There are several items that can be used as a striker, the one supplied by the manufacturer of course but other items such as a P38 can opener, the back side of a hacksaw blade, and the 90 degree spine of a knife. The cutting edge of the knife also works very well but is harmful to the cutting edge. I recommend taking a file or grindstone for removing the coating or smooth surface on the top spine of the striker whether a hacksaw blade or knife to sharpen it’s striking edge, then use the striker to scrape the ferro rod until sparks appear consistantly.

It’s a good idea to sharpen the edge of every striking implement. The sharpness of the striker is paramount to the performance of the ferro rod. The creation of a fire can be a critical need so it is prudent to tune up your striker to guarantee the best possible spark for ignition.

Many ferro rods come with a companion striker, often shaped like a hacksaw blade. You can hold a cotton swab parallel to the striker with the swab portion in front of the striking edge so as the striker travels down the ferro rod the sparks that are generated are cast upon the cotton head and a flame is immediately created. Alternatively, many folks use knife blades as a striker that have a 90 degree spine and the swab can be positioned parallel to the blade with the cotton head next to the portion that does the striking. The head of the swab should be “fluffed out” enabling it to catch the sparks more effectively. The striking process works best if the tip of the ferro rod rests on the ground or log surface, so when the striker travels down the rod, the sparks are confined to the fluffed cotton area, ensuring it’s ignition.

By virtue of the cotton swab’s stick design it can now be used like a regular match stick to light a campfire, candle, or whatever, allowing you to have the convenience of a “match” by using a ferro rod to generate the initial flame. It would of course make sense to keep the cotton swabs in a water proof container for storage so that they will be dry and readily available to catch the sparks when employed.

I bought a packet of lighter flints and after examining the dispenser I noticed that it contains six flints that were lined up end-to-end and I wondered if they could be mounted similarly outside of the dispenser and used like conventional rods. The problem was, what kind of platform could they be mounted to?

It dawned on me that keys have built-in grooves based on a locks wards and that the mini ferro rods could be lined up inside a groove and glued in place. I got some instant drying glue (cyanoacrylate) and glued them end-to-end to form a rod then glued them as well along the groove. The six pieces in the dispenser fit perfectly along the length. After the glue dried I put down a cotton ball on the concrete floor, placed the key upright on it, and used a blade to strike along the new ferro “rod” successfully creating a fire.

After creating several fires the mini ferros began to flake off so I went to a hardware store and asked the employee for a used key that had a “deep grove”. After explaining my project he found a good match (which he gave to me for free), and with more surface contact for gluing the mini ferros stuck better and longer. I used only five ferro pieces this time so that I could use a technique to build up the glue at each end of the row as described in my article “Amazing Baking Soda & Instant Glue Emergency Repairs” to give it extra linear support.

The “DIY ferro key” may have a short life span but if used successfully only once in an emergency situation is worth having as an Every Day Carry (EDC). When out and about it would pass discreetly through occasional check points so that it would always be available to you. Although knife blades are the easiest to use as strikers, many hard/sharp objects will work such as a P38 can opener. This is a fun project that could be a life saver in an emergency situation.

Perhaps you have seen various survival reality shows and watched as participants have struggled to get sparks from their ferro rod. There are many ways to accomplish this as illustrated below. Click on the photo to play the animated GIF.

Blade strikes forward from above the rod   This approach shoots sparks onto your tinder bundle but potentially you could hit the tinder with the striker and dismantle it, thus preventing or extinguishing ignition. (Click HERE if plugin doesn’t work)	GIF
Rod pulled backward from below the rod   The benefit of this approach is that the striker is static and held in place and does not threaten to break the tinder pile while holding the generated sparks right on the tinder for ignition. (Click HERE if plugin doesn’t work	GIF
Rod pulled backward from above the rod   Similar to pulling the rod from below, it keeps the spark on target to the tinder bundle. Care should be taken to hold firmly onto the rod so as not to injure your hand while it presses down on the top of the rod during the strike. (Click HERE if plugin doesn’t work	GIF
If you have a short ferro rod, such as a broken piece or perhaps one of those used as a toggle on a paracord wrist band you can create a good spark by propping it on a small rock or piece of wood with tinder surrounding it. This provides extra height for casting sparks as well as a stable base upon which to strike the rod. This support technique is also helpful when using conventional flint and steel (see “Flint Support for Striking“) (Click HERE if plugin doesn’t work	GIF

I recommend that you try each of the methods mentioned to see which one works best for you.

