Problems with Flint & Steel

[Walkingeagle]

Good to know, and I’ve been saving cotton dryer lint. My wife and I always save dryer lint. Makes getting the fireplace going a lot faster. And at my camp a wood fire is all I have for heat.

For those that may not know. If you are starting lots of wood stove type fires, save your cardboard egg cartons, add dryer lint to each egg holder piece and paraffin wax. Just cut out a piece and light it on fire. Easiest fire you’ll ever light!
Walk

 

[pab1]

Today I was thinking about some of the times I've charred material that would take a spark with flint and steel unintentionally, without using a tin. A recent time that this happened was when my son and I were out and I accidentally lit a cotton bandana on fire while using it for a hot pad. The burnt area I put out would take a spark but the smoldering material would go out when it reached the un-charred cotton.

I decided to try charring material with a flame to see if I could make char cloth without using a tin. I dug out that singed bandana and tried it but the material was too thin. When I tried to "cook" it with a flame it would fall apart when handled. Next I used a single piece of denim without luck. It was more durable but I don't think I charred the thick material enough.

I was about to quit when I thought of that pile of used cleaning patches I mentioned in a previous post in this thread. Instead of using a single layer of material like I did with the denim I tried three patches.

I couldn't get out to the woods today to do this with a camp fire so I settled for using a lighter. I moved the lighter back and forth across the surface of the patches. I would work both sides and kept rotating the patches so I would char all of them.

When they would get too hot and ignite I would smother them for a few seconds with a bandana. Then I went back to "cooking" them.

They weren't completely blackened but I felt like they were charred enough to work.

Not the greatest pic but the patches took a spark quickly.

The patches smoldered and performed just like any other char cloth.

I put it down when it was too hot to hold comfortably. The patches continued to smolder until there was only a tiny fragment remaining. This performed like any other batch of char cloth.

I've practiced woodsmanship skills (usually called bushcraft in recent years) all my life. One thing I've learned and believe in is using your current fire to prep for your next fire. Since I always have patches on me when I'm out with a muzzleloader this could come in handy (if I ran out of char cloth, it was ruined, lost, etc.). As long as I have a striker or a carbon steel knife I'll have another option for starting fires.

 

[pab1]

For those that may not know. If you are starting lots of wood stove type fires, save your cardboard egg cartons, add dryer lint to each egg holder piece and paraffin wax. Just cut out a piece and light it on fire. Easiest fire you’ll ever light!
Walk

I don't usually use them but in 2015 I decided to make these using both an egg carton and a cut down section of paper towel tube. I added some frayed jute twine so they would light easily. I wanted to see how long they would burn. They burned for about 15 minutes directly on snow. Plenty of time to get even marginal wood lit.

 

[beardedhorse]

PAB, Interesting results with charred cattail fluff. Punky cottonwood (weak enough for child to crush) works great when charred. So does the pith of Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke stem. Had not heard of titanium fire steel. Though ferrocerrium rods had other chemicals. I have a friend of Scots ancestry who washed his used cleaning patches in a nylon hose and after several uses and washings makes pretty good char with it. Must be a lot of interest in flint and steel fires as this is the 8th page on the thread. Some good points and suggestions made.

 

[user 48702]

When I titled this thread “Problems with Flint & Steel” this wasn’t what I had in mind. Oh well.

When one starts a thread, it can be either adverse possession or a run away freight train

 

[Coldfingers]

I watched this video 10 years ago, bought a ted cash box and never looked back


Last weekend I added brimstone matches to the kit.



My kit

 

[Coldfingers]

Also cary a 3 inch candle that wasn't in the pic

 

[toot]

a great video.

 

[toot]

I watched this video 10 years ago, bought a ted cash box and never looked back


Last weekend I added brimstone matches to the kit.



My kit

a super great video. I have allways wondered about what brimstone matches were now I know. thank you.

 

[toot]

I don't usually use them but in 2015 I decided to make these using both an egg carton and a cut down section of paper towel tube. I added some frayed jute twine so they would light easily. I wanted to see how long they would burn. They burned for about 15 minutes directly on snow. Plenty of time to get even marginal wood lit.

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what did you use to ignite them with. I like it.

 

[sleepingbulldog]

Well, I finally got it to work. I’d never had problems getting my char cloth lit, my steel throws plenty of sparks and I can usual get it smoldering in just a few strikes. Turns out my problem was that I didn’t have proper kindling. I used some really fine dried grass to make a bird nest and I had flame after blowing on it 2-3 times.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

I don't usually use them but in 2015 I decided to make these using both an egg carton and a cut down section of paper towel tube. I added some frayed jute twine so they would light easily. I wanted to see how long they would burn. They burned for about 15 minutes directly on snow. Plenty of time to get even marginal wood lit.

View attachment 169783

View attachment 169784

Remember the old boy scout fire starter? A piece of cardbaord, covered with paraffin , rolled up into an old tuna can? They worked quite well!

 

[Red Owl]

Couple of things. It is really important to spend enough time to make a good "bird's nest" QUESTION, I think my piece of flint isn't as sharp as it should be and I only shoot percussion so not too flint capable. How do you sharpen the edge of the flint? Thanks.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

Couple of things. It is really important to spend enough time to make a good "bird's nest" QUESTION, I think my piece of flint isn't as sharp as it should be and I only shoot percussion so not too flint capable. How do you sharpen the edge of the flint? Thanks.

I would like to know too. I need to sharpen my flints for my firearms and never seem to get it right?

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Search the forum for a video I uploaded on "extending flint life"

 

[pab1]

what did you use to ignite them with. I like it.

Its been a few years but I probably used a ferro rod. I've never had luck lighting paraffin saturated jute twine with a carbon steel striker. I'll have to try it with a titanium striker.

Remember the old boy scout fire starter? A piece of cardbaord, covered with paraffin , rolled up into an old tuna can? They worked quite well!

Yep! Years ago I stumbled across a copy of the book Roughing It Easy that reminded me of the tuna can burners. These days you want to burn the cans first to get rid of the "plastic" lining inside the can.

 

[sleepingbulldog]

I don't usually use them but in 2015 I decided to make these using both an egg carton and a cut down section of paper towel tube. I added some frayed jute twine so they would light easily. I wanted to see how long they would burn. They burned for about 15 minutes directly on snow. Plenty of time to get even marginal wood lit.

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View attachment 169784

We do a lot of RV “camping” and my wife makes a supply of these every year. They work great.

 

[toot]

Remember the old boy scout fire starter? A piece of cardbaord, covered with paraffin , rolled up into an old tuna can? They worked quite well!

that is back when BOY SCOUTS learned things!

 

[toot]

I don't usually use them but in 2015 I decided to make these using both an egg carton and a cut down section of paper towel tube. I added some frayed jute twine so they would light easily. I wanted to see how long they would burn. They burned for about 15 minutes directly on snow. Plenty of time to get even marginal wood lit.

View attachment 169783

View attachment 169784

what did you use to ignite them with? char cloth?

 

[BuffaloSoldier]

Thanks for the videos. Always looking to add to my knowledge of survival stuff.