Make and Use: Firesteel (aka Fire Striker)
The challenge used to be to light a fire with just
one match. Now the challenge is to do it without any matches at all.
It's very picturesque, entertaining, and satisfying to start your
campfire with flint & steel, and when you do, it's your fire, you decide who gets to poke it.
In this class we will make a fire-steel from high-carbon steel and learn to use it.
Techniques used will be drawing-out, bending, hardening, and tempering.
When the fire-steel is made we will learn to strike a spark with it and
turn that spark into a fire. We will also go over the particulars of
making char-cloth for catching the spark.
When the class is done you will have made a fire-steel, learned to make
char cloth, and struck a fire. You will come away with your own
fire-making kit consisting of a fire-steel, a flint, a char-tin
& charcloth, and a bit of tinder, enough to get started.
No prior smithing experience necessary or expected.
Instructor: Carl West
To bring if you can:
-
a small metal box (like an Altoids tin) with a metal lid that fits fairly snugly, empty
-
~square foot or more of clean, old, worn, 100% cotton cloth to make into char-cloth
- a pouch or other container to hold your fire-kit, something you can fit both fists into should be the right size
Monday, September 24
One meeting 6:30pm to 10pm
Fee: $120 4 students maximum
Register with PHF
by email