I used this video several weeks ago. Made three strikers out of a file. I have very much enjoyed taking one with me into the woods, finding rocks, and using it for flint and steel fires. I have three other strikers that look nicer than these. However none of them throw a spark as good as this does. The Nicholson file striker has become my go to. I plan to make several more and give them away with some charcloth to those I know that are interested. Thanks for the great video and the very educational channel.
I located an old Nicholson file and manage to cut it in 3 pieces and made 3 of them. Mine are rounded more as I just found the link now and did it out of memory this afternoon. Sparks well and ignites charred cloth. I used a thicker disk to touch up after cutting it with a Zip disk. I’ll try a sanding belt to play with the edge. I am very happy with the sparks it is throwing. Thanks for the ideas.
Hello, i made such file-striker n some char cloth you had videos on, then my buy found a nice piece of flintstone outside, it works like a charm, i made nice sparks with it, n it light my char cloth easy, thx alot for them nice videos 👍👍👍👍👍 very instructive n easy to follow. 👏👏👏
Good vid Dave. A suggestion. Yes Nicolson makes good files. 31 years machinist/maintenance mechanic to back that up. Cut your file about 4 inches longer. Grind one side down. Cut the tang and lace as you have done. This will serve to strike flint/Quartz as well to use on axe, saw, knife with a bad edge. As you might know, Nicolson makes different cuts on their files. So pick one that won't be too aggressive on the knives and axes that need dressing up. Worse comes to worse use it as a digging tool. Thanks Dave
For some of the viewers just a heads up the reason he is suggesting that you can use a masonry drill bit is because the tip of the bit has a sized piece of carbide brazed to it, carbide can be used to drill into hardened steel, just in case you were wondering.
Well so far I have made 4 strikers from 2 small mill files (a few for my compact fire kits and one for tinkering). I was able to acquire roughly 20 mill/bastard files of various sizes for only $15 at a pawn shop. I wanted to practice making a few strikers before I make one for my father as a Christmas gift. I can’t thank you enough for this video (as well as the many others Iv been watching). I’ll definitely catch ya on the next one David
You can knapp new edges on your flints. Whittaker's book has been the most textual, covering lots of ground on the subject. Unless I'm missing something, you can use your flints down to nubs.
Just used a few tools I have never used before and followed your video to make this. It turned out and throws a spark. Not as pretty as yours but I am sure glad I found your video. Thank you so much! Wish I could send you a picture.
Just wanted to let you know also you made a nice little sharpener for a knife or axe. Also nice tip on the mansonary bit for drilling files. Offset hole makes it original.
I’m going to put a loop of paracord and wear it around my neck. Or tie it to a button loop and put it in my pocket. Good thing to do with your compass too.
Um, hate to tell you this, but...when I was about ten, (57 now) I found out...just messing around doing things that kids do...that two pieces of milky quartz will throw big sparks when struck together and leave a smell that reminds me of gunpowder...and there very few places in the USA, where you can't find quartz on the ground, in streambeds, etc. Besides, flint is an old country stone, much more likely to be found in Europe than in the USA, here, most people use it's cousin, Chert, which is what is native to this continent... which is, like flint, in the quartz family. The advantage to using milky quartz is...1. It's a common stone, easily found. and 2. You don't require any other material...just two pieces of it. After that, it's just getting the right amount of force and working on your aim so the sparks actually hit the tinder. Thought I should mention it.
Hallo, immer schön ohne Schutz arbeiten... Das beschleunigt ungemein das abflexen von Fingern... Also weiter so... Ohne Schutz, ohne Brille... Profis halt!
I made mine without the hole just long enough to fit in a tin. I left one side with the file on it and the other smoothed with rounded edges. At first I left the smooth edge at a sharp 90 deg. but when I used it I found that it will lay you open. It would take huge sparks off a rod but I am getting to old to bleed and it is harder to stop. I used the untouched side for the rod and it makes fatwood dust like crazy.
It surprised me a bit when when you were able to drill through the tang without annealing it or using a carbide bit. I guess they didn't harden the tang when they hardened the file. I make steels out of chainsaw files. I forge them flat, put all the curves in them then harden them again by heating them red hot and quenching in water. I made one for Lonnie and he has told me a number of times its his best working steel.
I love the idea of using a file. Everyone seems to have a few they don't use anymore and the just sit in the drawer. The tang of that file is nowhere's near as hard as the rest of that file. You should be able to drill that with a good standard bit.
