Wildwood Survival website

SURVIVAL
Shelter
Water
Fire
Food
Clothing
Fishing
Hunting
Traps
Snares
Tools
Stone
Flintknapping
Tracker Knife
Cordage
Containers
Furniture
Lights
Hides
Pitch & Glue
Winter
Health
Lyme Disease
Vision
Native People
Emergency Prep
Navigation
Teaching
Young People
Practicing
Music
Humour
More
Wilderness Mind
Site Disclaimer
Booklist
Forums
Contributors
Sitemap
Guestbook
About this site
Use of material
Privacy Policy
HomeSurvivalFireFlint and Steel

Flint-and-Steel
Pictures, Movies, Notes

In this method of fire-making, sparks are shaved off a piece of steel by striking it briskly with a piece of flint or other rock. In actual use, the steel is struck against the flint, since it's usually easier to do it that way. A piece of char-cloth is held against the flint (or other rock) to catch the sparks. Once a spark is caught by the char-cloth, it is easy to blow into flame.
  
Char-cloth is made by placing pieces of woven cotton inside an airtight metal container. That container is then placed in a fire and left there until the cotton becomes charred and black. Due to the lack of air in the container the cotton doesn't actually burn.
 

 
At the Wildwood Trackers Club meeting in February 2004, Michael Tryggvason demonstrated a flint-and-steel fire starting kit, using steel wool to catch the spark.

(For a report on that meeting, see the Wildwood Trackers website.)

 
The flint and steel firemaking kit. This can be obtained at most outdoor and camping stores.
 
Here the sparks are being "scraped" off the flint with a knife into the steel wool.

It is ridiculously easy to start a fire with this method.

 

Click on the small photo to watch a movie of this kit being used

Windows Media format (WMV)
320x240, 758 KB

 

 
The following shows sizeable sparks being made with a flint and steel, demonstrated by Rob Bicevskis at the June 2002 meeting of the Wildwood Trackers club.

(For a report on that meeting, see the Wildwood Trackers website.)

  

Click on the small photo to watch the movie

Windows Media format (WMV)
320x240, 466 KB

 

 


Photo by Allan "Bow" Beauchamp

Allan Beauchamp sent this photo of his son (age 12) using flint and steel, with char cloth to catch the sparks.