Trick for Using a Folding Knife as a Flint & Steel Striker
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- From a practical standpoint, the real value in learning flint and steel is being able to use tools that you might be carrying to start a fire. Using a dedicated striker is great for practice and saving wear and tear on your tools, but it is important to understand that it can be considerably more difficult to use a piece of steel that wasn’t necessarily designed for this purpose.
A carbon steel folding knife as a striker can be a great option that serves as an emergency striker, but they are often shaped so that only a portion of the spine sticks up further than the handle. This not only means that there is less steel to strike, but you will probably end up beating up the handle with the stone as well. With a knife like this Opinel, striking the other direction would likely damage the locking ring.
Rather than opening the blade and risking cutting yourself or having the lock fail, lifting the blade up and putting a small twig under it will keep the edge covered while keeping the spine elevated enough to strike. It may seem counterintuitive, but I have had the best results putting the twig in parallel to the blade. While it will split a little, it creates a wedge that holds firm in the slot. Putting the twig in oriented perpendicular to the blade usually results in a snapped twig.
This likely puts more force on the hinge than leaving it closed, so there is potentially more risk of damaging the tool than there would be if you left the blade completely closed; but it is certainly safer for both you and the knife than it would be to use the knife completely extended.
The steel on most knives is not as hard as you would find on a dedicated striker or old file, so as I mentioned; it can be much more difficult to get a spark to land, but it can be done with the right rock and some persistence. The piece of quartz that I used was very crumbly so I would get a few really nice sparks and then the stone would fail.
It actually took three or four attempts with the stones exploding and the charred punk wood crumbling before I got a spark to land, but the footage was washed out in the sun and didn’t really add anything to the video so I chose to omit the Yosemite Sam moment this time.
The other thing I wanted to highlight in this video was the ease of gathering dry flammable materials in riverbeds this time of year. The heat radiating off of the rocks can be intense and just about any twig you find in the debris pile will be dry enough to use as kindling.
I found some dead fir boughs with the needles still attached, which can be almost as good as birch bark or fatwood for turning small flames into big ones. In order to pack this material densely enough to use it as a traditional bundle, you need to add a lot of material. Because of the dry conditions and the fact that I was using a little twig stove, I didn’t need three foot flames so I opted to make a small twig bundle with it that I used to fan the in into flames and transfer them into the stove.
Materials Used
Knife/Striker: Opinel #8 Carbone
Stone: Quartz
Char: Charred Black Cottonwood Punk Wood
Tinder Bundle: Dry Grand Fir Boughs & Needles
Kindling: River Debris Twigs
Pan: Bromwell Cold Handle Stamped 6”
Stove: Pocket Cooker
Music: Rêveur - PEYRUIS
• Rêveur - PEYRUIS (No C...
I have never had an Opinel but they appear to be good knives. It would be handy to know that your pocket knife will spark well. Both of the folders that I carry daily are both stainless steel blades although my everyday sheath knife is carbon.
I have gotten a couple of these as gifts over the years, but admittedly don't use them all that often. My daily carry folder is stainless too, but I figured this was a trick worth sharing for anyone that might carry a carbon folder.
I had never seen them before, but that sure sounds like a great deal. Have you tried striking sparks from the handle of the carbon steel version? If they hardened it enough, that sounds like an awesome option.
Master Tracker Nope that knife is a new one for me as I have never heard of them before.
My folders are a leatherman micro in my pocket and my main folder is a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife "Trekker" standard model in a sheath on my belt. Both these knives go everywhere with me. My everyday carry fixed blade sheath knife is the Mora Pro Robust. I do not doubt your word that the Douk Douk are great knives. However i will not be buying one since the knives that i have, do everything that i ask of them and do it well. I can not justify the spending of the extra money for another knife since it would not really be a need. Thanks for the heads up on this new-to-me brand of knife.
hello! Yes opinel is goog for cook and eat inox and carbon blade I prefer carbon blade. The douk douk is a good knife but for cook opinel is the best. It is a simple knife in its design and it is nice to eat with I eat with opinel and I work with douk douk and victorinox alox but it is not two big knife and not security for the blade. Sorry for langage I am a bad speaker in other langage . Good video and thank you NW PRIMATE
„Fire Master“ - your videos are simply outstanding! 👍👏
Thanks Thomas! 🙂
Dude, you're like the McGuyver of bushcraft
😆
Love flint & steel for fire lighting I have an opinel #7 in my flint & steel kit, compliment each other perfectly. Great video NWP
Thanks R&R! Have you tried using it to get sparks?
No not yet but I think I may have to try now !
Right on 👍
That looked good
Thanks buddy! 👍
Nice tip NW....love the stove BTW. Also, your fanning the char with some punk on top was a nice touch as well. Thanks.
Thanks Wayne!
That was great, Brian! Hopefully the burn bans around here be rained away soon so we can get back to the fire pit. That twig tip is a very cool. Thanks!
Thanks Jacqui! 🙂
Well done! I had to watch twice... the video was over by the time I read the entire description box Ha Ha Ha!!!
👍🙂 I never thought about people trying to read the description while watching.