Excellent project. But with your glasses perched up on forehead, I was reminded of one time when I cut the wire binding of a hay bale that was under a freakish amount of pressure and the freed wire snapped up hitting my glasses, gouging the polycarbonate lens instead of my cornea......only time I was ever glad to wear glasses:)
What about the black screw in handle, face shield, goggles, respirator, long sleeve set of leathers, ground fault circuit interrupter, replace skinned pigtail, replace skinned drop cord, and download a copy of the material safety data sheet for that aluminum oxide wheel?
I would recommend a Cobalt tipped bit that's what I use for drilling stainless. But great video I have tons of files. I've been considering trying to build a knife out of one but that's more my brother's thing. Lathe operators at the Mill throw files away by the dozen. Were happy to give me a fistful when I was doing some construction there.
You could make shavings and also scrape a ferro rod. The face could sharpen a knife's edge or it's spine. I don't want to, though. I carry 3 fire makers with me all the time and rarely a steel.
If you strike the steel with the Flint instead of the Flint with the steel (as you were doing), then you wouldn't ruin your edges so much. Fire starting isn't Flint knapping. I've been building fires with char cloth for 29 years and that was the first thing I was taught and it has saved my Flint and my time (as in not wasting it) over and over again. You don't strike a ferro rod onto your blade. It's the other way around... Reason being is you're shedding parts of.the ferro rod to get Sparks. Similarly you're shedding steel from your striker to get Sparks.
Great DIY, will have ta give that a try, and I agree Nicholson are good files, all I use, ya them knots Gotta tell ya Dad would call me a " Knothead" teasing of course and you'd think then knots would come easy for me 😀 knot the case, thanks for the share 👍
I've done this with two different files, one an old one and one a new one. The old file throws great sparks but the new one almost none. Both bought on eBay.
Tnx for sharing, i actually have an old file i inherited from my grandfather that has lost it's life as a file, i thought about maybe turning it into a knife if i were to ever learn how to blacksmith, but this might be another great way to use said file and turn it into something i would actually use, the file is probably big enough that i can still make part of it into a knife ... So tnx, looks like i would be able to pull this off right now, and use it right now, instead of postponing it to some day far the far future ...
its easier to punch a hole in hardened steel than to drill it just need a bottom die ie nut and flat nosed punch that fits through nut vise grips to hold punch and B.F.H align file over nut and punch set on file and lined up to nuts hole then take hammer and hit that punch strait on n real hard and should make nice clean hole
I used to be like that. I still have to force myself not to fixate on it. The only way I can stand the thought of it being so far off center is.... knowing that on the next one, it will be perfect. By the way, I started with a perfectly centered, deep, center punched divot.
Great Idea using a file.. You have the same kind of safety glasses as me. lol. I have a question I'm sure you have it in one of your videos but I'm new to the channel and I don't get a lot of time but I try to watch all your videos, My question is what is the best ferro rods,flints and steels and where can I find them? i do like the file you made for a steel and will last forever if you don't lose it lol. Thanks for all your time and great videos. Al/N3WYZ Pennsylvania
Yep, the colored temper line (on some brands it's easy to see because they don't paint the tang) is usually just about where the tang joins the shoulder of the file.
YOU should put the guard back on the grinder or get one , if that cutting wheel breaks apart and goes into your belly, it will make for a real bad day.
Great video. I've been stressing ever since I lost my favorite steel. I'm going to make me one of these! On mine I plan on using a bright orange paracord through the hole, and I'm going to de-rust it, and cold blue it to prevent further rust. I don't think the cold blue will affect the striking edge. I love the look of cold blue steel. Thanks! - Mr. Gus. PS. do you ever give local workshops to scout or 4-H kids?
Nice man,before I bought my striker I was using a little cheap file and it seems to work better than the actual striker,it wasn't as nice as urs but got the job done lol thanks for sharing
Mine would work great if I had sharp edges. I could nap some up but them the flint would be too small. I suppose I'll order 2 more pieces from Dave Canterbury.
