Starting a Fire with Flint and Steel

Yes, everyone needs to know how to start a fire with flint and steel, and of course you need to have the tools. We offer a variety of firemaking supplies on our website www.townsends.....
Our Website - www.townsends.us/
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[@townsends]

For a variety of fire starting supplies www.townsends.us/collections/fire-making

[@e.kent.d9561]

Wow, I could have used this video when I was a Boy Scout. Only about 70 years too late! lol

[@dananorth895]

Never too late! (Even at 6 yrs ago!)

[@Donditch]

The fact that this person could be dead is kinda sad my condolences go out to this grandpa

[@natashaa43]

One of my favourite parts of 18thc. reenacting was watching people light fires authentically. It's such a good skill to have, thank you John. :)

[@jabohabo3821]

Sir, you are a hero of mine. The past should be learned from and never forgotten. You never know when things will be reduced back to that again. I truly appreciate you

[@MacDorsai]

Good video and I liked the subtle music. "Over the hills and faraway". Someone's a fan of Richard Sharpe.

[@JBESUJR]

Mark Lee I was thinking the same! I love the Sharp's series. As a bonus Sean Bean doesn't die lol.

[@tomsmith5216]

Making fire with flint and steel? That's soldierin'...

[@kentwalls6924]

Thank you for everything you do to keep history alive. I greatly appreciate your videos and your obvious passion for historical education. Keep up the good work!

[@duxdawg]

Nice vid Jon!! You covered the basics, and a little more, very well. I am extremely experienced with F&S (would easily qualify for a PhD in it, if there were such a thing) and I recommend your vid to beginners.

[@MrMann703]

My favorite way of making fire, it's a satisfying feeling making a fire without a lighter. Friction fire is on my to learn list. Love the channel thank you for the videos

[@Pieces_Of_Eight]

Fantastic to see such a critical skill broken down so clearly, and with simple and effective tools. Your videos are excellent for sparking excitement about history.

[@matthiaspetursson]

I think this fabulous pun got unnoticed for 3 years.

[@trevormelnyk9868]

i love the tobacco box, i own 2 of them one for actual tobacco for my pipe, and the other for my flint and steel. another thing i carry is a wax jute candle i use for lighting candles and pipe while in camp, your series are part of the reason why i started investing in to these products and still use some baking techniques you teach in your vids while in the wilds on vacations, keep up the good work and stay safe in the trouble times

[@NoldorinPrince]

Good sharp pieces of quartz work well for the sparks too

[@samarinaksenia6255]

Great video! Thank you for it! The more I watch the more I want to obtain a tool like that to use in camping trip. My boyfriend likes when we seat by the fire with stars on the dark sky above us. I can imagine how delighted he would be if I make a primitive fire like that and cook some food for him!

[@domwings4329]

Just got my flint and steel in the mail I ordered from the website. Not using anything except what I can find in the woods though. Caveman time

[@Blrtech77]

Jon, Thanks For the Fire Starting Lesson! Keep Up the Great Work.

[@TheMomanslm]

First order of business when preparing for a fire is to send the kids searching for pine cones. By far and away (over the hills and far away) the easiest to locate natural tender when camping here in the east. Oh and John, thanks for the few chords of "over the hills" at the end of this video. I need to check Jas. Townsend & Son's music selections.

[@christianpatriot7439]

In Florida you can simply look for a pine tree root that is still burning from the last forest fire.

[@martynwood5493]

Well done, good video. Strange isn't it that almost everybody knew how to start a fire that way and now hardly anyone does.

[@duxdawg]

+Josh McGringey Sad indeed. Old skills always work. Old tech can be fixed by 'most anyone with a little know how. New tech needs lots of support to continue to work and can only be fixed by specialists. For instance if a knife no longer works well, most can figure out how to get it sharp enough. Not so with an iPhone.

[@yohji4309]

+Josh McGringey im pretty sure anyone with half a brain in our developed society could figure out how to start a fire with a flint and steel. It's not a skill that needs to be taught really.

