How Do You Make A Flint & Steel Kit?
Before lighters and matches, people used a flint and steel to start fires. This involves striking a hard, shiny piece of flint against a piece of rough steel to produce a spark. Users aimed the steel so that the spark would fly from the metal and land in a pile of tinder—small, dry, flammable material. Ancient tinder boxes contained an elaborately etched C-shaped piece of steel and a piece of flint that fit easily in the hand. Some of them also contained flammable materials. Others did not, requiring the user to find small bits of dry, seasoned wood for tinder. Today, wilderness guides and campers usually carry matches or a lighter. However, lighters can break and matches may get wet. Flint and steel is useful no matter the weather or situation. A flint and steel kit for your car or backpack is easy to make and could come in very handy in an emergency. Find a small metal box, about 6 inches long by 4 inches wide by 2 inches deep, with a tight-fitting, hinged lid. You can purchase one