David West have u tried looking in rock beds at creeks and stuff,that's where I get mine,I get Flint and chert,I was gonna do a video where I show what it looks like in rock form but haven't had time yet
I like the file idea because a small file would be very useful but from where I am I have no idea how far I would have to travel to find flint, certainly there is none within 1000 kilometres of me. I do like the idea of buying 20 plus Bic lighters, I have heard from someone here on RUclips that they don't work when wet, bullshit. Shake them and blow on them, you can use them and even if you can't get them light they will spit sparks. Hell where I come from a small fire can be very dangerous. It doesn't rain here very often, check out the world news Australia is on fire at the moment. Back to topic, even when the gas runs out the buggers will still spark. Subscribed.
I'm female so like the idea of shiny pendants a lot. If shined up and engraved like a medical tag or army dog-tag, that would make a _very_ multi-use tool. I also like the idea your other commenter had about a compass on a lanyard. I also have shiny metal flash drives (many are waterproof to some degree) as a pendant. Useful beauty is the best kind.
Well, I've lost that steel again!!! I thought it would have shown up by now, but no. Looks like this is the perfect time to go ahead and try to make one out of a file like we've seen on RUclips. Yesterday, at the Flea Market, there were plenty of worn out files to choose from, but I was searching for a Nicholson. They're made out of quality steel. So, about the 3rd one that I looked at, which was all rusty and clogged up, I saw that familiar crossed files logo. I asked what he wanted for it, $2 he said. Of course I would have paid $2 because clogged up and rusty files can be brought back to 'usable' fairly easily... but it's the Flea Market. You always dicker at the Flea Market. So I offered a dollar, he held his hand out, smiled, and said pay me. LOL!!! Don't you reckon a dollar is what he was expecting to get all along?... When I make this steel, I want to put a para cord lanyard on it. Hopefully that will make it more visible for those times when it falls into the shadows. I looked on line to see if there was an easy way to drill a hole in such extremely hard metal. Some videos showed success with a masonry bit because it is carbide tipped. So, I tried one of my less than sharp masonry bits. LOL! I was only able to dimple it. I broke out one of my High Quality Jobber Bits that I've been sharpening and reusing for years. Hah! at low RPMs, it easily drilled the hole.... Please don't make the same mistake that I did. I had my earplugs in and my safety glasses on, but I didn't wear gloves.... PLEASE WEAR GLOVES IF YOU ATTEMPT THIS BUILD WITH A SIDE GRINDER. Find the LINK below that I used to refresh my memory on the Para Cord Cobra Weave Technique. It's what I used to make the green lanyard for the steel. Also, 3 Flint and steel and char cloth fires using leaves tinder bundle and a straw tinder bundle. Come have a look and please SUBSCRIBE at the end of the video. Thanks! PARA CORD COBRA WEAVE VIDEO ruclips.net/video/d9rckgHZGiw/видео.html OTHER INTERESTING BUILD VIDEOS OF MINE: Hobo Stove Builds Playlist ruclips.net/p/PLkoXX8XsMW3lZeJRY3SSyPsZBTEWCnHbp Host Spindle, Let me show you mine, how I built it, and how well it works. ruclips.net/video/fWtTl67S6mU/видео.html The Putty Knife Knife Project 3... Duct Tape Sheath, Paracord Lanyard, Casting Sparks Onto Char ruclips.net/video/Y5aBr1lZjd8/видео.html Alcohol Stove My 2nd Build (smaller higher jets) ruclips.net/video/DdWIBeEWyUU/видео.html Making A Frictionless Bow Drill Bearing Block For Under $5 ruclips.net/video/t-QluBmck_c/видео.html Hobo Stove Oven Prototype... Apple Cobbler... Crispy, Cinnamony, Buttery Goodness.. ruclips.net/video/wNL2fp1n4Ko/видео.html Hobo Stove Oven Tweak... Bacon and Onion Cornbread... (Part 1) ruclips.net/video/nw7Oox3Bvq4/видео.html Hobo Stove Oven Tweak... Bacon and Onion Cornbread... (Part 2) ruclips.net/video/_V9sejCaMlY/видео.html
David you need another child or grandchild lol i'm offering . Really you remind me so much of my Dad and PawPaw the skills of may Dad and the patience of my PawPaw. I enjoy all the videos.
Easy way, to make a cheap steel - is carbonizing random junk steel thingy by covering it in carbon+flowr dough, and baking this in hot fire for few hours. It will become highly carbonized
Oh ok, just thought it would be helpful for people with carbon steel drill bits to know they can drill the tang easily. Or they could hit the heel or any other part with a torch and drop it in a bucket of ashes for several hours to anneal it if they want to use the other end of the file to get a couple from the same file.