I received the Survival Shovel in just a few days and I immediately opened the shipping box. The product box is labeled “survival shovel”, “folding shovel with pick axe, saw and fire starter”. I eagerly opened it and withdrew the contents. The shovel comes in a pouch that measures roughly seven by ten inches with a total weight of two pounds. I removed the shovel from the pouch and saw that it comes in two parts; the shovel head assembly that included a short handle and a handle extension that screws into it. The un-assembled shovel measures eight and a half inches in length. The extension handle was so smooth that I initially had a little difficultly attaching it but finally accomplished the connection.

By loosening the bright orange collar (a good identifier when laid on the ground) you can extend the shovel blade and pick. Once oriented into your desired position it is re-tightened for secure operation. When the shovel blade is extended 180 degrees the total length is two feet. If the shovel blade and pick are extended to the 90 degree level it measures seventeen inches. I was impressed with the quality of production and the solid feel in my hand.

The pick side is used to break up hard soil which is then scraped together with the shovel blade for removal. When soil or debris is soft the blade alone can be used. One interesting feature of the shovel blade is that it has a serrated edge on one side. This design element was included to enable it to cut away brush or make kindling. I was able to cut through a half-inch sapling but the thick paint coating on the blade limited it’s effectiveness. In lieu of a knife, notches could be made in wood for construction purposes of camp-craft. I also used the shovel to trim my gravel driveway and was pleasantly surprised at it’s effectiveness by alternating the pick and shovel blades. I did notice that when I used the serrated side of the blade in the pick axe configuration the handle would tend to unscrew and occasionally needed tightening but when striking with the center or left side of the blade there was no issue.

The third component of this survival shovel is a ferrocerium rod that is fastened inside the end cap of the handle extension. The end-cap is knurled so it is easy to remove. In my opinion this is a bonus element of the shovel but not the main function. Because of the robust paint job on the shovel the edges of the blade were blunt and I was unable to use it to make a spark from the ferro rod initially. It takes a sharp edge to scrape a ferro rod in order to get a spark. Because I was determined to have success at making a fire I scraped the paint off the blade edge by scraping the blade on a rock. Because ferro rods can be brittle I held the knob in one hand while laying the rod flat on a stump for support, then gave it a glancing blow with the blade using the other hand and eventually produced a spark that was caught on some cattail fluff and nursed into a flame. If you had a knife or sharp rock they would be easier to use as a striker but having a handy ferro rod stored in the handle is a good idea.

I give this survival shovel a thumb’s up for it’s sturdy construction and effectiveness as a compact trowel and pick axe. This would be a great addition to your vehicle’s emergency kit and as a camping tool for trenching as needed. Survival Hax offers more outdoor and survival products and is worth visiting them online.

Strikers create a spark when struck on the edge of a sharp stone due to the micro bit of shredded metal that is sheared off. The friction makes it “red hot”. Each of the metals when sheared have differing temperatures and duration of their sparks. Steel is 2500°F, titanium is 3263°F, and ferrocerium is 5430°F (hence, it’s popularity as a fire starting device).

High carbon steel strikers are the classic instrument of “flint & Steel” fire making. The method requires charcloth (carbonized cloth or other material) as a form of tinder to be used to catch it’s spark. There are a few natural materials such as chaga fungus and horse hoof fungus that will catch a spark as well. Sparks on other materials such as cattail fluff or other natural tinder have been reported to catch a spark but I have not been able to ignite them using the conventional steel strikers.

Recently I watched a video demonstrating the use of a titanium striker. Because the spark temperature of titanium is higher than that of steel it is able to ignite natural fibers known as “flash tinder” without the use of charcloth. I decided to purchase a titanium striker to experience this for myself and now it’s a new ball game! I was able to strike sparks directly into cattail fluff and created flames.

