Making a Fire Using the Flint and Steel Method (Hands on Bushcraft)

A primitive method of fire lighting, as the name suggests, this requires a piece of flint and a steel striker. The best strikers are made from high carbon steel, the higher the carbon content in the steel the more sparks are produced. The Flint and Steel produces a shower of sparks about 500°C, low in temperature compared to the modern Firesteel. With this method of using a flint and steel the sparks tend to jump back up onto the top of the flint which lands onto your selected tinder. Tinders of choice include Charcloth (artificial) and Amadou (natural fungus) both work well with this method of fire lighting.

Step 1:

1. Hold the piece of flint steady on one hand and the striker in the other hand.

Step 2:

2. Strike downwards against the flint, clipping the edge (in a ‘C’ motion).

Step 3:

3. Lay your Charcloth or other tinder on top of the flint securing it with your thumb.

Step 4:

4. Strike the flint with the Steel as described in step 2 to ignite your tinder.

Step 5:

5. Place the glowing Charcloth into your tinder bundle and begin to blow.

Note: Like most things, this does take practice to achieve the correct technique. Each piece of flint is different so you may need to adjust accordingly.

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