? re: knife steel and sparks

[lucznik]

OK I know that anyone can get sparks from just about any knife and a firesteel but that you need a high carbon blade to generate sparks with your knife from a bit of flint, chert, quartz, or whatever.

So my question is simply this:

There are lots of different "types" of high carbon steel; 1095, 1075, etc. Which one of these types is the best for producing sparks with that bit of flint, chert, quartz, or whatever?

[crashdive123]

Not sure what the answer is, but I've had good luck with 1095 and L6. I'm sure there are others that work well.

[canid]

it isn't just the steel, but the state of hardness it is in. in this sense; the harder the better. it will still be softer than the silicate stone being used, and should be hard enough to spall away. the spark is produced by the friction generated in the spall as it shears away. any steel suitable for a durable blade should work. it should be noted that even many commercial knives are not this hard, as the mass production market seems to trend toward easy sharpening over hardness.

which one is best? i'm not sure. the practically all work, and i've had suitable results with all that i've tried (of those i have made knives from)

[Wise Old Owl]

I'm going with Canid - doesn't work well with Swiss - just saying.

[kyratshooter]

The best steel I own is made from O-1 1/4" square stock that was heated to orange and quenched in transmission fluid.

The second best of my steels are forged from old hay rake tines and tempered the same.

Even a plain old file with one edge ground smooth will throw some sparks.

A knife blade that will throw sparks is going to be so brittle it will be bordering on dangerous.

Back in my youth we looked to the back spring of our pocket knives for sparks. If you opened the blade half way and exposed the high carbon spring you usually had a good sparker.

Those were still the days when making a fire with only one blue tip match was an accomplishment that would get you a merit badge.

We often forget that there was a time when most of the adult population smoked and there were always matches/zippos/Storm Kings/Rhonsons on hand. "Primitive" fire making was considered an outdoor parlor trick, which it pretty much still is.

[canid]

A knife blade that will throw sparks is going to be so brittle it will be bordering on dangerous.

that may depend on the steel, but based on what i've worked with i would say this is not a reasonable characterization at all.

[Rick]

I have to agree with Canid as well. I know you value Mora knives and they throw a pretty good spark. I don't consider them any more dangerous than any other knife and a tad less than some.

I can't speak to those old days. I'm just a whipper snapper myself.

[crashdive123]

KRat - the knife you picked up at the Jamboree throws sparks pretty well and shouldn't be brittle.

[rwc1969]

I've pretty much found that any metal that will rust will throw sparks with a piece of flint or, more specifically, chert in my case.

I have plenty of knives that chunk sparks and I don't think any of them are too brittle, but that's just my own experience with it, and that experience is fairly new.