I saw a posting that interested me in firesteels. Afterwards, I began searching for a deal. I didn't see any reviews about one being significantly better than another, so rather than buy a Swedish Army Firesteel (which was my first choice) I decided to be "crafty".

I bought several (ok, 20) 2-1/2 X 1/4 inch firesteel rods on an eBay auction. Then, for a steel, I found what I think was a pretty good source for P-51 can openers (Georgia Outfitters). They're supposed to be made of carbon steel, so I thought the one of the short edges should do fine as a striker/scraper. I visited my local craft store and bought some oval wooden beads and drilled 3/8-inch deep into one end to accommodate the rods and glued them on with 5-minute epoxy (probably not my best choice as, after a couple minutes of mixing, I could only glue about three handles on before the glue hardened too much to use, but eventually, mixing small batched, I got them assembled).

Anyway, at about $1.50 per rod, 20-cents each for beads, and 50-cents each for the strikers, I figure I'm all set -- I got more of these things than I'll ever need, but they were a deal, right? However, I don't seem to have much luck making sparks with the can opener edge. I tried scraping along a hacksaw blade and got some, but the can opener edge just isn't working. Should I try sharpening the edge, or all firesteels not created equal, and/or is there some technique I need to learn? I'd appreciate some suggestions.

Note: I already own an Ultimate Survival Systems Deluxe Tool Kit that includes one of their BlastMatches, but I was interested in developing skill with a more basic system (without actually being uncomfortably primitive).