Flint and Steel, help please, I can't get a spark..

[Manacles]

I have embarked on learning the skill of lighting a fire with a traditional flint and steel striker. I am however unable to get a spark, not even a glimmer (I am just practising to try and get a reasonable spark without using charcloth/tinder at the moment) I am sure it is to do with either the angle I am holding the flint, or the pressure of the flint against the striker. If anyone is able to help I would be grateful.

The kit is a new good quality striker (so it has no wear and is still quite shiny) and a piece of brown flint (chert) - I have heard that brown flint can be harder to get a spark (I do have some black flint so could change to that if needed).

I am holding the flint at about 45 degrees upwards and bringing the striker down to meet it reasonably quickly, a flick of the wrist type action - do I need to follow that movement through using pressure?

Thanks in advance

[Silverhill]

How sharp is the piece of flint you're using Manacles? If your struggling to get the system to work properly, I'd look at the quality of your flint's edge first. Essentially,what you're trying to do is shave tiny pieces of steel from the strikers edge, these tiny filings of steel oxidise in air to form the spark.

If your flint is sharp, but still no sparks occur, I'd look at changing the angle of the flint. It may even help to reduce the angle to <20 degrees, but this isn't an exact science, so experimentation may be the key here.

Failing the above, try adjusting your method so you strike in an arc motion, this should also allow all of the edge of your striker to contact the flint, hopefully resulting in more sparks. Most strikers should, when correctly treated, spark when lightly drawn across the edge of a flint, so it may be the strikers surface that needs attention? As a last resort, I would sand or file the striking surface of the steel to remove the harder outer 'shell'.

I hope this helps, let us know how you fare!

[HillBill]

I heard that the blacker the flint, the better the spark.

[Manacles]

How sharp is the piece of flint you're using Manacles? If your struggling to get the system to work properly, I'd look at the quality of your flint's edge first. Essentially,what you're trying to do is shave tiny pieces of steel from the strikers edge, these tiny filings of steel oxidise in air to form the spark.

If your flint is sharp, but still no sparks occur, I'd look at changing the angle of the flint. It may even help to reduce the angle to <20 degrees, but this isn't an exact science, so experimentation may be the key here.

Failing the above, try adjusting your method so you strike in an arc motion, this should also allow all of the edge of your striker to contact the flint, hopefully resulting in more sparks. Most strikers should, when correctly treated, spark when lightly drawn across the edge of a flint, so it may be the strikers surface that needs attention? As a last resort, I would sand or file the striking surface of the steel to remove the harder outer 'shell'.

I hope this helps, let us know how you fare!

Thank you, it sounds like I am not holding the flint at a shallow enough angle. I'll try drawing the flint over the striker. The striker is brand new so I will also "sand" it a little. I appreciate your guidance on this

[Manacles]

I heard that the blacker the flint, the better the spark.

Me too. Oddly the striker came with the brown Chert so I thought I'd give it a go. I do have some black flint to try. It does seem that it's my technique that may be the problem though.......

[mountainm]

Mr Fenna wrote a decent tutorial about here somwehere. But I find it's more to do with getting a real "glancing" blow - you need to nearly miss the stone. Once this is mastered I find any old bit of flint will do the job. You could try striking the flint down the striker instead - that worked better for a friend of mine.

[John Fenna]

Here is the instructions from my sales thread for my flint and steel kits
"Simple, functional and of a design based on archeological finds.Hold one of the pieces of supplied flint in your left hand with a sharp edge horizontal and facing away from you (like pointing a knife away from you with the blade on its side with the cutting edge facing right)
Hold a piece of the supplied char cloth on top, about 1mm from the sharp edge, using your thumb, with one or more fingers supporting the flint underneath.
Hold the steel in a pinch grip with one of the long thin edges pointing out.
With a "snapping" wrist action strike the steel onto the flint so that it scrapes its length down the flint to scrape off steel shards which are the sparks you want.
The sparks should land on the char cloth and start glowing."
Once you get the action you can also use quartzite, jasper or other realy hard rocks instead of flint - but good sharp flint is the best I have used!
If the flint gets blunt, chip a bit off to get the edge sharp again.
Good luck

[Stringmaker]

I was told (and from subsequent experiment I agree) that black flint with a sharp edge is the best type.

Like you, I struggled with a ropey piece of flint and didn't get sparks. With a sharp black piece you will actually feel the bite as you flick it with the steel.

Keep at it and let us know what worked.

[calgarychef]

If you want some nice black flint pm me your address and I'll send you some. I'm wondering about your striker though it sounds a little dodgy to me that you can't get any kind of spark at all.

[ged]

Agreed with calgarychef that it's unusual to get no sparks at all, and I wonder if you're just not seeing them. The sparks from this method aren't very bright, nothing like what you get from a ferro rod.

Where/when are you doing this? Background light might be an issue. You need some sort of feedback in the form of light from the sparks to practice your technique.

If you try when it's dusk (not totally dark, or you'll just hit your fingers...) you'll be able to see any sparks that you do get a lot better, then you can adjust your technique for brighter sparks as you practice.

[Manacles]

Thank you all for your kind advice, I will persevere until I get it right. Watch this space for an update when I get it sorted

[Manacles]

If you want some nice black flint pm me your address and I'll send you some. I'm wondering about your striker though it sounds a little dodgy to me that you can't get any kind of spark at all.

Thank you for your kind offer, I do actually have a nice piece of black flint - but thanks anyway. I also have a different striker so I may try that one

[Manacles]

A big thank you to all who have given advice and help to me on this. Twenty minutes, a different striker and a piece of black flint, using the techniques recommended (John's "glancing blow etc) I have sparks a go-go. I'm off to make fire now. Thanks

[Stringmaker]

Excellent.

It's always a great feeling when something you were struggling with becomes clear isn't it?

Group hug time: