[TheForge] flint strikers

[Ron Childers]

I agree- a friend made one out of on old file last week and it wouldn't
spark until I heated it and quenched the same way. I thought at first it may
have been that the flint (chert) he found on the Gulf coast was too soft,
but it sparked after the quench. A test for the quality of the rock is to
strike it with an old file. If it sparks good then it is of decent quality.
Flint Ridge, Ohio has some pretty tough chert which works well for gun
flints also.

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Daniel Kretchmar
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 12:09 PM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] flint strikers

dab,

I make mine out of 1095.  If I quench them in water they spark.  If I
temper them, they don't.  I have tried quenching them in oil, but they
didn't spark that way either.

I finish forging them and then put them back in the forge until they
are bright orange.  I pull them out with tongs grabbing the section
that is held in the hand and do a quick quench (in and out, really
fast) of just the side that the flint strikes.  I hold it above the
slack tub for about 5 seconds and do it again.  I keep doing that
until the handle is black.  I found that if you put them in the water
and quench them all the way black they will develop cracks which will
fracture all the way through when you strike them with a flint.  Doing
the "in and out" of the water of just the face is a "tempering" of a
sort (kinda), but my strikers all spark really well when I do them
this way

Danr
www.irontreeworks.com

On 3/24/09, dan tull <dantull at numail.org> wrote:
> I know we covered this before, but what was the consensus of opinion , to
temper or use as quenched?  From hay rake tines to files, seems they would
be too brittle and hard to shave sparks in "as quenched". I expect it will
be a "resultant" issue , as in, do two and see which showers best.
>
>
> dan tull
> Georgia
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