Wrap the file in a towel before breaking for increased safety. If you don’t have a grinder, you can just rub it on a concrete surface to smooth the edges. It takes a while, but works great.
Thank you very much for making this video. I was never taught bushcraft or survival skills and I am homeless. I barely survived the summer (I live in phoenix AZ) and I'm finding the winter to be worse. You speak very clearly, you articulate well and you spoke in such a friendly manner that I enjoyed watching the video. I'm currently searching thru every rock I see with my file in hand and I'm actually having fun. Many blessings to you for what you're doing, you are helping people like me that have ZERO clue as to how to not die in the great outdoors. Thank you again
Hey Cody!!!!…you need to tell your viewers that a grinding disc will replace flint very well-they throw sparks very well and they will last a long long time too!!!👍👍👍
“...so many people’s favorite way to make a fire...” Yep. I’m one of them. Been doing it since 1967. 👍🏻👍🏻 Great video, simple, to the point, easy to understand.
Already taught my scouts about this !! They love it as well !! The parents, not so much lol, until I gave them each a file . Now they're just as much having fun with this as the scouts !! Great stuff as always Sir !!
Interesting subject addressed in a way one does not see others doing it. Just a note on a personal topic. I know you have an online store, I have purchased items from you. I hope the store is a successful venture for you. Having said that I am so pleased that unlike so many other TH-camrs you do not use your channel to shill products for others. When they do that I loose confidence in their advice or opinion - is it good solid advice; or, are they doing it to get free stuff to feed the fire of the channel, obtain sponsors for their channel, etc.. You feed the fires of your channel with interesting topics and guidance. Keep up the good work!
That’s why I love this guy! He’s a true teacher! We forgot that our ancestors didn’t use ‘science’ to survive...they just tried to make things happen with what they had as a means of survival. We complicate things with our ‘modern minds’ are depend on what’s there, bic lighters, matches....they didn’t have such inventions then...but they had steel and rocks....great video!!
That works great and my 7year old grandson had us a fire on the first trie, I think I taught him good. He really paid attention and his eyes got so big when he made it burst into flame
Modern files are case hardened and the high quality steel that will spark is a thin layer near the surface. When grinding/shaping your sparking surface remove the smallest amount of material possible. Also, make sure your stone has a sharp edge (90° corner) for best results. Rounded stones can be broken to create the sharp corner (safety glasses). Any stone harder than the steel will work.
My best striker is an old file, if you want a hole for a lanyard just drill a hole in the tang (metal is softer), take the excess metal off the tang with a grinder the same time you grind the edge of the file. A bonus with using a file as a striker is if your tomahawk, knife or whatever gets a nick in it you got a file to dress it up. (dual purpose)
@@davidschmidt270 when I’m in the outdoors (hunting, camping, hiking, etc) I carry a striker with me to test likely stones for sparks. Here in Pa we don’t have flint but there are other stone with a hardness to make sparks, around here chert is a good stone. There are other stones with the hardness to create sparks, just go for a walk and you will find them and you will learn the characteristics of good stones like a smooth surface.
@@MrOldzimm thank you old top..yeah..us youngsters aren't all tied up in video games or drugs... LOL....so sad, half this country's asleep on thier phone's!!.. outdoors is such a different world!
My favorite spot to look for good stones for striking is railroad tracks if you can't find a hard enough stone there it because your not looking at the ground. Cool video Dan.
Really nice that you made this video because a lot of places around the world just don't have flint rock. I also made this maybe one month ago, grinded down a piece of an old file, drilled a small hole through the part where the file is inside the handle (it's softer, untempered metal) and put some paraglider line through it (similar to paracord). Saw this on some other channel. The rock that I found that works best for me, since I live in Croatia and there's no flint here, are round 'decoration' pieces of rocks on the floor at the side of some buildings :), I think it consists mostly of quartz, and that can give nice sparks as well, not like flint but well, you have to manage and improvise with what you have in your area. Made some nice fires with it
A farrier rasp works well. The tang is soft enough to drill a hole for a lanyard and the coarse teeth are nice for making tinder and rough shaping wood. Cut to a portable size and you will have an heirloom to pass down for many generations. : )
I have been doing outdoors" stuff" all my 50 + years, watching your demo's I learn something new or useful every time.. Thank you ATVB. As they say" every day's a school day"
Man!!!, it’s so nice to see a video that’s still clean and fun!!!…I’ve been doing the primitive fire techniques for years and never got tired of them!!!!…very useful!!!!
