D striker

See Flint and Steel VIDEO here. Obtaining an ember on properly charred tinder from flint and steel is extremely satisfying.  Like most individuals who have this interest I have amassed quite a collection of steel strikers.  Each with its own shape, qualities and heft.  Something about each of them however was deficient.  I wanted to create my own unique yet superior version.  What resulted was the D Striker.  Working closely with an outstanding blacksmith, numerous styles, weights, shapes and materials were prototyped, as depicted below. Each labeled and tested in a blinded manner.  My family’s patience was tried, being asked repeatedly to step into a pitch black basement or outside in the dark to objectify each steels sparking ability.  Records were kept about which type most reliably emitted sparks that reached the ground from a standing position.  The actual ability to ignite an ember was also quantified.  This testing was performed in a series as heat treatment parameters changed