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.

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.

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.

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.

Despite the advantage that ferro rods provide, not everyone is successful or gets immediate results. Some obstacles to ignition are dampness or fineness of materials. When in the field it is wise to collect assorted tinder found along your path to help insure your “fire success” at the end of the day.

I have had the opportunity to provide demonstrations of bushcraft to various groups over the years. On one occasion during a class outing at a youth camp I had a request to demonstrate how to build a campfire using available materials. It had been raining and I only a little time to find suitable materials. It was a fail. For the next class I was determined to succeed in building a successful campfire so I brought some cattail fluff along with some flaky textured river birch bark. The birch bark provided the fine tinder to catch the flames that were produced by the ignited cattail fluff. Birch bark has the additional advantage that the oils in the bark, once lighted, will burn despite a wet and damp environment and will last long enough to get kindling on it’s way to a successful fire.

I selected a curly piece of bark that was flaky and placed a pinch of cattail fluff inside the curl. This helped to contain the cattail in place as any wind would try to break it apart. When I use a ferro rod, I hold the striker (in this case the square-edged back of my knife) next to the tinder and place the ferro rod underneath it. I pull the ferro rod up against the striker and out, thus keeping the sparks in place without disturbing the tinder. Striking down the ferro rod with a striker could potentially travel forward and strike your tinder setup as well and scatter it apart.

An alternative to river birch bark for tinder is dry leaves, whether deciduous or pine. Be sure to place some material above the cattail because it will have a very short duration flame that must be caught. Have small dry sticks handy to build upon the flames. For more pointers on building campfires, see me article “How I Build A Campfire“.

We’ve all heard about the prowess of a “one match fire”. Now you know the elements and method of a “one strike fire”. Take time to experiment with different materials so that you can achieve this goal for yourself, then teach it to others.

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!

The kits that I provided contained pieces of Texas flint, but, some of the pieces were slightly less than medium sized, and rather awkward to hold. I noticed that one of the participants placed his piece of flint upright on top of the log seat that sat close by. This placement stabilized the flint and he began to get some very good sparks from his steel striker. I’m happy to say that his ingenuity allowed him to catch the first spark which resulted in his winning the competition. And now, gratefully, I know a technique on how to use undersized flint in order to get decent sparks for fire.