I used this video several weeks ago. Made three strikers out of a file. I have very much enjoyed taking one with me into the woods, finding rocks, and using it for flint and steel fires. I have three other strikers that look nicer than these. However none of them throw a spark as good as this does. The Nicholson file striker has become my go to. I plan to make several more and give them away with some charcloth to those I know that are interested. Thanks for the great video and the very educational channel.
We think a lot alike. My sentiments exactly. Thank you!
I located an old Nicholson file and manage to cut it in 3 pieces and made 3 of them. Mine are rounded more as I just found the link now and did it out of memory this afternoon. Sparks well and ignites charred cloth. I used a thicker disk to touch up after cutting it with a Zip disk. I’ll try a sanding belt to play with the edge. I am very happy with the sparks it is throwing. Thanks for the ideas.
You don't want to lose any temper. Be careful with the grinding.
Hello, i made such file-striker n some char cloth you had videos on, then my buy found a nice piece of flintstone outside, it works like a charm, i made nice sparks with it, n it light my char cloth easy, thx alot for them nice videos 👍👍👍👍👍 very instructive n easy to follow. 👏👏👏
Thanks Micke!
Good vid Dave. A suggestion. Yes Nicolson makes good files. 31 years machinist/maintenance mechanic to back that up. Cut your file about 4 inches longer. Grind one side down. Cut the tang and lace as you have done. This will serve to strike flint/Quartz as well to use on axe, saw, knife with a bad edge. As you might know, Nicolson makes different cuts on their files. So pick one that won't be too aggressive on the knives and axes that need dressing up. Worse comes to worse use it as a digging tool. Thanks Dave
Yes, I thought about that after it was too late. I should have left it longer to use the file easier. Thanks!
For some of the viewers just a heads up the reason he is suggesting that you can use a masonry drill bit is because the tip of the bit has a sized piece of carbide brazed to it, carbide can be used to drill into hardened steel, just in case you were wondering.
Thanks for sharing, I gotta make myself one of these!
David, I have learned so much from your channel. Thank you sharing your knowledge.
Glad to hear it
Hint: Any file will not do. Best is a thin milled smooth file.
And to think I was going to buy one.. looks like I found my Saturday project! Thank!
Well so far I have made 4 strikers from 2 small mill files (a few for my compact fire kits and one for tinkering). I was able to acquire roughly 20 mill/bastard files of various sizes for only $15 at a pawn shop. I wanted to practice making a few strikers before I make one for my father as a Christmas gift. I can’t thank you enough for this video (as well as the many others Iv been watching). I’ll definitely catch ya on the next one David
Goes quick n easy to make one, go for it!!!
You can knapp new edges on your flints. Whittaker's book has been the most textual, covering lots of ground on the subject. Unless I'm missing something, you can use your flints down to nubs.
Love your simple straight forward approach ! Nice to find a Brother in Jesus ! Many Thanks !!!
Me too... on the job, in the line at the grocery store, at the Flea Market... I love running into family. God bless you Bill!
Just used a few tools I have never used before and followed your video to make this. It turned out and throws a spark. Not as pretty as yours but I am sure glad I found your video. Thank you so much! Wish I could send you a picture.
Another great idea. Thanks Dave! You make it look easy on camera.
Keep those sparks flying! Nice tutorial, thanks for sharing! :)
Thanks for droppin by.
Those old files make a nice striker and something to talk about too :-) Nice video...
Great video David!
Just wanted to let you know also you made a nice little sharpener for a knife or axe. Also nice tip on the mansonary bit for drilling files. Offset hole makes it original.
Thanks Richard
I’m going to put a loop of paracord and wear it around my neck. Or tie it to a button loop and put it in my pocket. Good thing to do with your compass too.
Persistence pays. Char cloth is amazing stuff to have , every one should have some made up and keep it for who knows when.
Um, hate to tell you this, but...when I was about ten, (57 now) I found out...just messing around doing things that kids do...that two pieces of milky quartz will throw big sparks when struck together and leave a smell that reminds me of gunpowder...and there very few places in the USA, where you can't find quartz on the ground, in streambeds, etc. Besides, flint is an old country stone, much more likely to be found in Europe than in the USA, here, most people use it's cousin, Chert, which is what is native to this continent... which is, like flint, in the quartz family. The advantage to using milky quartz is...1. It's a common stone, easily found. and 2. You don't require any other material...just two pieces of it. After that, it's just getting the right amount of force and working on your aim so the sparks actually hit the tinder. Thought I should mention it.
