[kevin]

here is what I'm thinking (see attached)

[tenderfoot]

Originally Posted by kevin

Willy, I don't really understand what the composition of a good striker is (material wise). but I could certainly make a sketch of what I'm thinking based on what tenderfoot just wrote.

plain hi carbon steel (1080 1095 w1 w2 etc the simpler the better). your image is just what i was thinking. but i do not have CAD software on my computer....yet

[crazydave]

thats doable out of a needle/warding file and a blowlamp. for air travel then a firesteel wont cause much discussion as they allow lighters on board. carry a diamond sharpener and a small steel ruler for striker and potentian blade.

[kevin]

Originally Posted by tenderfoot

plain hi carbon steel (1080 1095 w1 w2 etc the simpler the better). your image is just what i was thinking. but i do not have CAD software on my computer....yet

Thanks for the idea; much easier than a belt buckle, yet still part of the belt. duh, wish I thought of that The dimensions I posted are measured based on the paracord belt I wear.
made a paracord belt

[tenderfoot]

Originally Posted by kevin

Thanks for the idea; much easier than a belt buckle, yet still part of the belt. duh, wish I thought of that The dimensions I posted are measured based on the paracord belt I wear.
made a paracord belt

you know i can hook you up with one or two. pm me if your interested.

[Foxfire]

Kevin,
There is a article in this months Backwoodsman on making a belt buckle.

[kevin]

Originally Posted by Foxfire

Kevin,
There is a article in this months Backwoodsman on making a belt buckle.

I wonder if my local library carries these magazines? doubt it.

[Baldninja]

Most magazines these days can be read online, though they may require you to "register" to do so.

[Mook]

Any forgeable and hardenable steel would do, both to act as a traditional flint-and-steel "firesteel", and as a striker for a ferrocerium firesteel.

If you can forge an old leaf spring into a knife blade that can strike a spark, you could forge a belt buckle that could do the same thing.

[quenchcrack]

A flint striker must be made from a HIGH CARBON steel, like an old file. 1095 qualifies, too. It must be forged to shape then heat treated to make it hard. It is heated to a temperature where is loses its magnetic properties (about 1400F) and the striking face is immersed in water and gently swirled. It is not tempered. Grind the face off to remove the scale and try it with a SHARP flint or chert stone. Do not expect it to spark like a firesteel; one or two little sparklers is all you get from most home made steels. The sharpness of the flint is critical, too.