I have noticed across the net the use of both terms to describe the artificial flint. I’ve read about the history of its creation, the material properties and thousands of descriptions of use. All I want to know is what is the stuff called?
I was pretty sure it was Ferrocerium until I read Dougs contents justification of his aviation survival pak where he describes the spark-lite as being a ferrocium device.
I have since searched the forum and found 18 uses of ferrocium and over a hundred uses of ferrocerium.
Is this a national difference of a terms, that is common between English English and American English or something else as I cannot seem to find a pattern to their use.

Hope the experience on this forum can solve this for me as it has bugging me for some time.

James.

Beats me. Ferrocerium is a "correct" term and at least it is descriptive of the majority of the composition (Cerium, perhaps with some other rare earth metals, hardened with black iron oxide). The other term seems to be in some use also, as you noted. I suspect that the other term is an accidental vulgarization of the original term coined by the inventor. <shrug> Again, I'm only sure that ferrocerium is a correct term, not that the other is "wrong".

Tom

read all about it here: http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/flintandsteel/RBclarifications.html

Thanks, I have read that one before. Great arcticle.

I figured the "ferrocium" was a trade name- a slurring, and it does spark "ferociously".