If natural fibre is not available in your area try wood punk. Dry punk from dead trees carries a coal very well. Three or four pieces of punk, placed in contact with one another, can be blown into flame all by themselves. If there is a slight breeze blowing, this method can be virtually self-igniting. Just expose the coal to the wind and let it do the work.  You can also place very fine wood shavings, twigs, birch bark or other combustible material on the punk to enhance the development of flames. 

Another very effective natural material for catching a spark is milkweed pod – but not the whole outer pod. The part we want is the slender, puffy structure that remains in the pod after the down has dispersed. These are easy to find in the autumn after the pods have opened and their seeds have scattered to the winds. Simply tear off one end to create a ragged edge and place this on the flint as you would charcloth. Once it catches, quickly transfer the spreading coal to your extender: you will have to act quickly as this one has a short burn time.

Next comes mullein pith. The trick to getting a spark to catch in this weed-stem pith is to slice it very thinly with a sharp knife. You want to present the finest, most delicate edge possible to the spark and you want a spark that clings and lingers just a bit on the edge of your flint. This allows for longer contact time with the mullein pith. When using more challenging tinders it is helpful to change our way of thinking from that of “catching a flying spark” to transferring the heat from a hot glowing shred of metal to the tinder by direct contact. When the spark catches, again use the tiny glowing coal to ignite a larger coal extender.

Lastly, ordinary wood punk or touch wood (rotten, decaying wood) provides an extremely useful natural tinder. While it is more difficult to use with flint and steel its abundance makes it worth the effort required in learning to using it successfully. Not only will it catch a spark but also several chunks placed in direct contact with one another can be blown into flame without the need for shredded bark or fibre. This can be extremely important to know in an area where other suitable fibres are not available. Punk exists everywhere that trees grow and even in a rainstorm it is usually possible to obtain suitable punk from the interior of a standing dead tree trunk that has been sheltered from the elements.  

You can follow the basic guidelines above, i.e. placing the punk on top of the flint, however small pieces of punk tend to fragment easily. As an alternative approach, you can rub the punk between the palms, grinding it up into a fine powder. Do this over a large leaf so you can catch and later move the dust pile created. When using a tinder pile you reverse the set up and strike the steel with a downward blow from the flint driving the sparks down into the dust pile. Punk can be stubborn to catch and several strikes may be needed. Once a spark has caught, fan it gently with your hand to expand the coal. Blowing on it too hard may scatter the dust pile… and your coal. When the coal is burning well, scoop under it with the tip of a knife to lift it out of the dust pile and transfer it in your fibre bundle or punk.

Note: Save the remaining punk dust! A small metal tin makes a great place to store your remaining punk dust. And if you do not remove all of the coal but allow it to propagate a bit in the dust, the charred dust will catch a spark much easier next time. Simply place the lid on the tin when it’s time to extinguish the smouldering punk.