Homemade Flint Fire Starters

Fires are essential to survival in the wilderness; indeed, in some situations they can be the difference between life and death. In either case, whether you are trying to warm a can of soup or stay warm on a cold night, it is important to be able to light a fire. Flint has been used for centuries as a fire starter and is still a lightweight, reliable means of doing so.

  1. Char Cloth

    • Char cloth is an essential piece in fire starting with flint and steel. To make char cloth, cut 100 percent cotton fabric into squares approximately two inches on each side. Open and rinse a metal can, then fill it with the cotton squares. Seal it again with a metal lid, and poke a small hole in the lid for smoke to escape. Place the sealed metal container in embers and allow it to heat up. As it gets hot, smoke will begin to come out of the hole. Once the smoke stops coming out, immediately remove the container from the fire and allow it to cool. Once cooled, remove the squares of char cloth and place them in a watertight container for later use.

    The Flint and Steel Fire Starter

    • Get a piece of flint that can be held firmly enough to strike a piece of steel on. Next, find a piece of steel with a high carbon content. Most metal files are made from this material. The best high carbon content steel implement, however, is a knife blade. This serves as both a cutting tool and the blunt edge can be used as a fire-starting tool.

    Starting a Fire

    • Build a small tepee out of kindling with enough space beneath to place a ball of tinder. Have some smaller sticks on the side to feed the fire once the kindling has ignited. Make a ball of tinder, and press a char cloth into the top of the ball. Strike downward with the steel onto the flint so that the sparks land on the char cloth, igniting it. Gently blow on the char cloth so the embers light the tinder below. As soon as the tinder begins to burn, place it beneath the kindling so that the kindling will ignite. Slowly build the fire as the kindling begins to burn.