i wanna thank you Dan, for this video i've spend a lot of time looking for shops that sell flint and steel. but no store in my city sells it and no online shops in my country does either. and since a new law has made importing stuff from other countries insanly expensive. i got an old file from my dad and made a steel striker. thank you again for the awesome tip. im off to the woods :)
Flint and steel is easily my favorite old school method. My son lit a flint and steel ember at 4 Yo using an old rusty file. I had to help him blow it into flame because of the smoke, but he was so proud and happy. 😊
OG coalcracker here great information! I really do appreciate this and this is not an area I have a lot of experience. Thank you continued safe wishes for you and your family
Here in KS gravel side roads are an easy source for flint and quartz. All sourced from KS quarries. TX has a lot also. Most of my biggest pieces are from there. Don't forget to try petrified wood. It's usually smoothish, so you have to break it to get a sharp edge. Lot of petrified wood in TX, washed down after the ICE AGE I think. Happy Sparkles.😳
You can anneal (soften) a corner of the file with a propane torch. That will let you drill a hole for a lanyard. Love the idea someone had of keeping a section of teeth on it to rasp up some sawdust as tinder.
This was a great way to expose the general public an emergency fire starter, for stuff that is readily available, while a steel file is ideal, any hardened steel will do, and as you mentioned the flint ( quartz, and other stones that will spark) found in nature, always keep testing stone, some will spark better then others!
The steel is what sparks. Not the stone. The stone must be hard enough & sharp enough to slice off tiny bits of metal fast enough for it to burn. Like a grinding wheel does.
@@ahayseed654 yes you are correct, it is the steel that sparks, but you need the right stone to generate the spark from the steel, so it must be harder
Dan, thanks for another great video. I made one of these with a rusty old file a few years ago. I easily drill the tang with a little oil for lubricant to keep from burning my drill bit. A small piece of hunter orange paracord keeps it in sight.
Challenge, go micro. 2” piece of hacksaw blade and small shard of ‘flint’. With char, it all fits in a mini Altoids tin. Not all blades are tempered the same. Hint, ends of blade with the holes allow lanyard attachment for better grip. Impress your campfire buddies.
@@captainchaos3053 Yard sale junk boxes. Most older in country mfg. blades are better. U.S. anyway. Spose you could heat and quench the teeth on some blades if you're having trouble finding good blades. That's how their supposed to be manufactured ,but hey, most are made in Xi land and it's all about quantity, NOT quality. Also, older Nickelson files are best. Again yard sale boxes under the table. Lot of 25 cent broken files out there. The tang will bend if you hammer it LIGHTLY, to make a loop. They clamp the tang when they heat treat the piece, so the clamp acts like heat sink,keeping it softer. I have even cut off the tang, leaving a quarter inch, and drilled between the name & tang for a place to tie cordage. The heat treating process is rapid, with lots of flame on both sides,then a fast quench so the name & tang don't get as hot. It's all done on an automated line. The heat up probably takes 30 sec. then dip in the bath then on down the line. Have fun, then go play in the woods. Or at least the back yard. They only heat the teeth of the blades, the back is in the clamp. Just like for files only way faster, cause it's really thin metal.😀Happy Sparking.
Chert, the dark part. Granite, pink or black with glitter (quartz) black does ok but pink is better. Or straight quartz. Flint is best, of course but in my neck of the woods, it's quite small. Excellent video!
The book called Hatchet by Gary Paulson is really good… the boy is plane crashed in Canadian wilderness. He only has a hatchet. Gets pissed at one point, swings his Hatchet upon his cave shelter , accidentally makes sparks. Makes 🔥
I couldn't help it. Before I even watched the rest of the video, I looked through the comments for the safety hounds as soon as you broke that file. Found em! Roflol And,,,, got a ton of old files. Gonna have to do this. The grand kids will freak on our camping trip. Thanks.
