Making a Fire with Flint and Steel

In order to start a fire with flint and steel, you will need a few tools. You will need the following:

• Flint Striker
• Flint
• Char
• Jute
• Some type of tinder - such as cedar, small shaving of wood or thin dry twigs.

If you have a good spark producing striker, dry char and tinder, with a little practice starting a fire with flint and steel will be easy.

Get all your items together and a space to start a fire such as fire ring, bbq grill, fireplace and such. You don't need to use alot of char, if using cloth pieces, 1 piece should be fine if using char made from twine, just a pinch is needed. Place the char in the fire area and with a downward motion strike the flint against the striker close to and over the char. Don't strike the flint striker against the flint as you could cut yourself, Striking the flint against the striker gives you more control over the motion. Continue until a spark lands onto the char and lightly blow on it to encourage the spark into an ember.

Place some jute over the char and have your tinder ready, in this case thin cedar sticks. Increase the air being blown onto the char until it flares up and the jute catches fire. Start adding the cedar shavings and then small twigs. As the fire burns stronger continue in adding large pieces of wood. You have now built a fire using flint and steel.

-- RebStaup - 29 Jan 2008