The titanium striker maintains the look and feel of the classic carbon steel striker but produces a hotter spark with a longer duration for a wider range of tinders with which to create fire. I have begun to experiment with different flash tinder and was able to create fire from cattail fluff, cotton fiber, jute fiber, and dandelion seed puffs. In the end I will have developed skill in using all three types of strikers and will be able to apply the best tool for each situation.

I’ve used seed puffs from dandelions, milkweed, and cattail among others to catch sparks. Once lit the fibers almost explode into flame. It’s important to surround the fuzz with light and dry tinder, especially above it to catch the flame so that it can be built into a larger fire. But what if you don’t have seed puffs to catch a spark? What if you were in an urban environment surrounded by asphalt and concrete and not in a wooded area?

You can collect flammable cotton fiber from your clothes by taking a sharp edged device like a knife and scrape it over the surface of your clothing several times. A small roll of fibers will begin to accumulate. Denim pants are a great source for this. The roll of fiber can be pulled apart into a “fuzz-ball” in order to catch a spark from a flintwheel or ferro rod.

Another clothing source of fiber is cotton socks. If you don’t have a knife blade for scraping you can simply pinch off bits of fiber with your finger tips to collect a small fuzzy pile. I often put this tinder into a small cone of tissue paper to catch a flame. This fire method is also known as a “prisoner match”.

A number of folks have experienced similar results using dryer lint, cotton balls, and cotton swabs as their tinder but these fibers would need to be collected ahead of time and carried whereas your clothes require no planning and are naturally with you as part of your everyday life.

As usual, I recommend that you try this for yourself and practice it so that you will have this skill for the time that it is needed… or just to have fun!

Why use grass roots for tinder? Each environment that you encounter may or may not have the tinder resources that you need. Survivalists would suggest that as you travel about, collect potential tinder as you go so that you will be prepared when you need to create a fire. Because roots initially contain moisture, they will need to be dried out for several days, so they would be a more long-term prepped tinder.

I decided to take two fire starting approaches: sparks by ferro rod and solar by wallet-sized Fresnel lens magnifier.

When I first applied sparks with the ferro rod it didn’t work. I realized that I needed to fluff out the roots into a wispy ball, much like I would treat cotton or steel wool tinders in order to catch a spark effectively. The next spark caught immediately.

When I used the pocket magnifier I initially got lots of smoke but not a sustainable ember. Although I had compressed the roots for this approach it needed more compression so I twisted the small bundle as if to make cordage into a small ball. That did the trick. I suggest having as much mass as possible with more tinder standing by to supplement the ember once it’s established.

Generally speaking there is a multitude of tinders more readily available but it’s always good to be aware of alternative tinders when circumstances limit your regular choices.

Ignition sources include sparks, flames, embers, and other sources of focused heat. A common “party trick” is to squeeze an orange rind right next to the flame of a lighter or matchstick. The airborne mist ignites with a “poof!” creating a larger momentary flame. I was curious to see if a flame could be created without using a pre-existing flame by using a spark instead. I often use empty flintwheel lighters to experiment with. The “flint” in the flintwheel lighter is actually ferrocerium which is an alloy of different metals that when struck or scraped will produce a very hot and long duration spark. It can ignite tinder that traditional flint and steel sets cannot. So, I remove the windscreen from the lighter and it becomes my spark source.

In this experiment the biggest challenge was coordinating the mist released by squeezing the rind with the spark produced by the flint wheel. At the end of the session I had a small blister on the lip of my “flicking” finger but it was well worth the price of success. My “proof of concept” worked. Although the flame is only brief, it could exceed the ignition potential of sparks alone.

So, for other firecraft enthusiasts, give this method a try to add another method to your list.

Ferrocerium is an alloy that is softer than the carbon steel used in the traditional flint & steel fire method. What most people don’t know is that you do not need to use a metal striker to create sparks from a ferro rod. Flint rocks and similar types of glassy stones are hard enough to shred micro shards off of the softer ferrocerium metal that create the spark. The trick is to create a sharp edge for striking (or scraping). This can be accomplished by breaking one stone with another.

Click To See It In Action

When you get a chance, try some of these materials out for yourself. I would love to receive comments on other materials that you may have used as a striker to successfully start a fire with a ferro rod.