I'm a recent subscriber, who's very glad he found this channel. Production quality is very good (lighting, simple but good cinematography and sound), the subjects are fascinating, presentation is very clear and well thought out and the kicker for me: solid and clear safety instructions (missing or scorned by so many youtubers). I'm liking this.
Soooooo doing this with my son. Don't have a grinder but I have diamond plates will take a while but he's gonna love it. He's always collecting rocks when we are out and about.
Question, if I annealed it first by putting it in an oven would that make it easier to work if abrading by hand? And would it still be an effective striker or would I need to harden it again?
Beauty! Love your projects! BTW, you can heat the file in a really hot fire so that it glows red. If you then let it cool slowly it will be much softer and you will be able to drill and cut it into shape. Cheers from Germany, Martin 👍
@@outdoordauber A firestriker is NOT tempered! Tempering is used on knife and tool blades, to make the metal less brittle, while still retaining the ability to take an edge. A firestriker is HARDENED only. You heat it to a cherry red, then plunge it into a liquid, either water or oil, depending on what kind of steel you used . TEMPERED steel will NOT produce sparks; it isn't HARD enough
Check your rail road beds/tracks for good stone, dirt road sides, gravel pits, river banks, shore lines ocean and fresh water lakes. I'm 54 and can keep busy for hours like this too. just wish I have more time for such matters. Drill that file with a masonry bit, I hear that may work.
called the kids over and showed them why you never hit a metal tool with another metal tool. Thanks for that much much cheaper demonstration as to why not!
File hardness is usually Rockwell 57-59. Can it be drilled - Absolutely, but, with a carbide drill or a drill made for frilling tool steels and keep the speed/rotations as low as possible.
I didn't know I could use a file as striker, money saving tip. I was about to buy one at the internet but now I'll just dig a blacksmith's trash sack looking for a old, rusty and "waiting to be rescued" file! hahaha thx so much!
If you want a file with smooth edges, look for a file with "safe sides." You can buy files with one, two, or three "safe sides." The smooth side is "safe" in the sense that it will not damage nearby parts of the piece you're working on with the file.
Awesome man. I have a file version too. One of these days ill have a "nice steel". Good way to get into flint("quartz") and steel, and practice the fire starting method. As a side note, having one or both of the shorter sides with a good 90 degree angle can double as scraper or striker too. I have also tried this ceramic since it's harder than the steel.
The File is worth giving a sharp edge to a point one side, and the other ground ready for striking. Then, along with a utility knife and a Steel, you have a File - that may prove useful.
Am glad you gave an alternative to Flint. There is no flint where I am at. But here at Smith's Grove Sanitarium I can trade about anything for a smuggled contraband left handed cigarette. I think I was like #1.
Great episode of bushcrafting!!! In my research of the topic, iron pyrite was a suggested striking stone. I was wondering if sulfur diamond could be used in the same manner to strike a spark?
What ever you use, it just has to be harder than the steel. It's the steel that's sparking off not the stones. Try it. That's part of the fun of bushcraft.😎
There is lots to know about making a flint spark fire !! If you are not skilled at this , your in trouble in the wild ,if that's all you have !!!! Do your test trys !! But take matches & , a good ole zippo , or Bic for back up !! Practice ,& wisdom comes first !! 👍👍
you used the bottom end of the file, if you use the top end where the handle tang is, its softer metal at the top, so you can drill a hole in near the tang end.
Wrap the file in a towel before breaking for increased safety. If you don’t have a grinder, you can just rub it on a concrete surface to smooth the edges. It takes a while, but works great.
Yup, that's how I open food cans at work without an opener. Rub whatever it vigorously, no safety concerns involved, & viola, it's done.
You don't really need to take the cutting teeth off.
Amen!!!
@@captainchaos3053 I thought the same thing . It will get smoother as you use it . I just use a drop or two of alcohol 🙂 on a small piece of cloth .
Some files are just case hardened. Will those work?
Thank you very much for making this video. I was never taught bushcraft or survival skills and I am homeless. I barely survived the summer (I live in phoenix AZ) and I'm finding the winter to be worse.
