I'm not much for posting pictures but I will try and give you a few pointers. Flint or chert can be found around railroad tracks and sometimes landscape rock. If you kick a pile of rock and hear a clinking sound, isolate the rock. Many times it will work for you after you break (knap) a sharp edge on it. Then try it on your steel. You can buy flint on the net. Might try Track of the Wolf etc. I did the Mountain man thing for about 25 years so I know what works quickly for me. Place the char cloth on top of the flint with a fuzzy edge lined up with the edge of the flint. Hold it together with your thumb and pointer finger. Strike the flint with the striker so that you are shaving metal off the striker///////... That is what makes the spark. It is not a bright spark like a ferocium rod. Good char cloth is important. New mop string, jeans, towel etc can be used. Just use 100% cotton. Some suggest tee shirts. I don't like it because the material is thin and crumbles apart. My favorite is new cotton kerosene wicks. It's not that expensive. You can tear a off a chunk of char as you need it. The thickness of the char gives you a long coal.
Sorry about no paragraphs. I will keep some chunks of charcoal from my last fire. This can be lit with the glowing char and acts as a great coal extender to light stubborn tinder.
My favorite tinder to transport the lit char cloth to is cedar bark. Here in Kansas we have large cedars near old homesteads etc. Strip a thick chunk off the tree. Twist it around and break it up to a fluff. I always gather plenty when I find it to replenish my kit. Takes a spark well and fires right up. Cattail down gives you a flash but burns out quickly. You may even find an old birds nest to use. They are easier to find during the winter.
The dry tinder is kept in a small pouch and is used if adequate tinder can't be immediately found. I suppose you could still use the cotton balls and petroleum jelly. Just make sure some of the cotton is dry to light easier.
The flint and steel are kept in a Ted Cash container with the magnifier in the middle. In the old days, these were tobacco tins and the magnifier helped lite the pipe. No good at night. It has served me well for years. If you get one, make sure you fashion two thin leather or thin cardboard (like from a sixpack) covers cut to form inside the lid and the bottom of the tin. The top cover protects the magnifier. The bottom one is used for a good place for your char cloth. I place my char in a small plastic bag as well. Keeps the black off everything and keeps it from breaking apart.
The rest of the kit has a small candle, sliver of pitch wood (fat wood) that can transfer a fame into a lantern or keep the fire going. Strand of jute (extra tinder) flint, hand forged (by me) striker from a file, flint shard, and a small ferro rod. You could also add a chunk of resin from a pine tree.
You don't need anything fancy. But for me, life is to short to have an ugly kit. It's mine and will last a lifetime. It will be passed down to my grandson. Just get a tin the size of an altoids can and make your own.
You can go to the thrift stores and find some nice tins. Don't let the pain bother you. Just look for the size you want and make sure it has a good friction lid. You can burn the paint off it with a torch or throw it in the fire. Now you have the tin for your kit.
Depending on the size of the tin, you can also use your homemade one for making char. Just drill a hole through the lid and tin at the lip to let the gas out while you are burning the char. You can change the position of the lid so the holes will not match up to seal better. When making char, the hole will flame and burn the escaping gas. Roll the tin around in the fire (or charcoal grill) for a bit. Pull the tin out and don't open it till it cools down. If you do, your char will glow and burn out.
Lot's of info here. I didn't mean to ramble but I hope you get on the right track. Oh, you might even want to throw in a pencil sharpener for thin wood shavings just for grins.
Regards, Loosearrow
