I'm trying to sort out a "make something useful" thing for my scouts, and an idea is to make a flint and steel set. I can bulk buy the ferro rods and the 'steels' as blanks, the scouts can set them into some offcuts of antler or something by drilling a hole and using epoxy, then drill another hole and connect the flint and steel together with some paracord or leather thonging or something.
Thing is, the blanks are surprisingly expensive, especially given how much a ready-made set (doesn't) cost.
So, to reduce costs a bit I had the idea of just using a steel washer as the, er, steel. That would work, right, and would get a spark from the flint?
A friend made a load of these just like you are hoping to do. He used a piece of hacksaw blade as the steel.
I use the spine of my knife to strike my flint so yeah should work no problem
Hacks saw blades are ace for this.
I have always for those things a bit rubbish to be honest, they can corrode/dissolve surprisingly wuickly which ks annoying.
How about a fire piston.
I have always for those things a bit rubbish to be honest, they can corrode/dissolve surprisingly wuickly which ks annoying.
Some are proper cheap dross, probably made in China in some dubious factory without any standards.
I have a couple that work so well that at work (Where we run fire lighting and cooking training) we only buy Light My Fire.
No self respecting arsonist would use a flint and steel. Seriously!
Wont work if the washers are galvanized though shirley? (Might do but check first)
Wont work if the washers are galvanized though shirley?
Yeah, I thought that, I was going to get stainless ones, with the logic being that's what knives are made of, and...
I use the spine of my knife to strike my flint so yeah should work no problem
...this
You need high carbon steel. Washers are likely to be mild steel. Stainless is also unlikely to work.
Broken drills would be ideal, cut the fluted part off with an angle grinder. Alternatively, buy High Speed Steel rod on eBay and cut to length.
You need high carbon steel. Washers are likely to be mild steel.
What about a carbon steel washer, something like this?
Flat Washers - Carbon Steel Grade 8.8 Black M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M8 M10 M12 to M27 | eBay UK
Yep, carbon steel washers should work, not sure how you'd hold them? Screw them to a piece of wood with the end protruding?
On 6er & 2nder camp, my wife’s cubs make them with lighter flints set into cut down battens and hacksaw blades that are past their best.
The batten off-cut & blade off-cut need a hole drilled in them so they can be tied together and a groove made to set the flint pieces in, so the scouts will get hands on.
lighter flints set into cut down battens
Hmm, sounds interesting, but I'm slightly struggling to picture this. Could you humour me with a bit more of a description?
lighter flints set into cut down battens
Hmm, sounds interesting, but I'm slightly struggling to picture this. Could you humour me with a bit more of a description?
Sun Tzu art of war, innit
Yeah, I thought that, I was going to get stainless ones, with the logic being that's what knives are made of, and...
You need high carbon steel.
Stainless might work, but carbon steel is more likely to be more effective. Hacksaw blades, as mentioned, should do the trick, and there’s a serrated and flat edge to try to see which one works best.
Short lengths carefully snapped off would be best, set into pieces of dowel should do the trick.
I’ve not tried it personally, but a Carbone Opinel, with the blade closed and locked out ought to work pretty well, too; there’s enough of the blade spine sticking out of the handle to scrape along the ‘flint’, and no danger of accidental cuts.