You speak very clearly, you articulate well and you spoke in such a friendly manner that I enjoyed watching the video. I'm currently searching thru every rock I see with my file in hand and I'm actually having fun.
Many blessings to you for what you're doing, you are helping people like me that have ZERO clue as to how to not die in the great outdoors. Thank you again
Hey Cody!!!!…you need to tell your viewers that a grinding disc will replace flint very well-they throw sparks very well and they will last a long long time too!!!👍👍👍
Thank bro it is informative sorry about spellings but feeling is good😅😅👍👍👍👍👍
“...so many people’s favorite way to make a fire...”
Yep. I’m one of them.
Been doing it since 1967.
👍🏻👍🏻
Great video, simple, to the point, easy to understand.
Awesome! 👍
Where would I find a Flintstone though ??
@@davidschmidt270
Try the town of Bedrock. 😉
Already taught my scouts about this !! They love it as well !! The parents, not so much lol, until I gave them each a file . Now they're just as much having fun with this as the scouts !! Great stuff as always Sir !!
Sign me up
Loop ni
i think the girl guides should know as well
Interesting subject addressed in a way one does not see others doing it.
Just a note on a personal topic. I know you have an online store, I have purchased items from you. I hope the store is a successful venture for you. Having said that I am so pleased that unlike so many other TH-camrs you do not use your channel to shill products for others. When they do that I loose confidence in their advice or opinion - is it good solid advice; or, are they doing it to get free stuff to feed the fire of the channel, obtain sponsors for their channel, etc..
You feed the fires of your channel with interesting topics and guidance. Keep up the good work!
That’s why I love this guy! He’s a true teacher! We forgot that our ancestors didn’t use ‘science’ to survive...they just tried to make things happen with what they had as a means of survival. We complicate things with our ‘modern minds’ are depend on what’s there, bic lighters, matches....they didn’t have such inventions then...but they had steel and rocks....great video!!
That works great and my 7year old grandson had us a fire on the first trie, I think I taught him good. He really paid attention and his eyes got so big when he made it burst into flame
He will never forget that moment!
I absolutely love building fire with flint and steel. It seems to amaze people who aren’t in the know.
There is a zen quality to it. The process is like a meditation. It’s relaxing.
Modern files are case hardened and the high quality steel that will spark is a thin layer near the surface. When grinding/shaping your sparking surface remove the smallest amount of material possible. Also, make sure your stone has a sharp edge (90° corner) for best results. Rounded stones can be broken to create the sharp corner (safety glasses). Any stone harder than the steel will work.
Awesome Dan! Great idea for me and the boy. Thanks!
I've heard that about case hardened steels. Maybe that's why they always say "old file". :)
Not all new files are case hardened, all the good brands still use high carbon steel.
Thank you for sharing this video. I have a file that is broken and had never thought of using it as a striker for flint and steel.
Saw this and immediately found an old file in my tool box and tried it. It works great. Thanks for the tip.
In
My best striker is an old file, if you want a hole for a lanyard just drill a hole in the tang (metal is softer), take the excess metal off the tang with a grinder the same time you grind the edge of the file. A bonus with using a file as a striker is if your tomahawk, knife or whatever gets a nick in it you got a file to dress it up. (dual purpose)
Dear Mr. Zimm.... I'm trying to get an idea for a flint...where would I find one?
@@davidschmidt270 when I’m in the outdoors (hunting, camping, hiking, etc) I carry a striker with me to test likely stones for sparks. Here in Pa we don’t have flint but there are other stone with a hardness to make sparks, around here chert is a good stone. There are other stones with the hardness to create sparks, just go for a walk and you will find them and you will learn the characteristics of good stones like a smooth surface.
@@MrOldzimm thank you old top..yeah..us youngsters aren't all tied up in video games or drugs... LOL....so sad, half this country's asleep on thier phone's!!.. outdoors is such a different world!
My favorite spot to look for good stones for striking is railroad tracks if you can't find a hard enough stone there it because your not looking at the ground. Cool video Dan.
your right, now wheres the nearest railway
An advantage to making a file striker is having the file to touch up an axe or processing tinder.
