I found some really small flint rods in a hardware store. They are used for lighting torches and they are pretty cheap. I glued some to small magnesium bars, that I had after trimming the usual bar to a convenient size for my kit. Epoxy resin works well for this. For the other rods I use a helical spring to attach them to my keyring. Here´s a picture of the rod and the bar ( the coin is a quarter):



For EDC I protect the rod with a transparent tube and the bar with shrink tubing.

John,

The tube on the BSA Hot spark is nylon plumbing tubing I picked up at Home Depot. I put it on there to protect the rod from my keys etc in my pocket and make it a bit less likely to break if I dropped the whole mess. It fits very tight and would have to be cut off or pulled off with pliers or my teeth...that is why it is a bit long. A softer tubing would be easier to get off, but this stuff was the right size for a tight fit.

I did not cover the Swedish Firesteel as it is my primary steel, and I carry it in a nylon pouch in my vest pocket. A looser fitting tube for it may be a worthwhile addition, but I have not gotton around to it. I have also considered painting the scrapes with nail polish....but never done so.

I have not had any difficulty with my firesteels crumbling but these are both less than 2 years old. The BSA has never been scraped and the Swedish firesteel has only been used a few times within the last several months. I have lots of the BSA steels spread through most of my gear, and they seem to be holding up.

Best places for BSA Hot Sparks is your local Boy Scout retailer....around $2 each.

Best place for Swedish Firesteel is from forumite Bagherra......Piet Henskens at phenskens@hotmail.com

Piet does not always have the Steels, but contact him and find out. His service is absolutely exceptional and the proceeds benefit his Scouts in the Neatherlands.