![Image](http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae111/E_Cart/SAM_0794_zpsdsxvjpkq.jpg)
So anyway, the three C-shaped strikers are $8.00 plus shipping and the Viking steel is $10.00 plus shipping.
The money will go to charity, namely, "Help Eric build a new forge fund" charity. If you're interested, PM me.
Moderator: caedmon
the pommel of a knife is ususlly not hardened enough to throw sparks easily, and a knife built like they would have been doing at the time you're talking about would have a softer metal as the pommel like brass as the construction style would be a rat tail tang knife with a handle slide down the tang (often while the tang is still hot) and then a cap or washer and the tang peened over that as the pommel. the tiny portion of peened tang that would be exposed definitely won't be hard enough. fire steels are hardened with little or none of the tempering that brings the brittleness down/out of the steel. high carbon steel for knives is heated up passed the point where magnetism leaves the metal, quenched in an oil, then tempered at a long slow soak at a lower temperature in an oven (often specially designed kiln style ovens are used for the more exotic steels) to realign the molecules. forge hardening is a little more organic, tempering is achieved with quenching the working edge of your steel and allowing the heat to draw back into the edge at a rate determined often by a color the steel makes, but the process for fire steels doesn't ususally incorporate much of the 'draw tempering' stage. you ought not break a good knife if you drop it on concrete, but a fire steel is far more brittle and can definitely crack or even shatter. a dedicated item for fire that you can count on is worth the lil .12 lb the kit could weight including a container to char material in. modern tins are the best for charred material, but a similar effect can be had with a wooden box used to snuff the material after you ignite it fully.Tom_Ranger wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 5:23 pm Seems to me that fire steel is just extra weight to cary around. If I was around a thousand years ago, I would probably just use the pommel of my knife.
I hadn't thought of it like that. My blades are all zombie tools 5160 Spring Steel including the Pommel with aluminum side plates. I haven't tried striking a fire with it but will this weekend.theguywitheyebrows wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 5:59 pm the pommel of a knife is ususlly not hardened enough to throw sparks easily, and a knife built like they would have been doing at the time you're talking about would have a softer metal as the pommel like brass as the construction style...