Better "Flint & Steel" Wanted (IE. What metal makes good sparks).

Magnesium?

Why not just use a propane starter. Squeeze and sparks appear. Flints are replaceable.

Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Lasivian wrote:

Those are made of what's called mischmetall, a natural mixture of rare-earth metals which happen to be pyrophoric. Cerium and Lanthanum usually make up the majority.

Ti and Zr would be interesting metals to "strike" instead of steel, if that's what you're asking.

I'm not sure what other metals are worth trying.

Alvin in AZ

In the 1950s you used to be able to buy "Atomic frizzens", a uranium frizzen (the "steel" part of a flintlock firearm). They were apparently spectacular to watch, but not all that useful for firearms - they produced a small number of huge sparks, when what you really needed was a broad shower of sparks that needn't be so large.

The alternative approach to (hard) flint and (soft, flammable) steel is a hard steel and a soft flammable striker. This is how mischmetal (cerium alloy) cigarette lighters and wheellock pistols work. Before cerium, iron pyrites was used.