How do I get a decent spark? With a different steel I get lots, but not with the notches on the knife.
1832830
The outer surface of Magnesium will oxidize/corrode in contact with Oxygen, nitrogen, water, iron, nickel, copper, or esp. cobalt. Not sure what alloy is used here, but most oxidize/corrode as well, to create a thin coating that limits future corrosion, but also gets in the way. First time, and whenever using after a few weeks/months, scraping off a bit of the outer oxidized layer first will give you material just underneath that sparks better. If you'll only use the starter occasionally, you might roll it up in an airtight snack baggie, with the air squeezed out, between uses, to limit the barely perceptible corrosion. Use a different baggie to hold your starter material or dryer lint. The outer surface of Magnesium will oxidize/corrode in contact with Oxygen, nitrogen, water, iron, nickel, copper, or esp. cobalt. Not sure what alloy is used here, but most oxidize/corrode as well, to create a thin coating that limits future corrosion, but also gets in the way. First time, and whenever using after a few weeks/months, scraping off a bit of the outer oxidized layer first will give you material just underneath that sparks better. If you'll only use the starter occasionally, you might roll it up in an airtight snack baggie, with the air squeezed out, between uses, to limit the... » Read More The outer surface of Magnesium will oxidize/corrode in contact with Oxygen, nitrogen, water, iron, nickel, copper, or esp. cobalt. Not sure what alloy is used here, but most oxidize/corrode as well, to create a thin coating that limits future corrosion, but also gets in the way. First time, and whenever using after a few weeks/months, scraping off a bit of the outer oxidized layer first will give you material just underneath that sparks better. If you'll only use the starter occasionally, you might roll it up in an airtight snack baggie, with the air squeezed out, between uses, to limit the barely perceptible corrosion. Use a different baggie to hold your starter material or dryer lint. « Show Less
1832831
I had to scratch a lot of the coating off of the Flint striker to get a decent spark, however sparks are still not long lasting you need quick catching material to get a fire going, I used dryer lint, and have lit 3 fires.
1832832
put the steel at an angle and apply significant pressure in a downward motionit may take a try or two to get right
1832833
Use the notches to scrape off little pieces of the metal, then use the back of the knife (not the notches) to strike quickly down the flint. Pressure helps, but you don't need to force it too hard. It will be bright like a sparkler.
1832834
You have to use like a sharpish edge not the blade but like it can't be rounded and to get better sparks you have to kinda push harder
1832835
the cuts on the back of the blade are there to give you better control when making fine cuts or using extra pressure. I use the blade at the choil to make a spark and get good results. Also, the more you scrape the ferro rod the stronger the sparks will get until they are at max.
1832836
Try the back of the blade at an angle. The notches aren't meant for striking. If that fails try the sharp side of the blade closest to the handle known as the heal, that should also get you a spark without damaging the cutting edge.
1124123
Don't feel bad, I have the same problem. I've discovered that the blades that come with the sharpener works well but the others? Not so much.
1716072
I occasionally use a steel for two or three swipes just to be sure no small burs are left on the blade. Probably not really necessary, but old habits die hard. Very little metal removed and the sharpened blades seem to hold their edge for at least a month.
1149903
I just use a regular steel and it works great. Use the angle you would for any knife.
1921307
Mine is kind of dull, cannot readily slice through a 1/4" Zip Tie without putting some effort to it, I used electric sharpener to sharpen it.
1765736
for the flint sparker...scraping the part of the knife on the flint stick will create the spark to start your fires...beware,,i did not recieve green sheath or cord wrap..mine was all black....
2259780
They're roughly the same size as the LMF Scout steel, which is approx 3000 strikes. Depending in your skill, your tinder and environment, that could mean anywhere from a few hundred to a couple thousand fires per steel. They're a good deal for backup steels, though i'd recommend getting a larger firesteel to practice with! Coghlans is good for not much money, LMF Army is still the standard! Good luck!
