Flint stick..... Kiwi303???

This could be right up your alley Kiwi.
I bought a flint stick and can't get it to work (haha) like advertised []
We have gotten a spark off it but only by gouging a length off the stick. I have been told to scrape off the black coating but this did not seem to make alot of difference.
Any ideas anyone?

Is this helpful? Or not?

Tips for using a flint stick

• Repeat and practice. Learning it is hard, but you can do it.
• Scrape the stick hard. If you don't scrape hard, no sparks will come and no fire will be made.

I've never used a firesteel myself, and franckly, with ronsoon lighters and other petrol and lighter fluid lighters available, I don't see much point in them for my purposes... I'd suggest a 100ml bottle of meths and a gas torch lighter flint for sparks

All I can suggest is practice. is yours a modern one with a ferroceram stick or an old flint and steel one?

check these pages out for tips...

funditor.110mb.com/

www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Cook%20...ong%20Term%20Report/

Thanks guys, after having digested the info supplied we are now using a hacksaw blade and succeeding to throw sparks.
Not too keen on scraping away the stick to create a little "pile" to ignite it. Will have no stick left in no time.
Hey, makes an awesome dust collector on the windowsill []

Bought a flint stick thingie from the ChCh show about 4yrs ago.

I'm still trying to get it to work but the OH and son use it no problems [!]

Originally bought it for the survival kit- but it lies beside the fire. Bit like the wind up torch, come radio, come cell ph recharger I bought for the survival kit, I see it's home now is just inside the back door [!][!]