Flint and steel sparks are nowhere near as hot as those coming off a ferro rod. There are only a few materials that will light with flint and steel without being charred. I don't know if drier lint is one of them (I don't think so), but in general, if you want your sparks to land; they have to drop onto something that has already been charred.

Understanding the Context

A buddy of mine made a nice little bushcraft knife out of a 1095 carbon steel blank. Not sure what process he put it through as far as tempering and heat treating but I can't get it to throw sparks. I've tried English Flint, Chert and Quartz. Not a single spark from any of them.

Key Insights

My WCF striker... Also, a tip on flint and fero-rods. Flint cuts the metal. High carbon is grea for that and put the tinder (char cloth) above the flint because the sparks will fly up. With a fero-rod, the steel cuts the rod.

Final Thoughts

Put the tinder under the metal, more like a target because the sparks fly down. I hope this is good info that youcan use. One of the attractions of high carbon steels, as we all know, is the capability of striking sparks with flint, chert or quartz. I have started several fires with my Terävä Jääkäripuukko and with an Opinel. I really don’t want to hit my very nice, very expensive 3V knife with a rock, but would... Emberlit flint and steel striker review Emberlit makes some very cool looking striker designs.

So when the wife was placing an order on Amazon I had her order one for me. It came with a large piece of "flint". I got a few sparks off the supplied flint but even more rock chips.