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Where to get flint for fire starting?

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awreis

40 Cal
Joined
Sep 19, 2023
Messages
112
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Location
Kentucky
Where is a good place to get flints for fire stsrting? We don't have much flint or chert where I live. I found some online for $22 for 11 pounds of big pieces of flint i would have to knap down. Or $23 for 5 pounds of smaller flint pieces already broken down. Are there other places i could find some? Also, how much waste would there be if I got the bigger pieces?
 

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You are in Kentucky, there is lots of flint and chert there .You don't need big chunks. Or a lot.
Part of the fun of buckskinning is sourcing your own things from nature. Go for a walk with your fire steel, and check out any rock that looks like it may spark. I often end up with a pocket full of rocks to break for fire starting.
I'm in the northern Rockies, and flint and chert is very rare here. However, I find lots of quartz that sparks just fine.
Iron pyrite (fool's gold) sparks well, even if it looks rounded with no edge like you need for flint. Any rock with a smooth glossy look is a good candidate for sparks. I even use obsidian at times. It's not the best thing to use, but it works.
Any time you start breaking flint, expect a lot of waste, although for fire starting you will have more usable chunks than if you were making rifle flints.
 
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