers is hay rake tines. Look for a local tractor implement dealer. We have one here in the city that also sells lots of landscaping equipment but they are the parts supplier for several brands of tractors. They sell an amazing assortment of hay rake tines. Tell 'em that you don't know what brand and that that doesn't matter for your purpose, you just need one that is the right thickness. I have seen them from about 5/32" to about 3/8 and they all have made great strikers. Beat the heck out of the 2 commercially available mass produced ones I bought.
One tip I was given right here on this forum was to "Normalize" the steel before quenching. Heat the steel until a magnet won't stick to it then let it cool in the air. Repeat for 3 total hot~cool cycles. Then harden. My first attempt had lots of cracks at the bend and this normalizing cured that.
Thanks for the tip Wick!
If you use that file, grind off all the teeth or anneal it and file them off because they can lead to stress cracks. Better to make the whole thing smooth first.
Have fun with it.
Ben
One tip I was given right here on this forum was to "Normalize" the steel before quenching. Heat the steel until a magnet won't stick to it then let it cool in the air. Repeat for 3 total hot~cool cycles. Then harden. My first attempt had lots of cracks at the bend and this normalizing cured that.
Thanks for the tip Wick!
If you use that file, grind off all the teeth or anneal it and file them off because they can lead to stress cracks. Better to make the whole thing smooth first.
Have fun with it.
Ben
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In my experience, I have never had a file striker crack. Even with teeth left on the sides. I have cracked 1095 in plain water, after normalizing, but no cracking if I didn't normalize, but these were not forged, and the cracks ran longitudinal. I do not have have an answer for that, but have tested some both ways, and the ones that were normalized cracked. Maybe my normalize heat was too much. I only use magnets to find dropped screws on the floor. They may be beneficial for normalizing, but have only limited use for the hardening process.
I make mine in the woodstove or fire and use a old hair dryer to get them hot. I quench them in rain water with ice cubes. Don't move them to far to quench. If don't get a spark,heat hotter. I use rotor tiller tines,ice skate runners, pitchforks and files. You have to have steel with carbon in it to work. dilly
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I'm just plain lazy!...I just start my fire using my flintlock guns. Put a piece of charcloth in the pan, close frizzen, pull trigger and drop glowing charcloth on tinder!....A little blow and your ready to go!
Rick :shocked2:
Rick :shocked2:
