Any of you Pros know much about this steel?

will it spark off flint?

Pro/Con ECT

I like what I have been able to find out about it so far but I'm sure I am missing all the info

Comments thoughts and opinions welcome

The composition of this steel is:
Carbon 2.45%
Chromium 5.25%
Vanadium 9.75%
Molybdenum 1.3%

The carbon content puts it in the ultra-high carbon steel which allows it to be made very hard. With proper heat treating it can Rockwell Hardness "C" up around 65. According to Ragnar's Ragweed Forge you need a Rockwell number above 60 to get a good spark.

Chrome is under 11% so it won't be a stainless steel. Also according to Ragnar, stainless steels won't work as a steel striker.

I'd say if you have a peice go ahead and try. Forming it into a striker might be some hard work. Be careful not to decarburize the steel if you are heating it up.

Let me know if it works!

-Blast

Thanks for that info Blast!! (from Bo's "Scrounger Personality" <#5>).

I didn't know stainless is a poor sparker steel but it figures since it is non-ferrous metal.

Whoa, stainless steel is not a non-ferrous metal. Non-ferrous means it lacks iron. Things like brass, bronze, Hastalloy, etc... are non-ferrous. Stainless steel is still mostly iron along with at least 11% chrome (usually 13-25%). The chrome reacts with oxygen to form a thin layer of chrome oxide on the surface of the steel. This chrome oxide then protects the iron portion of the steel from rusting.

Stainless steel has more "plasticity" to it than normal carbon steel, meaning it deforms a lot more before shearing. This probably makes it less likely to tear off shards/sparks when hitting it with a flint, but don't quote me on that.

-Blast

Stainless sparks as well as non-stainless, at least in my testing. The determining factor is the hardness. Hacksaw blades work well. Glass works very well, harder than most steels, but you'd better be careful.

High hardness, and a sharp edge are what you need. That's why when I pair a knife up with a fire steel, I test it, and prefer the knives whose spine has not been rounded.

Just about anything hard will spark off a ferro rod. The original poster asked about sparking off flint. Flint and steel usually means hardened carbon steel, I don't think glass qualifies.

Thanks everyone

The nice folks who make CPM 10v are going to try and find a pice that has been hardend to send to me, I'll let you know how it works

Thanks for clarifying that. I'll go to my room now. Bo