[kevin]

This question is to those skilled blacksmiths we have here (omegaman comes to mind but as I recall there may be others. How hard would it be to make a belt buckle (like in the post linked below) out of the same type of material as a "mountain man firesteel"? I think a belt made with 550 paracord and this type of buckle would be a very handy survival item (particularly if the user carries char cloth).

This type of clothing would be perfectly legal to carry on a plane, yet if you were luck enough to survive a crash somewhere without your gear all you'd need to find would be a rock that you could crack to act as your "flint". Plane scenario may not be the best scenario, since you can carry a lighter now but you get the idea. I could more redily make fire w/ a spark source than a bow drill.


made a paracord belt

[Celticwarrior]

I am not sure of the chemical and elemental composition of the Firesteels Ron and others make, but I am relatively sure that judging by the "steels" themselves, it would be something you wouldn't forge, but have poured and cast. Ron knows more about how his Firesteels are made, but I would think that you are looking at a composite material not a ferrous metal for forging. Also, it is relatively brittle, and likely wouldn't make a very good buckle. I may be wrong, and certainly Ron would be the man to ask about that.

However, you may want to consider a standard buckle such as the ones that have coins in their centers. A disc of Firesteel material or flint could be placed into something like that and then popped out when needed. I would think that one of the largest firesteel rods, cut into coin-like discs, would probably make you dozens of belt buckles.

In a mountain man's possibles bag, he carried a fire kit, which had several flints and a handle-shaped piece of wrought iron to strike against it. Making the buckle out of wrought iron to use that way would be relatively easy. You could probably wear a necklace with some real flint arrowheads or just carry a hunk of flint in your pockets for all that matters. It won't show up in a metal detector. That would give you the basics you need.

[kevin]

CW, I'm talking about the "mountain man" type firesteel forged by blacksmiths like:

Flint and Steel Fire Making

[Celticwarrior]

That isn't a firesteel. It is a piece of wrought iron. It is used to strike a separate piece of flint. By itself it is not like the modern firesteels and has no ignition properties other than striking against either another piece of ferrous material, or a quartz-bearing rock, to create sparks. As I said, that part would be easy. You should be carrying a piece of flint though to assure you have some way to make fire, not counting on the fact that you might be able to find something where you end up crashing, etc.

[Celticwarrior]

Something like iForge (Interactive Forge) Step-by-step Blacksmith Projects this would work, I would think

[George]

Air travel “smart” buckle could be made of detachable mini-firesteel as centre and buckle as scraper.

[kevin]

Originally Posted by Celticwarrior

That isn't a firesteel. It is a piece of wrought iron..

I know that, but since Ron sold them (or still does?) as the "mountain man firesteel" i used that terminology in my first post as it might be familiar to members here.

[Omegaman]

Hey kevin that is a pretty cool thought. It would not be hard to make at all, it is coming up with a functional design that is a little more difficult. I will work on some sketches and sizes to see what I come up with. I would want the striker to be easy to use and good looking belt buckle.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Firesteels are made of ferrocium. I beleive the manufacturing process is extrusion.

[Omegaman]

Boy now you really have me thinking. I will have to see if I have any drill rod stock or I am going to have to go old school and make it from a file. I want it to be big enough to be easy to grip but not to big.