[TheForge] Flint striker problems?

[Jerry Frost]

I've had similar problems making striking steels from 
spring stock Mitch.

Try a straight med or high C steel rather than spring 
steel. Most modern spring steels have moly or chrome to 
make them resilient and C to make them hardenable. 
While there's plenty of C I believe the other alloying 
metals interfere with sparking.

When I torched a strip of flange off RR rail and forged 
a striker I got a hissing shower of white sparklers 
first try. This isn't ideal for starting a fire but is 
easily remedied by drawing a temper. A nice long lived 
orange spark seems to work best for fire starting in my 
limited experience.

I've also had good luck with hex shafting, old allen 
wrenches and drill rod. One of these days I want to 
make one from a reshaped HS drill bit but haven't yet.

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

http://www.artmetalradio.com/

From: "Widham, Mitchell P." <widha8d3 at erau.edu>


I am attempting to make strikers of fire starting with 
flints. I have
used several types of spring steels, that spark like 
crazy when hit with
a grinder, but after I forge them to shape, I can not 
get them to throw
a spark. What am I doing wrong? I have tried quenching 
them when red
hot, blue and just let them air cool. Still no luck. 
Any advice would be
appreciated.

Thanks.