2151911
Yes it will create sparks when used with a fire steel. I also took a file to the back of the knife to give it a much more defined angle and I got even better results.
2217199
No I'm not getting any sparks, but I haven't cut metal yet. There should be no sparks with wood.
1057788
Due to the convex edge on this knife, the best method I am aware of is to affix various grits of sandpaper to a mouse pad and sharpen like that. This edge is a little tougher to sharpen, but the trade-off is that it is a more durable edge.Here's a video on someone making the sharpener in question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDsoLkonV6c
1578402
You'll probably want to sharpen it. For reference, 120 grit paper will get a better edge than it comes with. But you could do some small brush slashing if you had to. Cold Steel machetes are not like their other knifes. They are lesser quality and do not come with a similar finish. Also, I'd buy the two handed Latin. It is more versatile and has better balance.
2126320
It didn't work well for me either. I took off a lot of steel shavings using it but it was never razor sharp. Try a stone. I wonder if you run it through their sharpener then a stone if it doesn't sharpen up quick.
2122944
Yes the black bar is the flint. Mine had the same problem. It seems like there was some sort of coating preventing the spark, just use the serrated end to take off the coating then you should be good to go.
548029
The knife came reasonably sharp but I always work mine once I get a new knife. I only had to take this to my strop to make it scary sharp. I have an old leather belt that I rub a polishing compound stick across and then I strop my knives on that to finish them. Some knives I get I have to put them on a stone as they are poor edge. Not this one. The sheath seems to hold this blade in place very well. I have had to work the back of the blade with a file in order to get it to work with a fire steel. These are stamped knives but they are a quality knife. i bought 2. 1 for me and 1 for my wife. I will buy these knives again if i need to replace my carbon steel knife. The knife came reasonably sharp but I always work mine once I get a new knife. I only had to take this to my strop to make it scary sharp. I have an old leather belt that I rub a polishing compound stick across and then I strop my knives on that to finish them. Some knives I get I have to put them on a stone as they are poor edge. Not this one. The sheath seems to hold this blade in place very well. I have had to work the back of the blade with a file in order to get it to work with a fire steel. These are stamped knives but they are a quality knife. i bought 2. 1 for me and 1 for my wife.... » Read More The knife came reasonably sharp but I always work mine once I get a new knife. I only had to take this to my strop to make it scary sharp. I have an old leather belt that I rub a polishing compound stick across and then I strop my knives on that to finish them. Some knives I get I have to put them on a stone as they are poor edge. Not this one. The sheath seems to hold this blade in place very well. I have had to work the back of the blade with a file in order to get it to work with a fire steel. These are stamped knives but they are a quality knife. i bought 2. 1 for me and 1 for my wife. I will buy these knives again if i need to replace my carbon steel knife. « Show Less
635855
Steel doesn't matter at all with a ferro rod(firesteel). All it needs is a hard, sharp corner. You can spark a firesteel with a piece of glass. The spine of this is decent for this though. If yours were to need a touch up you could do it with a few swipes of a file.
1909320
it's a great starter for knife sharpening, but if you have some high end knives with good steel, i would buy the apex edge wet stones. That's what alot of people are doing. They buy the unit , but upgrade to Apex edge wet stones. I'm going to do that in the near future. The stones that it comes with are fairly decent and will get your lower grade steels pretty razor sharp (AUS8, 8CR13MOV, etc)
1858535
Honestly I do not know nor was I even aware of such an issue. My knife is very well made, feels great in the hand, quality of blade & sheath is better than I expected for the price. I am a small collector of edged weapons (swords/knives/spears/axes etc.), I have approximately 150+ items, I only use a few, I have 4-5 folders for EDC & 3-4 fixed blade knives & 3 machetes & 2 swords that I use or would use for SHTF events, the rest is just for viewing. BTW all my blades are qualified as BATTLE READY, no stainless steel swords etc.