LOL! You nor anyone else has ever ignited tinder that you've found on the spot in nature with 2 pieces of Quartz.
Hallo,
immer schön ohne Schutz arbeiten... Das beschleunigt ungemein das abflexen von Fingern... Also weiter so... Ohne Schutz, ohne Brille... Profis halt!
I made mine without the hole just long enough to fit in a tin. I left one side with the file on it and the other smoothed with rounded edges. At first I left the smooth edge at a sharp 90 deg. but when I used it I found that it will lay you open. It would take huge sparks off a rod but I am getting to old to bleed and it is harder to stop. I used the untouched side for the rod and it makes fatwood dust like crazy.
I've got a sharp side. I haven't scraped a rod yet though. Thanks!
It surprised me a bit when when you were able to drill through the tang without annealing it or using a carbide bit. I guess they didn't harden the tang when they hardened the file. I make steels out of chainsaw files. I forge them flat, put all the curves in them then harden them again by heating them red hot and quenching in water. I made one for Lonnie and he has told me a number of times its his best working steel.
Yes the tang was softer than the file for sure.
I love the idea of using a file. Everyone seems to have a few they don't use anymore and the just sit in the drawer.
The tang of that file is nowhere's near as hard as the rest of that file. You should be able to drill that with a good standard bit.
Good Job Mr. Dave.
Great job as always David, steel looks really nice!
Thanks friend!
the handle ends also soft and curl into a loop real easy as well
Excellent project. But with your glasses perched up on forehead, I was reminded of one time when I cut the wire binding of a hay bale that was under a freakish amount of pressure and the freed wire snapped up hitting my glasses, gouging the polycarbonate lens instead of my cornea......only time I was ever glad to wear glasses:)
As a pipefitter my safety glasses saved me from a lot of eye damage. Thanks!
thx for sharing making my own
You're going to love it. See my steel builds playlist.
Awesome video
You keep emphasizing the safety of gloves , I keep thinking " put the guard on that rotating death machine " good video.
What about the black screw in handle, face shield, goggles, respirator, long sleeve set of leathers, ground fault circuit interrupter, replace skinned pigtail, replace skinned drop cord, and download a copy of the material safety data sheet for that aluminum oxide wheel?
Thank You David !
I would recommend a Cobalt tipped bit that's what I use for drilling stainless. But great video I have tons of files. I've been considering trying to build a knife out of one but that's more my brother's thing. Lathe operators at the Mill throw files away by the dozen. Were happy to give me a fistful when I was doing some construction there.
If you make a knife out of one throw in the oven at 425 for an hour and it will make it way stronger
If you make one side a 90 degree spine use can use it to make shavings also can use the face to sharpen your knife in a pinch
You could make shavings and also scrape a ferro rod. The face could sharpen a knife's edge or it's spine. I don't want to, though. I carry 3 fire makers with me all the time and rarely a steel.
Awesome I need to make one now. Thank you!
Thanks Ww!
The trail of the file is annealed so that it won't break. That's why you could drill it. That made a great striker!
Thanks!
If you strike the steel with the Flint instead of the Flint with the steel (as you were doing), then you wouldn't ruin your edges so much. Fire starting isn't Flint knapping. I've been building fires with char cloth for 29 years and that was the first thing I was taught and it has saved my Flint and my time (as in not wasting it) over and over again.
You don't strike a ferro rod onto your blade. It's the other way around... Reason being is you're shedding parts of.the ferro rod to get Sparks. Similarly you're shedding steel from your striker to get Sparks.
LOL!
Great DIY, will have ta give that a try, and I agree Nicholson are good files, all I use, ya them knots
Gotta tell ya Dad would call me a " Knothead" teasing of course and you'd think then knots would come easy for me 😀 knot the case, thanks for the share 👍
I think I could still do the Cobra weave today without watching the tutorial... next week? IDK.
Thank you for this
I've done this with two different files, one an old one and one a new one. The old file throws great sparks but the new one almost none. Both bought on eBay.
I've heard the same complaints about the new ones too.
You will find it with the lawn mower. Lol. Thank you sir.
A sparking find when the blade hits it.
Well done sir, thank you.