[@cyrene7784]

My guess is that if you were ever actually in a situation where really NEEDED to start a fire with flint and steel, you wouldn't have a flint and steel.

[@sooshietrain1544]

Josh McGringey at least some people learn the concept from minecraft 😂

[@bobbyhempel1513]

@@yohji4309 you would be surprised.

[@sethaldarith6778]

How far the channel has come :) Thank you John!

[@eldardrakeson]

Jas - could you also do a piece about other common firemaking methods at the time - especially with your american frontier series of spots, it bears mentioning that many american frontiersmen learned native fire starting techniques as well, and it might help someone out. Love your channel, and watch often (especially when my hands start itching to so some of the crafts and skills)

[@kraken138]

That "tinder fungus," is also known as "Chaga," which is a mushroom that can be boiled in water (covered) for a couple of hours and it produces a nice tasting and super health-giving beverage. It is such a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-cancer drink that it is almost a shame to use it to start fires. :) Fantastic videos and a great business; I order from Jas. Townsend very often and their customers service and products are terrific.

[@duxdawg]

+Mike Frak Well said! Here are a few more tidbits about chaga and other fungi. Chaga can be taken off the tree, dried then can catch sparks from F&S in as little as 30 minutes. After being brewed for tea several times, chaga can be dried and used with F&S. Chaga and several other fungi can be used as the hearth board for friction fire. Chaga makes a great coal extender or incense. Remember to harvest chaga during winter for the most health benefits. Most primitive skills and wilderness living practitioners are aware that Inonotus obliquus is called "Tinder Fungus" and Fomes fomentarius is called "False Tunder Fungus". However many other fungi have been commonly called tinder or false tinder fungus in various regions. Such species that I am aware of include: Phellinus igniarius, Phellinus tremulae, Phellinus gilvus and Ganoderma applanatum. Most bracket fungi are very fire friendly and work well as coal extenders and char. Cheers!

[@FrikInCasualMode]

Outer layers of birch bark make an amazing kindling.

[@markcash2]

I am having to learn to use stuff besides birch bark since moving to the southern USA. Yellow birch was the best, but all I get down here is river birch. It is not as good, but still better than no birch at all. It helps that I have one in my yard.

[@mikemathews9277]

I mastered the skill,now I will show how to my brother in law.

[@rachelhudson4662]

Great video John. Please can you show us how to chop wood.( swooning😉)

[@natashaa43]

Ha! Rachel, I think you might be a kindred spirit.

[@rachelhudson4662]

Natasha Aiken he's so chuchy, is that a word?

[@natashaa43]

It is not a word I am familiar with I'm afraid.

[@fdeluccie]

Chuchy is a Polish word meaning "Aunt" or older female relative. I'm not sure that's the meaning in this context.

[@Th3Pr0digalS0n]

I bought the flint and steel fire starting kit from the Townsend website. It arrived really fast and was a good value. but I somehow managed to cut my finger open the first time I struck the flint and steel together. Flint is very sharp.

[@danielchampagnie602]

And this is also how the knuckle duster was invented too

[@KowboyUSA]

Never purposely used the tinder fungus before to start a fire, but have dealt with it in fighting forest wild fires. Only takes a tiny spark to get it going.

[@soccerminecraft6377]

I like your graces

[@otakop67]

Thanks for uploading this. I've been reenacting for several years (civil war blacksmith) and have used this method every time I do. Sometimes I wonder which intrigues the spectators more, the actual smithing or the flint and steel. Everyone should know different ways of producing fire if they intend to hike or camp and this is one of the best! I'm intrigued by the tobacco box & it's use as a tinder box. Is there a video demonstrating it's use?

[@Talmiior]

Did I just stumble upon a gem of an ancient video on Townsend's channel????

[@seamuslight2472]

Classic Townsends.

