Flint - what is it? Many, most likely, remember the children's fairy tale G.Kh. Andersen with the same name. There the flint was magical, with his help the soldier could summon dogs that fulfilled any desires. But here is what it represents in detail, not described in the tale. More information about the fact that this is a flint is described below.
General view
Flint - this is a special device with which you can get open fire. It was widespread until the beginning of the 19th century, until matches were invented. Today it is popular with tourists.
The simplest version of the flint consists of three elements such as a chair, flint and tinder. It acts like this: they hit a chair with a stone, as a result of which the tinder ignites, then the smoldering tinder is inflated. If the quality of the latter is good, the flame flashes immediately.
Below in the article, for a better understanding of the meaning of the word “flint”, each of the elements included in it will be considered separately.
What is a chair?
The name of this element of the flint comes from the verb “to sit down”, which means “to hold the stone”, “to carve the fire”, “to chop with the flint from flint”. Its other names are shredding (from the verb "shred," that is, "cutting"), tesal, cutting. It is a piece of pyrophoric alloy or metal. This is a metal that can ignite in the ground state in the absence of heating in air.
When the chair is hit against flint, small chips are cut out of it, which is very hot and ignites when interacting with oxygen in the air. At first, iron was used, but since it is a rather inert and hard metal, it was not easy to carve sparks with hands. In the 20th century, mischmetals, an alloy of rare-earth metals, began to be used, the most common of which is ferro-cerium.
What kind of flint does flint have?
This element, like the chair, consists of a small piece of metal, but much harder. When they hit the chair, the latter must be scratched to form small chips. The shape and size of the flint should be such that it is convenient to hold it by hand. Sparks will heal better if there are sharp edges on it.
In the old days, it was not metal that was used, but flint, a natural mineral that consisted of silica, but it was too fragile. After armchairs began to be made of mischmetal, requirements for flint hardness decreased. Then they began to use hardened steel instead of a mineral.
What is tinder made of?
For him, choose any of the materials that can ignite (smolder) when sparks hit him. In addition to fibrous materials (fabric, cotton wool, fungi, dried moss), as well as shavings of well-oxidized metals, gunpowder, flammable liquids, and paper are used.
Modern flint is often equipped with a tinder of magnesium chips. It is cut from a bar of magnesium with a knife. It is easily ignited by sparks and burns with a strong flame. To achieve greater convenience in use, a bar of magnesium is combined in a single design with a rod of a ferro-cerium alloy.
Do it yourself
How can it be done independently at home? Specialists offer several options. Among them are the following:
- Cut the screwdriver in half, taking one part of it. On the one hand, make a cut with a drill, where to put pieces of silicon, which are bought separately. They are fixed on superglue. Then treat the surface with sandpaper. For convenience, attach a wooden handle to the flint.
- For the second option, you need a file that has one smooth side. A part equal in width to four fingers is separated from it. After that, the end parts are ground. Flint is selected at a convenient size, the main thing is that one of its edges should be quite sharp. Sparks are cut out upon impact of the smooth edge of the file against the sharp edge of the flint.
- The third method is the simplest, since the flint is made of a silicon wheel, which is separated from the lighter and a wooden clothespin. The wheel is attached with a self-tapping screw to half the clothespin. Instead of the latter, you can take an ordinary pencil, which is split in half, and flint from a lighter is placed inside it. Then the pencil is reassembled and sharpened.
This article describes what flint is and how to make it yourself. It is worth remembering that the result of use will be getting fire. Therefore, exercise at home or near flammable objects is not recommended.