Hi LW,

I think you may be confusing the method of catching relatively cold sparks produced by real flint stone(a form of mineral quartz) and carbon steel on char-cloth to produce an ember; with the sparks produced by an artificial flint rod.

The artificial flint rod (also called ferrocium or firesteel) attached to a magnesium block is a man-made product, it is a mixture of many metals and elements including, iron, zinc, magnesium, cerium, lanthanum, neodymiun,... When the rod is scraped by something sharp (does not have to be steel) friction ignites the scrapings; I think they burn at around 3000*, that is why the charcloth burned, instead of just developing an ember.

I have also been experimenting with traditional fire making methods but where I live I cannot find any flint, the only thing I have locally is Quartz which also produces a spark but it is smaller and colder. Before carbon steel was discovered the flint stone was struck with iron pyrite, this made a very cold spark. "Otiz the Iceman" had flint, iron pyrite and tinder fungus in his survival belt when died in the Alps almost 5000 years ago.

Hope this help,

Mike