While this may be so, it is actually quite possible. When compared to more contemporary methods of fire making, one would be forgiven for thinking that the use of iron pyrite with a flint fire starter would make fire lighting rather difficult without a lot of practice. In fact, the word ‘pyrite’ comes from the Ancient Greek root ‘pyr’, meaning ‘fire’. The most ancient form of fire making that corresponds roughly to the modern flint & steel method involved the use of flint alongside iron pyrite, also known as Fool’s Gold. ![]() While there are obviously no written records of how we first began to use flint as a means for making fire, it is known that this versatile mineral was used for many purposes up until the advent of Iron Age and beyond. We have been using flint as a material with which to make tools since perhaps the very dawn of our species. The Adoption of Flint Fire Starter Methods This article aims to dispel some of the most common misconceptions and explain some of the most significant moments in the development of the modern way of flint & steel fire making. Owing to the popularization of the use of the flint fire starter approach, as it is also known, many misconceptions and misunderstandings have cropped up. This ingenious method is most commonly known simply as flint and steel. ![]() Sparks generated by such a method are of sufficient heat that they can ignite a piece of tinder, and thus get us well on the way to making fire in a matter of moments. When the sharp edge of a piece of flint is struck with the flat edge of a length of high carbon steel, sparks are produced as slithers of metal are torn away from the steel striker. Iron, and later steel, was used in combination with the age-old multi-purpose material that was flint stone. That is to say, the heat created by rubbing two wooden objects together was used to produce a flame.Īs time went on and the Iron Age dawned, our ancestors started to use this newly discovered metal as a fire making aid. ![]() To begin with, the most widely spread methods of fire making were friction-based. Mankind has possessed the ability to control fire for many thousands of years, and in this time we have developed a number of clever ways in which to start fires.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |