identifyin metal

Can't look at websites like that right now. :/

The fire-blocks I'm familiar with are a rather soft magnesium.

An old VW engine or transmission case is quite a bit harder.

The "flint" part is called "mischmetall".

Search that or "misch+metal". ;)

It's a mixture of the "rare earths" and when they are finely divided and contact air they spontaneously combust.

Also there is no specific set mixture needed, you'll see what I mean.

After you read up on this on the internet you'll know more than I do about it. :)

Come back and tell us some cool facts. :)

Alvin in AZ ps- We started using/carrying those in the early 80's :) pps- When I would get close to wearing one out I'd give it away :) ppps- We were a bunch of dumb non-smokers;) and couldn't carry the butane lighters, they were almost always empty when we pulled them out of our pocket :/ pppps- You in Norway?

There are two sorts of "flint"

One is hard, and is used to strike sparks from a hard steel fire-striker. This may be a natural flint, although most of the modern "fire starters" use a ceramic rod. The sparks are burning steel from the _striker_, not the flint. Making a good fire steel is an exercise in careful blacksmithing - the composition and final hardness have a big influence on the ease of lighting with it.

The other sort of flint is soft, metallic and made of misch metal. This is used with a harder steel with serrations on it, and the sparks yuou see are the mischmetal burning, not the steel. These flints are the common type found in cigarette lighters. I forget the composition of misch, but it's largely cerium. They're made by sintering a powder.