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.

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!

Whether the steel strikes the flint or the flint strikes the steel, the sparks that are created are actually micro particles of the carbon rich steel that are “red hot” when shredded off by the percussion of striking.

In today’s modern world there are materials that are very hard that can be used instead of traditional flint. These are usually found in the form of ceramics. A common source is broken sinks or toilets that are often referred to as “john stone” or “thunder stone”. Another source is broken Corning® Dinnerware or Bakeware. These materials can be acquired in an urban environment and are occasionally used by flint knappers to hone their skills.

This alternative source was the case for me as I was assembling a DIY flint & steel kit for a friend recently. As I searched my basement for all of the kit’s components, I couldn’t find a suitable stone. I passed by my flint knapping area and noticed some Corning® pieces where I had been working on an arrowhead. I picked up a piece to test it for sparks and “presto!” it worked great! It dawned on me that I no longer had to rely on rocks for a flint to make a functional kit.

Esthetically a rock is more traditional to flint & steel firecraft but now I know that alternative materials can be used to make a fire when needed.

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.

At a recent event an attendee stopped by my display and began to share some interesting information about his life experiences. The topic turned to black powder and he asked me an interesting question: “Do you know why we always see flintlock rifles mounted above the fireplace mantle in old movies?”. I could only guess that there was convenient wall space there. He replied “…because they used their flintlocks to start the fire in their fireplaces.”

He explained that a feather quill was placed in the hole connecting the flash pan to the barrel thus blocking the ignition path from the pan to the loaded barrel. Black powder was then placed in the fire pan and the rifle held next to the tinder and discharged to light it. I knew that this was something that I had to try myself. I was able to contact a friend who owned a flintlock and he agreed to help me achieve my goal.

We established that the rifle was not loaded and gathered the needed materials. The hammer holds the flint that strikes the steel plate (or frizzen) that creates sparks over the pan which holds the black powder and ignites it. I prepared a bird’s nest of tinder using crushed oak tassles or catkins with cattail fluff placed in the center. I held this bundle next to the flash pan so that when I pulled the trigger to release the hammer, the resulting ignition lit the tinder causing multiple embers that I then blew into a flame.

My friend suggested that a piece of charcloth could capture a spark as well so we placed a piece of charcloth in the pan instead of black powder and were successful in capturing a spark. Not only did I accomplish two new fire methods for my life-list but I felt a connection to our historic past and could better imagine what our forefathers did in their daily lives, improvising with the tools and resources that they had available.

I followed the information that I was given but without success. The following week I viewed the television program “Dual Survival” where Joe used the same method using a “D” sized battery which initially failed. The hot point in the middle of the foil strip burned out and separated into two pieces. However, Joe created sparks by touching the severed ends and was able to generate a flame. There was some comfort in that achievement but I still wanted to use only a single AA battery and a single piece of foil.

Today there is a wealth of survival skill techniques and information on the Web, especially in the Social Media and after viewing a number of sites I was able to find an excellent video by GreenHHO on YouTube that was strait forward and easy to replicate, enabling me to successfully create a flame with just the wrapper strip and a single AA battery. Thus, I wanted to provide written instructions for my readers.

Items that you will need: foil gum wrapper , fresh AA battery, and a pair of scissors.

1) Take a foil gum wrapper and cut a 1/4″ wide strip lengthwise.
2) Fold the strip mid-length in half on the foil side.
3) At a 45 degree angle cut 2/3s of the width off the fold leaving 1/3 uncut that connects the 2 halves.
4) Pinch about 1/4″ at the middle while separating the 2 halves out to form a straight line.
5) Fold 1/4″ at each end in the opposite direction of the middle fold.

The folded piece of foil should resemble the “bracket” symbol.

6) Place tinder above the mid-point to capture the flame that is created when you place the AA battery between the 2 ends and touch each terminal simultaneously.

This is a marvel of sorts but it has practical applications in emergency situations, so take time to practice this fire method as it could save the day in the future.

Ferro rods come in a variety of sizes, from 1/8″ to 1/2″ in diameter and from 2″ to 4″ in length. When it comes to sparks – bigger is better but there’s something to be said for technique. There are small ferro tips mounted inside “spring strikers” that are used to ignite propane torches. But the smallest ferro rod and unsung hero is the “flint” inside a cigarette lighter.

I collect dry flintwheel lighters to show others how they can still be useful. To best access the sparks that it produces, I remove the wind screen. After experimenting with a wide variety of flintwheel lighters I have found that the “Bic” brand has the largest and most durable flint as compared to the cheap inexpensive imports.

As for illumination, a person can grope in the dark for dropped items or for a door knob or key hole, but light is essential for reading signs or printed material as illustrated in the photo. This image of a flintwheel spark was captured from a video frame at 1/30th of a second. Repeated flashes can be used to navigate in a room or for short distances. Larger ferro rods can be used in an emergency situation for signaling at dusk or in the dark however this usually requires the use of both hands.

Just remember… don’t use a sparking device in a flammable gas environment!