U shaped steel striker (flint & steel)

[M118LR]

I'm in the market for a couple of new steel strikers, saw this U shaped steel striker on a video. Found it as part of 2 kits on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Five-Fli...fire+striker+U
and it's out of stock at : http://www.trailkits.com/Cash-U-Style-Steel-Striker/
Has anyone ever used one of these U shaped steel strikers? If you could pass along your results I'd be all ears.
Anyone have a foundry/blacksmith that they know of that makes these?

[hunter63]

Here is one....with just a quickie Google....

http://www.primitivefire.com/Steel-U-Striker_p_123.html

Have several but not "U" like is pictured....even a patch knife with the handle being a fire steel.

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[Antonyraison]

here is something almost similar, that was used extensively by the voortrekkers in southern africa..
the video was done by our chief instructor of my wilderness survival school
its very easy to make.

[kyratshooter]

The U shaped striker Hunter shows is a simple piece of O1 square stock available from most machinen shop supply companies.

You heat it and make the bend, then heat the whole thing to orange hot with a torch or in the forge and quench it in oil.

$7 is a good price for one.

The quickest and easiest striker is what Antonyralson shows, a section of a file with the teeth smoothed off.

I have a bucket full of old files I keep for this purpose. I pick them up at flea markets and sometimes find a bucket full at a time selling for pennies.

I break them into sections about 2" long using an anvil and hammer, then I grind one edge smooth and knock the sharp points down.

I put them is fire kits for the students in the classes. A small tin with a section of a file, smoothed and rounded, a flake of flint or chunk of chert (see what I did there?) a bit of char cloth and a hank of frayed sisal rope. They can use the tin as a char can and storage container for the kit. A shoe polish tin does fine, or you can buy then new.

I keep a sack full of kits done up in case I get a call for a class or demo. It also keeps me picking up every small piece of good rock I find. Broken arrowheads work fine and the younger kids really live making fire with a broken arrowhead.

If you leave the teeth intact on the flats of the file you also have a tool for sharpening you machete or smoothing out your axe or knife after hard use.

[M118LR]

Nowadays the flint & steel is more of a training session than a need. I'm kind of interested in the bent U, as the eye's aren't what they once where and I'm growing tired of scrapping up my knuckles. Stuff happens, growing Old ain't for sissies.