The first stepping-stone to building a modern civilization! Thank you Brother, Semper Fi.
Really nice that you made this video because a lot of places around the world just don't have flint rock. I also made this maybe one month ago, grinded down a piece of an old file, drilled a small hole through the part where the file is inside the handle (it's softer, untempered metal) and put some paraglider line through it (similar to paracord). Saw this on some other channel. The rock that I found that works best for me, since I live in Croatia and there's no flint here, are round 'decoration' pieces of rocks on the floor at the side of some buildings :), I think it consists mostly of quartz, and that can give nice sparks as well, not like flint but well, you have to manage and improvise with what you have in your area. Made some nice fires with it
A farrier rasp works well.
The tang is soft enough to drill a hole for a lanyard and the coarse teeth are nice for making tinder and rough shaping wood.
Cut to a portable size and you will have an heirloom to pass down for many generations. : )
I have been doing outdoors" stuff" all my 50 + years, watching your demo's I learn something new or useful every time.. Thank you ATVB. As they say" every day's a school day"
My Mother always says : "You have not wasted a day if you have learned something new" . I have not wasted my day watching this video 😊
Man!!!, it’s so nice to see a video that’s still clean and fun!!!…I’ve been doing the primitive fire techniques for years and never got tired of them!!!!…very useful!!!!
i wanna thank you Dan, for this video i've spend a lot of time looking for shops that sell flint and steel. but no store in my city sells it and no online shops in my country does either. and since a new law has made importing stuff from other countries insanly expensive. i got an old file from my dad and made a steel striker.
thank you again for the awesome tip. im off to the woods :)
Flint and steel is easily my favorite old school method. My son lit a flint and steel ember at 4 Yo using an old rusty file. I had to help him blow it into flame because of the smoke, but he was so proud and happy. 😊
OG coalcracker here great information! I really do appreciate this and this is not an area I have a lot of experience. Thank you continued safe wishes for you and your family
Brilliant stuff! I live in SE England and we are lucky enough to have loads of black flint laying around on paths and in fields.
Send me some!!!!
@@ShellShock11C Me too!
been out picking some up today, also found some coal fungus. been looking for ages..
Send me some too!
Here in KS gravel side roads are an easy source for flint and quartz. All sourced from KS quarries. TX has a lot also. Most of my biggest pieces are from there. Don't forget to try petrified wood. It's usually smoothish, so you have to break it to get a sharp edge. Lot of petrified wood in TX, washed down after the ICE AGE I think. Happy Sparkles.😳
You can anneal (soften) a corner of the file with a propane torch. That will let you drill a hole for a lanyard. Love the idea someone had of keeping a section of teeth on it to rasp up some sawdust as tinder.
Coalcracker Bushcraft: thank you video!
I'll give that a try and see my chances whether I'll make that work. Thanks for this useful knowledge.
This was a great way to expose the general public an emergency fire starter, for stuff that is readily available, while a steel file is ideal, any hardened steel will do, and as you mentioned the flint ( quartz, and other stones that will spark) found in nature, always keep testing stone, some will spark better then others!
The steel is what sparks. Not the stone. The stone must be hard enough & sharp enough to slice off tiny bits of metal fast enough for it to burn. Like a grinding wheel does.
@@ahayseed654 yes you are correct, it is the steel that sparks, but you need the right stone to generate the spark from the steel, so it must be harder
I make these and give them away to folks. Of course, I give them some char cloth and jute twine too. They get a kick out of it!
He is an absolute legend 😃😃
Dan, thanks for another great video.
I made one of these with a rusty old file a few years ago. I easily drill the tang with a little oil for lubricant to keep from burning my drill bit. A small piece of hunter orange paracord keeps it in sight.
Bright blue paracord would be even better in the fall, but orange is what I had on hand.
That is awesome!! Going to give it a whirl.
Always plug your business !! You share a ton of free information with us !!
Challenge, go micro. 2” piece of hacksaw blade and small shard of ‘flint’. With char, it all fits in a mini Altoids tin. Not all blades are tempered the same. Hint, ends of blade with the holes allow lanyard attachment for better grip. Impress your campfire buddies.
