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Engaging in the natural processes that sustain us...
Stone Age Skills

Percussion Firestarting

I'd like to share with you something I've been doing and want your input if you have experience with it. I spent the day making fires with an iron file striker and various rocks and minerals. I wanted to see what would actually ignite char-cloth (and then get to flames). I was able to make flames using the following in conjunction with char-cloth and an iron file striker:
  • Basalt
  • Tourmaline
  • Granite
  • Gneiss
  • Quartz--Milky
  • Quartz--Clear Crystal
  • Quartz--Iron-Stained
  • Quartzite
  • Quartzite--with Rhodonite Layers
  • Chalcedony
  • Chert
  • Georgetown Flint
  • Knife River Flint
  • Ft. Payne Flint
  • Francisco Flint
  • Sandstone
  • Tecovas Jasper
  • Metasediment
  • Rhodonite-Spessartine Garnet-Quartz Mix

Although the next four minerals generate sparks, I couldn't get them to work:

  • Actinolite
  • Spessartine Garnet
  • Obsidian--I suspect it will work eventually
  • Opal--I suspect it will work eventually

I was very impressed with the "one-hit wonders," the rocks and minerals that required only one strike in order to ignite the char-cloth:

  • Granite
  • Chalcedony
  • Chert
  • Georgetown Flint
  • Knife River Flint

I hope to find the following to use in place of the iron file. I'm not sure if all of these would work, but I hope to find out someday:

  • Chromium
  • Nickel(ine)
  • Iron Pyrite
  • Marcasite
  • Iron Meteorite
  • Banded Ironstone
  • Pyrrotite
  • Pentlandite
I also want to show you the method of arranging the char-cloth that works best for me thus far.
 

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