Some how I lost my last Hot Spark and picked up a new one. The rod was coated with a thin layer of some sort of plastic. I was scraping it with the striker, and thought why not use some sand paper to get the plastic off? So I grabbed a sheet and started to remove the plastic, only to get sparks. I then grabbed the rod with the sandpaper and pulled the rod out there was a huge shower of sparks. I don't know if this is news to anyone else but I thought it was neat.

Take Care and Stay Safe