Most hacksaw blades are terrible for making sparks due to the soft spine.
@@captainchaos3053 Yard sale junk boxes. Most older in country mfg. blades are better. U.S. anyway. Spose you could heat and quench the teeth on some blades if you're having trouble finding good blades. That's how their supposed to be manufactured ,but hey, most are made in Xi land and it's all about quantity, NOT quality. Also, older Nickelson files are best. Again yard sale boxes under the table. Lot of 25 cent broken files out there. The tang will bend if you hammer it LIGHTLY, to make a loop. They clamp the tang when they heat treat the piece, so the clamp acts like heat sink,keeping it softer. I have even cut off the tang, leaving a quarter inch, and drilled between the name & tang for a place to tie cordage. The heat treating process is rapid, with lots of flame on both sides,then a fast quench so the name & tang don't get as hot. It's all done on an automated line. The heat up probably takes 30 sec. then dip in the bath then on down the line. Have fun, then go play in the woods. Or at least the back yard. They only heat the teeth of the blades, the back is in the clamp. Just like for files only way faster, cause it's really thin metal.😀Happy Sparking.
Once again Dan this is a good practical easy to understand video. Thanks, you are a good teacher. Take care.
Chert, the dark part.
Granite, pink or black with glitter (quartz) black does ok but pink is better.
Or straight quartz.
Flint is best, of course but in my neck of the woods, it's quite small.
Excellent video!
I enjoyed this video! I think it is one of your best since I have been a fan for a year or so.
Excellent video. Great way for beginners to get started with F&S
New project to play with, thanks Dan I'll be on it. Should be able to find alot of quartz here with those ideas mind living in CNY.
you are the most nice guy that i have ever seen
The book called Hatchet by Gary Paulson is really good… the boy is plane crashed in Canadian wilderness. He only has a hatchet. Gets pissed at one point, swings his Hatchet upon his cave shelter , accidentally makes sparks. Makes 🔥
I couldn't help it. Before I even watched the rest of the video, I looked through the comments for the safety hounds as soon as you broke that file. Found em! Roflol And,,,, got a ton of old files. Gonna have to do this. The grand kids will freak on our camping trip. Thanks.
I'm a recent subscriber, who's very glad he found this channel. Production quality is very good (lighting, simple but good cinematography and sound), the subjects are fascinating, presentation is very clear and well thought out and the kicker for me: solid and clear safety instructions (missing or scorned by so many youtubers). I'm liking this.
Gotta say it: even though I’m a metal-head, the chill-beats into music is better for this content, IMO
Soooooo doing this with my son. Don't have a grinder but I have diamond plates will take a while but he's gonna love it. He's always collecting rocks when we are out and about.
Question, if I annealed it first by putting it in an oven would that make it easier to work if abrading by hand? And would it still be an effective striker or would I need to harden it again?
Beauty! Love your projects! BTW, you can heat the file in a really hot fire so that it glows red. If you then let it cool slowly it will be much softer and you will be able to drill and cut it into shape. Cheers from Germany, Martin 👍
Ha ein landsmann
But you then need to re-temper it so that it will throw sparks.
That ruins the steel when being used as a striker on flint.
@@outdoordauber A firestriker is NOT tempered!
Tempering is used on knife and tool blades, to make the metal less brittle, while still retaining the ability to take an edge.
A firestriker is HARDENED only. You heat it to a cherry red, then plunge it into a liquid, either water or oil, depending on what kind of steel you used .
TEMPERED steel will NOT produce sparks; it isn't HARD enough
Check your rail road beds/tracks for good stone, dirt road sides, gravel pits, river banks, shore lines ocean and fresh water lakes. I'm 54 and can keep busy for hours like this too. just wish I have more time for such matters. Drill that file with a masonry bit, I hear that may work.
Wonderful idea. Will try. However I looked on your website and really liked the look of you own make of steel, so I have just ordered one.
That looked really simple to do. Thanks for uploading this.
called the kids over and showed them why you never hit a metal tool with another metal tool. Thanks for that much much cheaper demonstration as to why not!
Wow! Simple and straightforward. Great video. Thanks!
