I wonder if you had trouble with mineral store pyrite. I've read that pyrite varies a lot.
I recommend ferrocerium (available on Amazon). It's for campers/hunters, works like pyrite only it produces amazing sparks. It comes in rods, various diameters; I used 1/4 inch diameter and epoxied a piece into a bit of wood to go in the jaws of the dog head. Sawing off a short piece with a hacksaw was - "illuminating". Make sure you don't have any flammables under where you're cutting.
I was interested to learn that, because the "pyrite" and the wheel are right in the primer, they foul quickly, and a small brush is needed to clean out the area about every second or third shot (I was just setting off primer - the blast from the main charge coming back out the touch hole may help keep things clean).
