>>it seems I need a lot more experimentation and practice to cultivate this skill<<<br><br>Is there a reason, other than generalized interest, that you'd want to? I mean, the rocks that work, whatever they are, are not going to be that common, and it's a lot easier to carry around a firesteel than rocks, and certainly much easier to carry something more modern. If you're not going to carry them, then I think I'd focus on learning to use a firedrill instead- the materials are much more common.<br><br>If you do decide to pursue it, I think I'd recommend starting with a real flint and steel, getting that down, and then working on the more difficult task of using two rocks. Decent steels are available from a number of sources (some files work), and I can run you through the steps I use to prepare charcloth, or charred punk, if it helps.<br><br>I have an original antique firesteel in my collection that's just about 2 inches long- far smaller than those typically found in tinderboxes, much less hearth-steels. I sort of imagine it might have been part of someones 18th or 19th century "emergency survival kit".<br><br>