File hardness is usually Rockwell 57-59. Can it be drilled - Absolutely, but, with a carbide drill or a drill made for frilling tool steels and keep the speed/rotations as low as possible.
Love your channel, keep pumping those great videos. Thanks for sharing 👍
I didn't know I could use a file as striker, money saving tip. I was about to buy one at the internet but now I'll just dig a blacksmith's trash sack looking for a old, rusty and "waiting to be rescued" file! hahaha thx so much!
Awesome content as usual. Keep it coming.
Sorry spelled wrong. Love your insight and instructions. Especially the kids thing!
Love it. Just looked at the one you did 5 years ago as well :)
If you want a file with smooth edges, look for a file with "safe sides." You can buy files with one, two, or three "safe sides." The smooth side is "safe" in the sense that it will not damage nearby parts of the piece you're working on with the file.
Nice info I learned truckers hitch on one of your videos nice to have basic information ( on basics of life )
I have not wasted my day . Thanks for the tip 👍
Awesome man. I have a file version too. One of these days ill have a "nice steel". Good way to get into flint("quartz") and steel, and practice the fire starting method. As a side note, having one or both of the shorter sides with a good 90 degree angle can double as scraper or striker too. I have also tried this ceramic since it's harder than the steel.
The File is worth giving a sharp edge to a point one side, and the other ground ready for striking. Then, along with a utility knife and a Steel, you have a File - that may prove useful.
You teased with the forge in the background
I live in Norfolk. England and the farmers fields here are absolutely covered with flint.
Please mail a crate of it to me! We have none here!
you lucky
You know what really works good quartz it saved me one time in the middle of the Woods
Am glad you gave an alternative to Flint. There is no flint where I am at. But here at Smith's Grove Sanitarium I can trade about anything for a smuggled contraband left handed cigarette.
I think I was like #1.
"Can't drill it [file]"
Machinist laughs maniacally screaming "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED"
Masonry bit may cut it.
@@downeastprimitiveskills7688 cobalt bit should too.
Grind HHS bit with 35° instead of 32.5° and use cutting oil while drilling.
*DAVE WEST* DRILLED ONE
"Laughs while using diamond cutting bit"
Hahahaha You have a shop?? So weird to see you in civilization, I thought you lived in the woods 😂
Good video. Great information.
I gotta say very helpful
super simple!! thanks Dan!!
That is a dang nice vise!
I bought a piece of flint in Williamsburg ten years ago. lol
I’m going to get a file from harbor freight now!
Awesome video! Thanks man
Great video!
Great episode of bushcrafting!!! In my research of the topic, iron pyrite was a suggested striking stone. I was wondering if sulfur diamond could be used in the same manner to strike a spark?
What ever you use, it just has to be harder than the steel. It's the steel that's sparking off not the stones. Try it. That's part of the fun of bushcraft.😎
Yes it's my favorite way to make fire. 🤘🤘
There is lots to know about making a flint spark fire !! If you are not skilled at this , your in trouble in the wild ,if that's all you have !!!! Do your test trys !! But take matches & , a good ole zippo , or Bic for back up !! Practice ,& wisdom comes first !! 👍👍
Thank you so much for your videos 🤩🔥🌲
Great info Dan! ThanQ
This is great! Much appreciated 👍
I didn't know quartz would work. Thanks
I'm in England close to an od flint mine. Black flint is everywhere and used for construction material
Thank you I will try and make. You inspire me
Great thank you God Bless you
Awesome video thanks
Great video
sweet. thanks
Awesome 👍👍
Super cool.
great vid, thanks!
Imo a file is a valuable tool in the woods long term so i will likely try to modify one for both uses.
you used the bottom end of the file, if you use the top end where the handle tang is, its softer metal at the top, so you can drill a hole in near the tang end.
This video remind me of that band Quartz, Steel, and Flash.....🤔 or is the band named Crosby Stills and Nash. 😂 awesome video man very cool
* and young
Love your persceptive
So wish I could do this I'd love a personal flint n steel of my own but I am not physically capable nowadays from illness but great video thanks
That was well done! Thank you!
Mike B.
Good one.
You can drill it with a carbide drill solid or tipped like the drills for concrete.
Outstanding.