Looks good to me! And it works good too!😃👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Sparky!
Good videos. The tang on a file is soft , so that it could be bent into a loop.
Tnx for sharing, i actually have an old file i inherited from my grandfather that has lost it's life as a file, i thought about maybe turning it into a knife if i were to ever learn how to blacksmith, but this might be another great way to use said file and turn it into something i would actually use, the file is probably big enough that i can still make part of it into a knife ... So tnx, looks like i would be able to pull this off right now, and use it right now, instead of postponing it to some day far the far future ...
They make great steels that's for sure.
I have been using files to make fire steel for years, it works great.
I do admit that I am having some problems making holes in them.
I'd like to try a new masonary bit on the hardest part of the file to see if it works like some YT videos say.
You did an awesome job. It really looks good. NOW paint it a Neon color so you dont loose it. Lol
I know. That's why the bright lanyard. I've now changed it to orange, also.
You have the voice of a Country Singer.. Nice!....
Wouldn't that be nice to have the tone of Trace Adkins?
its easier to punch a hole in hardened steel than to drill it just need a bottom die ie nut and flat nosed punch that fits through nut vise grips to hold punch and B.F.H align file over nut and punch set on file and lined up to nuts hole then take hammer and hit that punch strait on n real hard and should make nice clean hole
Oh that off-center would drive me NUTS.
I used to be like that. I still have to force myself not to fixate on it. The only way I can stand the thought of it being so far off center is.... knowing that on the next one, it will be perfect. By the way, I started with a perfectly centered, deep, center punched divot.
File tangs are generally soft.
Great Idea using a file.. You have the same kind of safety glasses as me. lol. I have a question I'm sure you have it in one of your videos but I'm new to the channel and I don't get a lot of time but I try to watch all your videos, My question is what is the best ferro rods,flints and steels and where can I find them? i do like the file you made for a steel and will last forever if you don't lose it lol. Thanks for all your time and great videos.
Al/N3WYZ Pennsylvania
I like bayite ferro rods from Amazon or Bear Grylls ferro rod from Academy Sports. I got my only bought flint and steel from Dave Canterbury.
I will need to start collecting me lots of files thanks for you time
Great steels!
If you left the edges on that file, you would not have to worry about a sharp edge. The teeth would peel small hot pieces off as you strike.
LOL! Let me know how that works for you.
I thought everyone knew the tang is soft, the file is hard. You can see the color at the temper line on many files.
I drilled the shoulder. It was not soft. Even though I had a center punched divot, I had to bear down so hard it still drifted.
Yep, the colored temper line (on some brands it's easy to see because they don't paint the tang) is usually just about where the tang joins the shoulder of the file.
YOU should put the guard back on the grinder or get one , if that cutting wheel breaks apart and goes into your belly, it will make for a real bad day.
I'm glad you found a nice way to say it... not like all the others... Thanks!
Sir, if you want hink of the Cobra weave as just many overhand knots, it should help.
Thank you. So far I still remember the weave. I dont know about a couple of months from now though. Thanks!
Well, I'm glad I don't bet. I would've lost a dollar. I would've guessed that bit wasn't going to work. Nice job David. Happy New Year!
--- Chris
Happy New Year neighbor.
Masonry bits have carbide tips.
-Joe
Great video. I've been stressing ever since I lost my favorite steel. I'm going to make me one of these! On mine I plan on using a bright orange paracord through the hole, and I'm going to de-rust it, and cold blue it to prevent further rust. I don't think the cold blue will affect the striking edge. I love the look of cold blue steel. Thanks! - Mr. Gus. PS. do you ever give local workshops to scout or 4-H kids?
No, all my instruction is on RUclips. Let me know how the steel turns out. TY!
the tang is not hardened
Nice project!
Thanks John!
Nice work!
Good video. Thanks.
Nice man,before I bought my striker I was using a little cheap file and it seems to work better than the actual striker,it wasn't as nice as urs but got the job done lol thanks for sharing
Mine would work great if I had sharp edges. I could nap some up but them the flint would be too small. I suppose I'll order 2 more pieces from Dave Canterbury.
David West have u tried looking in rock beds at creeks and stuff,that's where I get mine,I get Flint and chert,I was gonna do a video where I show what it looks like in rock form but haven't had time yet
I look everywhere I go for Quartz, flint, chert, tinders, bow and hand drill materials. I love everything about this hobby.
