What an awesome video. My dad was a blacksmith and I used to work with him, and fool around the shop in my idle time. Busted and burned my fingers many times doing what you did here. You brought up good memories of my childhood, and taught me a couple of things too. Thank you very very much!
Thank you very much, this video allowed me, as an ameture blacksmith, to make my very first flint striker! I was even able to get sparks on my first attempt!
I am new at forging, I build two forges, one using gas and one that uses air and charcoal, now that is cooling down again I will start making a knife. I enjoyed you video and hope to watch more, so I can learn more, thanks, Marc
Great info - THANKS ! " Mtn Mel & Aussie Molly Blue ", Ret. USN here in W. Colo. at our tipi camp. At age 80. I gave up.on those .Mtn Man / Pow Wow, etc gatherings ,, ho hum ! ( The best is the " Rabbit Stick " , in Idaho , where the WHOLE family WILL learn all types of skills.! I am the only remaining original Inst from the first 1978 gathering by Larry Dean Olsen . I have always tried to heat pieces of metal in fire for FIRE STRIKERS.. Not good. So. I just use the old, rusty. broken files --- does ok spark for this ol Sailor !
Thanks, you basically answered all my questions about the makeup of a striker. I was really tickled at the end of the video to see you are in Morgan. My mother was born and raised just down the road in Leary in that old green house downtown, we're talkin 86 years ago. But, thanks again and I'll be sure to keep you in mind for any other iron working advice.
I would also like to thank you for the information about using iron pyrite. Unlike flint or chirt, it is very common where I am from so I can now use this method without constantly ordering materials.
New post on an older video.... "I'm an artist. I get to be eccentric." That made me laugh. Thank you for the video man - I never thought of making a striker before, but now I will be making a few since I have a few old files that I am no longer using. Cheers!
OK ---- We hold the stone in left hand ( char is held with thumb on top ) and strike it with the metal ---- which is in our right hand. Sparks jump up an onto char cloth . CHANGE hands with stone and striker .Char is on ground or in nest . Stone is in right had for striking down on the metal in left hand. Sparks go DOWN to nest. ( Try without the " prepared char " . Using the " Horseshoe mushroom " for tinder. ) SO MUCH , many ways for fire skills ! We do 30 without matches. BUT here in Colorado, at 11, 000 ft, on the Grand Mesa, I prefer a " Road Flare ." Ha. Be Prepared ! Mel Deweese, Ret USN
Darn -- " Xin Loi " ( VN for sorry ) didn't mean to bend your ear. Did you happen to know my ol Pal Steve Watts ( RIP ) out there in Ga. ? Or Pal Caveman Colbert S.? He's on tv " Live Free or Die. " Mel Deweese.
Back at ya ! Mel here in Colo. Have you seen the sm neck knives with a C shaped handle that is the Fire Striker ( makes great spark. 2 tools in one. A knife and a fire striker. ) I have used razor blades to make spark BUT dangerous as for cuts ! Note - I use flint, but there are many useful rocks --- even " Obidian stone " will pull that spark off your striker ! You may like the " Fire Piston " that I discovered in 1967- 68, while in jungle training with the Negrito in the Phillippines. It was used in our video and now the Market is flooded by good & bad models. ( You mentioned " fair pay " in the heat, ha. Are you aware that the Govt/Fed Min Wage is still $ 7.25 ! in our USA. Sad. Amen --- for the States Min Wages, higher. ). Be Safe. Be prepared. Super video ! But this ol Navy Para - Rigger will have to purchase a fire striker. ( Love my " Ferro Fire Rod ".) We are making fire 30 ways without matches . There are more !
Thanks for the video Trent. Always like watching you work. I made my own charcoal retort years ago but it is in need of replacing. I mostly use coal but have found that charcoal gives off more ambient heat than coal. Better in the winter time. Do you have a video of your larger retort working?
What you guys have been missing out on are some of the videos from the website. There is a ton of them. Ill be going through cleaning out the old files, putting them here. The website is being rebuilt and is busy busy time.
Trent, you are a hoot! I am soooooooo glad to see a professional blacksmith using charcoal on youtube! That's what I use and it is so hard getting info about heat and fire and such cause everyone around here uses coal. So you're going to an orange heat? the vid looks like your workin it at white heat. When you go to harden, are you heating to cherry red? I'm a re-enactor so I use strikers all the time and have now made 2 out of files. So far so good, they're both good sparkers! Thanks for your videos, they are a big help to me!
+Kevudah Yahoshua The camera throws the color, I am working the steel about 2000 F. To harden, follow your normal carbon steel process, bringing it to cherry red.
Had a question about overseas files that are surface hardened now and the rest of the tool has less carbon in the steel matrix. The old Nicholson files are the best. Or a chunk of 01. Great video.
How well would a knife shaper's sanding belt work for the face treatment? I ask because I happen to be lucky enough to have one. I really don't use any bench grinders because the shaper's belts work so well. Would it work?
Thanks for the video you make a good presentation. My question is why not harden the whole side and not just the face. You state in the vid that if you do so you will be asing for trouble, could you explain why that is? Thanks
I know this is an old video but why do you harden only the 1/8 9f the sticker and not the whole stricking surface? When you go through that 1/8 do you get another sticker .
Well, I'm singing along with you Trent. Question: Have you ever forged one of the files down into a flint striker Bracelet? I"m very interested in finding someone who can do it for me. If I can have a flint striker on me all the time, then I am more likely to always be prepared. Please let me know. Thank you.
Richard Peterson well thats no excuse dig a hole in ground and a littler hole next to it like a tunnel goin into it for air and there u go its called a dakota fire hole but u can put a hair dryer in the second hole for a sir source and there u go u got a makeshift starter blacksmith forge
I'm not sure why anyone would use a hardy tool in a vice and then have to straighten it up during use rather than place the hardy tool in an anvil and know that it would be held in place properly.