I live in California and all you have to do here is look at tinder and say "Presto catch fire" and it does so without any human hands. Very very sad. Awesome trick by the way👍👍👍. You are the master of all things fire. It all looks so simple but I know it requires patience and a lot of practice.
Thanks lakrabid! 🙂 It is soaking wet here for 9-10 months out of the year, but right now it's getting "California dry" out there.
Nice. Never though of the twig. Always carry my pocket knife, not always a straight blade. Thanks.
John
Thanks John. 🙂
Goodman! Love my Opinels!
Thanks buddy! 🙂 I have to admit that I've only used mine a handful of times, but they seem like great little knives.
Some of the vintage carbon steel British army knives have been tempered to strike a spark like that but Opinel knives are so cheap and easily available. Nice use of a tinderbox.
Cool tip. I have an Opinel knife with a broken tip (tried to get into a coconut) that would be perfect for this (it's already a little busted up so I be a little mean to it). Not that I've done a flint & steel fire yet.
Thanks Carley. Keep in mind that due to the differences in steel, it is much more difficult with an Opinel than it would be with a hardened striker or piece of an old file. I know that if I were just starting out, I would end up being very frustrated if I tried using a knife in the beginning. Harder steel throws much hotter sparks and makes it much easier to get the charred material smoldering. You might have an old file in your garage that you can use, but if not then keep your eye out for a garage sale, pawn shop, flea market etc...and you can probably pick one up for $5 or less that will serve you much better while you get the hang of it. Have fun and please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
Good idea for keeping fingers off of the rock. Also like the combustible fan. Love opinel knives.
Good point about the fingers. 👍 My thinking was more about keeping the knife from getting beat up, but it looks like a double duty trick now. 🙂
I agree about not beating the knife up. I mutilated many fine old pocket knives when I was a kid
That was cool! I have not seen that type of stove before either. Not that I am a stove expert, by any means.
Thanks buddy! This is the only twig stove I've ever used, so I'm also far from an expert.
It's a nice little knife. Cool short vid!
Thanks Gary!
Your videos so rock...
😆👍
Awesome job on using the Knife as Flint and steel
Thanks buddy! 🙂
Best channel on all YT ^ ^
Thanks man. 🙂
Yep
I love my Opinel no. 7, I carry it everywhere.
Nice!
Great video and nifty trick with the wedge of wood . Have used a large 2 blade Old Timer folder with not so great results using flint and chert . I have the "oppie" #6-9&12 . Time to do some experimenting . Thanks for your video .
Thanks Nav Star! 🙂
WOW!
Poor Opinel :(
Interesting stove :3
Thanks buddy! 🙂
Super Opinel ! Like👍👍👍👍
I Don't Think I've Ever Seen Flint Rock Before. ...
Would You Mind Doing A Short Video On How To Find, And Know It's Flint?
I have never been able to find flint in my area either. I use the term "flint and steel" because it is the most widely understood name for the process of getting sparks with a rock and a piece of steel, but lots of different rocks will work. In this case it was quartz, but I have had good luck just looking for rocks that seem hard, cracking them open, and seeing if they will spark my steel. If you just start breaking and trying rocks, you'll probably find some that work, but looking for white ones (quartz) is a pretty good place to start.
NW Primate
Awesome TY.
I Was Seriously Confused! LOL
I've Never Seen Anything Flint, Sparkle/Sheen That Way.
Mystery 13
Look for smooth, glassy, translucent, sparkly rocks. Learn to recognize conchoidial fractures.
Any rock with high quartz content can work. As does carbide steel.
(Carbide) Steel on (High Carbon) Steel works.
(Pyrite) Rock on (High Quartz Content) Rock works.
Titanium on Rock works.
duxdawg
TYSVM 💖
great tip. Now I just need a carbon steel opinel alongside my stainles steel one :D
It's always nice to have an excuse to buy another knife. 🙂
Excellent tip brother, ty for sharing! Have you tried the same thing with the saw blade on a Swiss Army Knife? Thanks.
very creative:-)
🙂👍
Very cool! Still waiting to see a video about solar fire with a magnifying glass. Have you got any ideas about that yet?
Thanks Kyle. I haven't found anything solar that isn't already well documented online, and even a lot of those are still difficult for me. A fresnel lens is pretty easy in the summer, and I can sometimes get the little magnifier on my compass to work, but I've never had any success with water in a bag or bottle.
You are a national treasure!
"If men hold a rational philosophy, including the conviction that they possess free will, the image of a hero guides and inspires them."
-Ayn Rand-
Good videoNWP
Thanks LT!
Man! Where did you find the old Haberman Woolworth National frying pan? Those are rare! Very cool!
These ones are plentiful on Ebay for less than $20 👍
700th!!! Yahoo!!! .....another cool video, Thanks....is that glacial runoff in the water? : >)>
Thanks HemanSr! Good eye on the glacial runoff too!
Was the point up or down when you were striking? I couldn't see....
Point down.
What type of stone is used to make fire?
This was some kind of quartz, but you can just start breaking rocks and seeing if they throw sparks, and you might be surprised at how many you find that work. I'll be posting a video shortly on this very topic. 😆👍
I can smell the onions!
Grubbin?