[@1927su]

I hear dryer lint works well too, like in the “birds nest” stage

[@WELSBYROOTS]

Great video brother!

[@chimpz5690]

I really like it

[@Kez_DXX]

It came in the mail whilst I was at work. I have made fire!

[@evanmurzin9589]

Very cool how people started fires with flint and steel. I tried using these either I suck at it or its just hard to use . I probably just suck or need practice

[@duxdawg]

+Evan Murzin Practice makes perfect! With practice flames with F&S takes only a few seconds and is as easy as a match.

[@jackieortiz7690]

Thank you so much

[@dbmail545]

Loved that outro music. "Over the Hills and Far Away" from the Sharpe's Rifles TV series?

[@maggiegnzlz]

My husband & children would never eat because I would never be able to start the fire--& we would freeze to death...

[@NemesisConfirmed]

Dope, I can use some of these. "Winter is coming"

[@Nckolas20]

Makes it look easy

[@naelambino9239]

Yes Thanks man!!!!!

[@evanbalon9046]

Awesome video very helpful 👍

[@hosedragger-204]

I may pick one of these up so that I don't have to keep borrowing my grandfather's old handmade flint and firesteel kit that my father has now. I'm an Assistant Scoutmaster for my old Boy Scout Troop here in my hometown. The only "flint and steel" most Scouts ever get to see or use is the modern "el-cheapo" ferro-rod glued into a block of magnesium metal. Sure, they work better for lighting fires but there's nowhere near as much care, skill, and preparation involved. Let alone as much "cool factor".

[@ryanhamley4161]

dude you're so cool

[@SkogKniv]

Nice demo of flint and steel fire. Not sure what that guy below is talking about. Keep the videos coming!

[@radioactiveemissions3859]

Amazing⭐ Great video 👍💛

[@nikosfilipino]

is char cloth a period-correct tinder source? If I'm correct cotton was a valuable material in the 18th century and likely wouldn't have been purchased or processed for this use. wasn't tinder fungus and rub cloth a more commonly used tinder? (references: wilderness outfitters channel )

[@duxdawg]

+nikolas macalma There are literally hundreds of plant and fungi materials that can be charred, and at least two dozen uncharred, that will then catch the sparks from F&S (Flint the rock and high carbon Steel) yielding an ember. Punkwood was by far the most commonly used as (no surprise) it also the most commonly found. There are at least three species of fungi that are commonly called "Tinder Fungus". Bracket fungi have a special affinity for fire. Likely every species of bracket fungus will work when charred. The key to using punkwood is learning how it burns at each stage of rot and which species produce the best for catching sparks. Punkwood after all is merely a generic term for rotting wood. They say the Inuit have 37 words for snow. We could use about that many for punkwood. Certain species at certain stages of rot are best for the smoke they produce. That smoke was mainly used for smudge pots to keep insects at bay and tanning hides. Others catch sparks very easily.

[@unionrdr]

Well, in the 1960's when I was in boy scouts, our scout master was big on history. So we all had to carry a tinderbox (keep your tinder dry, as they used to say in colonial times). It contained a good size piece of flint, a broken bit of file, & charred cloth he showed us how to make. In a Prince Albert tobacco can, used throat lozenge tin, or the like. And since many of us were paper boys in those days, the papers bundled with jute twine, we'd unravel the fibers to stuff a handful in the tin as kindling. We carried this tinderbox in our pocket or knapsack for...just in case, worst case scenario. I'm still very happy that our scout master had the forethought to teach us these colonial ways as American boys to be men. So according to him, colonials would use scraps/odds & ends from cloth used to make necessaries for this purpose.

[@julianregulators1530]

The char cloth (cotton) was probably made from rags that were of no more use. I have read that folks back then would wear a shirt until it was completely worn out then use it for rags and then what ever else they could get out of it.

[@nacholibre1962]

The jute is not "kindling". It is a secondary tinder. "Kindling" is small twigs, sticks and spilt wood that burns easily once lit by the tinder/secondary tinder.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

I intend to buy one of these kits to make fires. I've occasionally wanted to try to start a fire in the old-fashioned way, but I never had flint and never knew the procedure (nor did I know about the existence of char cloth).

[@Deathmonkey1011]

Never rely on a lighter, we were stuck in a blizzard in the mountains in our snowcave and needed a fire befriend we died, but the gas trigger was pushed and there was no gas left so we got toilet paper, strong and oil sort and use the tiny flint on it to start the gas stove.

[@jhunt77864]

Nice video.

[@ssl3546]

So glad you don't do the "staring off into space" side angle camera shots anymore. Now if only the rest of the Internet would stop too!

[@johndoogan3712]

That brazier must pre-date the firebox by centuries, it's the old saying there's nothing new under the sun ☀️.

[@digupstuff]

You look familiar. Have you ever been to Chehaw Park in Albany, GA? You look and dress like one of the demonstrators who set up at the Native American Festivals that they have there. ♥

[@rickyburton4642]

Would you please show a side view and the correct angle of the flint against the steel?

[@Chungustav]

45 degrees or so

[@Wildernessquestoutdoors]

If I sent you a flint knife (rock self collected from a creek) would you use it on your channel? I think you would put it to good test on some kind of game

[@royl4857]

good clip but u forgot one thing that if or when u use the flint n steel test it out first to see were the spark fall so u know were to put ur char cloth at some works on top but also on the bottom I have done that plus shown it also

[@abdulawnallah5696]

Flint fire sparks Shiny😮

[@dowopdodge832]

Dang John you make it look so easy. Do you make tour own char cloth as I do? And How do you go about the task. I char some cloth in an old MJB coffee can . I bet that fine dutch oven would do even a better job. I love these video's .

[@townsends]

dowopdodge My favorite technique for charcloth includes a propane torch and a pine board. Maybe I'll to a short video on it some day...

[@dowopdodge832]

Yes! Please do.I dig hearing new ways to do survival style thing's. For that matter I like to learn different way's to do just about anything.

[@duxdawg]

+dowopdodge Not only cloth but hundreds of natural materials from plants and fungi can be charred so they will catch the sparks from F&S. At least two dozen of those materials will catch sparks in their raw uncharred state. There are many ways to make char with or without a tin or container of any kind. Cheers!

[@dowopdodge832]

Your right .From what I heard char cloth was more for the mid to upper classes. Most people used as you said more natural resources .

[@stymye]

I'm pretty sure that these peoples did not carry char cloth .. it was normally used in the home for lamps and such ... for a woodsman or someone on a journey .. they carried fungus.or char wood. often made from punk wood ... char cloth would have been quite a luxury on the trail..comparable to a modern day bic lighter

[@Test-gy2pk]

Can you export flint stone and maybe with the striker to another country? Maybe somebody will buy it

[@punkinhaidmartin]

I don't think my hand would fit into that striker.

[@philipmccann2358]

What’s the fungus called then we can look it up and get some for ourselves ?

[@bryantv2410]

Who the hell buys Kindling.

[@tomsmith5216]

I have a ton of it from the dead tree that almost fell on my house. We cut it up snd there is s huge pike of small kindling free for the taking...Please!! lol

[@fahr]

very neat

[@AP-nn7lz]

People in 2018 would say What a *lit* video

[@markmcsharr8777]

So is it the metal thing he is holding that makes the spark up against a ruff surface of a stone still trying to work it out 😂

[@hans6169]

HELLO from 2022

[@pepperspray7386]

Did the Continental Army issue flint and steel to the soldiers? Can I find a steel striker with a U.S. inscribed on it somewhere?

[@townsends]

+Pepper Spray My quick answer would be no, I don't think they were issued equipment like that. And I am sure you will not find marked issued strikers for the rev war. Thanks for the question!

