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Flint and Steel
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Flint and steel are tools used in creating a fire. This method of fire starting is centuries old, but is still learned today for its survival aspects and gratifying knowledge that you can start a fire with a simple flint and steel kit. The main components of a flint and steel kit are a steel striker, piece of flint rock, char cloth, and tinder. Flint and steel should not be confused with a flint striker (firesteel), or a magnesium fire starter. Those methods use a man made flint to create sparks instead of natural flint rocks.
The steel striker is what creates the sparks that ignite your char cloth. In many kits, these strikers are formed in a C shape and made of a hard carbon steel. This makes it easy to hold it on your fingers and used in a striking motion.
The flint rock can be any form of flint as long as it has a sharp edge. It is the hardness of the rock and the spark edge that make flint the ideal rock for creating the sparks. Flint naturally breaks into pieces with spark edges and have been used as weapons and cutting tools since man discovered them.
The char cloth is made is a fabric preconditioned to ignite easily. It is usually made of cotton that has been charred (burnt) which gives it the black appearance. When a spark lands on the char cloth, it ignites the cloth into embers which you use to ignite the tinder.
The final piece to starting your fire with flint and steel is your tinder. Many tinder kits contain twine to create a tinder birds nest. The twine is unwoven into thin threads and frayed into a bundle resembling a birds nest. The embers from the char cloth are placed into the tinder and slowly blown upon to grow the embers into a flame.
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