[Regia-NA] Making Fire

[Douglas Sunlin]

Hi Lori. I've had fits and starts toward this skill, no reportable success 
as yet. Here's what I've learned thus far:
1. Technique is really important. Remember you're supposed to be chipping 
away at the steel with the flint, not the other way around. The sparks are 
supposed to be hot pieces of steel.
2. I made some charcloth, and it didn't catch, even when I placed it under a 
grinding wheel with a big chunk of steel scattering sparks everywhere. Must 
be the tinder.
3. A tinder used by black powder re-enactors is cat-tail (or reasonable 
European equivalent). Pull the down off the plant and it is apparently quite 
flammeable.

Good luck!



On manręden,
Osweald of Baldurstrand
Douglas Sunlin
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/California_Viking_Age
http://www.geocities.com/baldurstrand/





>From: "Lori Rael Northon" <lesseley@attbi.com>
>Reply-To: list-regia-na@lig.net
>To: <list-regia-na@lig.net>
>Subject: [Regia-NA] Making Fire
>Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 16:01:03 -0800
>
>Can anyone tell me if there is some special trick to striking a spark with
>flint?  I need a spark to light the petrol I've poured all over everything
>on this list!  8^)
>
>No! NO! NO! Seriously now, I would like to know about flint and striking a
>spark.  I attended a Black Powder Fair with a girlfriend (yes, I do 
>actually
>have a couple of friends - I haven't driven them all away!) this past
>Saturday afternoon.  Both of us purchased smallish chunks of what were
>labeled as flint for about $.75.  My chunk is a dark blackish gray, and 
>hers
>is a sandy brown color.  We tried scraping and striking these chunks 
>against
>metal files, rusty steel, other rocks, each chunk, and anything else we
>could get our hands on except the "strikers" that were being sold for way
>too much money at the fair.  And, of course, neither of us thought to ask
>for a demonstration of our flints while we were still at the fair grounds.
>If anyone has any suggestions or information they would care to pass on
>regarding sparking techniques and required materials to create sparks that
>does not include smashing the chunks to fine powder with a 5# sledge hammer
>or skipping the chunks out across the water or hucking the chunks at 
>passing
>police cars, both my friend Maerhild and I would be grateful.
>
>No flames, please. 8^)
>Lori
>
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