David West yeah I found some really nice quartz at a train track,if u have a PO box number I'll send ya some that way
i have access to plenty of quartz, but thanks!
I like the file idea because a small file would be very useful but from where I am I have no idea how far I would have to travel to find flint, certainly there is none within 1000 kilometres of me. I do like the idea of buying 20 plus Bic lighters, I have heard from someone here on RUclips that they don't work when wet, bullshit. Shake them and blow on them, you can use them and even if you can't get them light they will spit sparks. Hell where I come from a small fire can be very dangerous. It doesn't rain here very often, check out the world news Australia is on fire at the moment. Back to topic, even when the gas runs out the buggers will still spark. Subscribed.
Quartz will work. Please Search my channel for empty Bic or Spent BIC to see those topical videos. Thanks!
Great job as always David merry Xmas happy ny
Thank you. Merry Christmas!
It's not about the sparks. A 'steel' produces flammable particles.
I will continue to call scraped off molecules of iron that reacts with the oxygen in the air to combust, sparks.
Thanks David.
Great video. what kind of drill bits can you use?
A good quality jobber drill bit
Alright, thank you and keep up the good work.
Can you use a wood file or does it have to be a metal file?
idk
David, I made a steel out of an old file (made in Japan). Do you think I could make one from a ryobi, hand held edger blade?
Check it for , but yes.
DeWalt! I see you know your stuff lol.
Milwaukee makes great cordless screw guns as well!
Good video David
Thanks!
good job. would that strike a ferro rod too. you need some orange paracord and some jute twine for tinder
david leasure Yes it would scrap a ferro rod nicely. No, I never use jute. There are lots of other good tinders that I use.
Good video!
Made myself one of these. Sadly it just breaks little pieces of the flint. Very few sparks... can somebody help me?
Yes, See all my how to make a steel videos and make sure you didn't take the temper out in the process.
I used to hit mine with a hammer after securing it in a vise then put it in a tin with some char n give them to my old scout group they loved them.
Works. Thanks!
Good idea, did you leave bottom in coffee can or mesh?
Left it in , drilled a drain hole.
Great video David! Where do you find the flint?
Flea Market 6 for $5.
I "think" I see it laying around, mixed in with other stuff. Never messed with it. I'll have to grab some and send you a picture for verification.
I probably would have left the lanyard long.
I'm female so like the idea of shiny pendants a lot. If shined up and engraved like a medical tag or army dog-tag, that would make a _very_ multi-use tool. I also like the idea your other commenter had about a compass on a lanyard. I also have shiny metal flash drives (many are waterproof to some degree) as a pendant. Useful beauty is the best kind.
I find it interesting you say to wear gloves with an angle grinder. Many people would scream at you for saying that
English flints? My son brought me a box of them from Dover they're the same color and sheen.
I've seen them for sale on E bay. I'll try it some day.
David, you made a reply to my comment, you said, (check it for) but yes. Check it for what?
Sorry. Check it for sparks first.
Well, I've lost that steel again!!! I thought it would have shown up by now, but no. Looks like this is the perfect time to go ahead and try to make one out of a file like we've seen on RUclips. Yesterday, at the Flea Market, there were plenty of worn out files to choose from, but I was searching for a Nicholson. They're made out of quality steel. So, about the 3rd one that I looked at, which was all rusty and clogged up, I saw that familiar crossed files logo. I asked what he wanted for it, $2 he said. Of course I would have paid $2 because clogged up and rusty files can be brought back to 'usable' fairly easily... but it's the Flea Market. You always dicker at the Flea Market. So I offered a dollar, he held his hand out, smiled, and said pay me. LOL!!! Don't you reckon a dollar is what he was expecting to get all along?... When I make this steel, I want to put a para cord lanyard on it. Hopefully that will make it more visible for those times when it falls into the shadows. I looked on line to see if there was an easy way to drill a hole in such extremely hard metal. Some videos showed success with a masonry bit because it is carbide tipped. So, I tried one of my less than sharp masonry bits. LOL! I was only able to dimple it. I broke out one of my High Quality Jobber Bits that I've been sharpening and reusing for years. Hah! at low RPMs, it easily drilled the hole.... Please don't make the same mistake that I did. I had my earplugs in and my safety glasses on, but I didn't wear gloves.... PLEASE WEAR GLOVES IF YOU ATTEMPT THIS BUILD WITH A SIDE GRINDER. Find the LINK below that I used to refresh my memory on the Para Cord Cobra Weave Technique. It's what I used to make the green lanyard for the steel. Also, 3 Flint and steel and char cloth fires using leaves tinder bundle and a straw tinder bundle. Come have a look and please SUBSCRIBE at the end of the video. Thanks!