[@USA-kz5ts]

Nice Video! Excuse me for butting in, I would love your thoughts. Have you considered - Proutklarton Helping Firestarter Plan (do a google search)? It is a good one off product for getting a $15 optic fire starter for free minus the headache. Ive heard some awesome things about it and my friend Sam at last got cool results with it.

[@nothing-b2n]

Yep

[@cyrene7784]

What is char cloth and how did they used to make it?

[@nativemedicineacademy2173]

medicine turtle cherokee so great a real fire

[@PatrickMcCarthy13]

a magnifying glass also works amazingly well I used to keep the lens of one in my pocket to light my cigarettes

[@Francois_Dupont]

very healthy too! you cant smoke on cold, windy or cloudy days!

[@Ka666Boom]

you dont sell Chaga anymore?

[@TheKodiak72]

lawls?

[@udel_badak]

you can burn item but can’t freaking smelt iron with furnace in minecraft

[@EndlarStudios]

What if you didn't have charcoth/a tin to make it?

[@eldardrakeson]

go to goodwill or other thrift store, or get someone to give you an old pair of blue jeans that're too ratty to wear. grab a soup can, roll up your blue jeans scraps and pack them into your soupcan, cover tightly with tinfoil, put a tiny hole in the top, (no bigger than a pinhead) place on your bbq grill or start a small campfire, or 'roast' it over a blowtorch. (you can find a way) once it stops smoking out the hole, take it off the heat, turn it upside down on the ground (to keep the air out of it, it'll cover the pinhole) and let it cool. once it's cooled, you take the foil off, and you should see dark/black remains of the denim (denim is 100% cotton, and makes awesome charcloth, and if you can spare a couple bucks for an old/ratty pair, you're good) snip to size (about an inch or so square - you can make a LOT of charcloth this way) and I store mine in an old altoids tin, along with a magnifying glass.

[@GetUrPhil]

Isn't that Chert?

[@alexanderkim1035]

Does the steel have to be high carbon

[@duxdawg]

+Alexander Kim The steel has to be hardened to between 57-63 HRC. The usual way for this to occur is by having a carbon content between 0.5% and 1.3%. These are commonly referred to as "high carbon" steel.

[@baddie1shoe]

Can you please sell tinder fungus in your store?

[@Icie145]

Minecraft flint and steel in real life!

[@AwesomeKaiserOK]

putting jute directly to spark OK?

[@Arya_2038]

Who watching this in 2020

[@pheart2381]

My steel and flint wont spark in the first place!

[@markcash2]

Take your steel to a blacksmith to be re-tempered. If it is not tempered correctly, it will be too soft and not give you hot sparks.

[@Joe-cz1tt]

Go play minecraft it will always work

[@Joe-cz1tt]

Where are you minecraft playersssss

[@seagull6671]

Hee Hee....... Minecraft :)

[@philipmccann2358]

Is that really how they dressed ? Just make a instructional video ( which you did very well) But save your money on costumes!

[@Azz93a]

What do's he look like lol

[@JonathanDayao-q4w]

2024

[@Ruckr]

Why are you dressed like a pirate

[@mauimudpup]

Rucker knowledge of history is important

[@TheDancingAdeli]

i respect your survival skills, but this is not special effects. i have done this and used char cloth. trust me, its real.

[@microchook]

Tri-point hat, symbol of the crazy people...

[@TheAncientOne1000]

I see you sell everything but gun WHY? you need Guns for reenactment

[@Vtmtnman42]

They used to sell gun kits in the 80's.A local gun builder here told me when he first got into reenacting he purchased his first kit from James.With so many places offering guns and parts now they probably figured they couldn't compete.There are tons of great builders and companies now that offer guns.

[@cyrene7784]

Maybe they don't want to have to wonder if they sold a gun used to shoot up a school.

[@CrypteGardien]

No one is smuggling a flintlock into a school past security and successfully shooting up said school

[@loosanarrow]

I don't think that was real. You used special effects.

[@OsamaBinBallin911]

So thats how it works n minecrafy