PARA CORD COBRA WEAVE VIDEO ruclips.net/video/d9rckgHZGiw/видео.html
OTHER INTERESTING BUILD VIDEOS OF MINE:
Hobo Stove Builds Playlist
ruclips.net/p/PLkoXX8XsMW3lZeJRY3SSyPsZBTEWCnHbp
Host Spindle, Let me show you mine, how I built it, and how well it works.
ruclips.net/video/fWtTl67S6mU/видео.html
The Putty Knife Knife Project 3... Duct Tape Sheath, Paracord Lanyard, Casting Sparks Onto Char
ruclips.net/video/Y5aBr1lZjd8/видео.html
Alcohol Stove My 2nd Build (smaller higher jets)
ruclips.net/video/DdWIBeEWyUU/видео.html
Making A Frictionless Bow Drill Bearing Block For Under $5
ruclips.net/video/t-QluBmck_c/видео.html
Hobo Stove Oven Prototype... Apple Cobbler... Crispy, Cinnamony, Buttery Goodness..
ruclips.net/video/wNL2fp1n4Ko/видео.html
Hobo Stove Oven Tweak... Bacon and Onion Cornbread... (Part 1)
ruclips.net/video/nw7Oox3Bvq4/видео.html
Hobo Stove Oven Tweak... Bacon and Onion Cornbread... (Part 2)
ruclips.net/video/_V9sejCaMlY/видео.html
if you soak the steel in vinegar for a few days itll take the rust off,also three in one oil will protect it
Thanks bo om.
David West w
David West q
David West that is awesome
Why keep the logo or cut before you check for sparking?
I checked for sparking a couple of times before the video. I just forgot to show you that it sparks before I got started.
safety glasses i forgot the most critical part of my post
where can you get Nicholson files from
Flea Market.
David you need another child or grandchild lol i'm offering . Really you remind me so much of my Dad and PawPaw the skills of may Dad and the patience of my PawPaw. I enjoy all the videos.
Did you anneal the file first
Annealing softens the metal and renders it useless for sparks.
Have you ever tried striking petrified wood?
I have gotten decent sparks from it.
russell gripp No, but there are many rocks that will scrape iron particles from a steel.
good video - may i ask what was the cloth u used to catch the sparks txs
Grim Reaper For years I've used denim char cloth... this happened to be made from a shop towel.
Easy way, to make a cheap steel - is carbonizing random junk steel thingy by covering it in carbon+flowr dough, and baking this in hot fire for few hours. It will become highly carbonized
curious...will removing the black ugly burn stuff after that make it not as good?
Put THE file in coca cola for 1 night to Get rid of THE rust
I like it rusted. As much as I use it, the rust would keep coming back too. Thanks!
You have a long file? Make 2 "steels" out of it.
join the conversation You must have missed where I mentioned that.
As long as they make bic lighters I'm good to go. I'm too old to make a hassle out of starting a fire~!!! Interesting video though and thanks.
Why take off the file teeth ?
Shaving off molecules of iron is easier without the ridges.
files are not hard in the tang they are hard everywhere else.
Anthony Beers Heel
???
Anthony Beers I drilled the heel not the tang. The tang was purple and obviously soft. The heel was pretty hard.
Oh ok, just thought it would be helpful for people with carbon steel drill bits to know they can drill the tang easily. Or they could hit the heel or any other part with a torch and drop it in a bucket of ashes for several hours to anneal it if they want to use the other end of the file to get a couple from the same file.
Anthony Beers The average man doesn't have access to an oxy acetylene torch. You can't heat a file to cherry with a small propane or map gas torch.
It’s called survival tool ;not pretty tool , stop wasting time & energy !
Wear glove’s
or you can just use a lighter or matches , cuz we don't live in the 1700's
Rodny G Absolutely! I carry a BIC all the time... and have plenty of 'making fire with an empty BIC' type videos.
ha... I stand corrected :)
Too long too slow too much uninteresting details.......but tooooooooo sloooooow pffffffffffff