Ligting up my passion....
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Not sure what it is about traditional fire steels that has lit a passion inside of me…
It may have something to do with the designs, the romance, the passion they ignite, the fun of using a traditional method of fire lighting…who knows!
Many years ago when Mark first started the business it was so hard to find anyone who could make Traditional Fire Steels there was the odd blacksmith around but no one seemed really interested back then. One day some told Mark about a remarkable 'forger' called Randy…from that moment on a relationship was formed and we found the perfect person to make our Fire Steels. Then fortune stepped in and we met Andrew Kirkham. Two very different Blacksmiths from either side of the pond. Although the designs are pretty much the same as the Fire Steels are all based on historical designs, but Randy and Andy have their own styles and are very different as seen in these pictures below.
Examples of Andrew's work Examples of Randy's work
Andy's style are clean, elegant, beautifully made and his Fire Steels are effortless to use. Randy's work is very rustic and 'real'. They are all made by eye and each of his Fire Steels is forged using a his 150 yr old anvil and his bellows are 200 years old.
Over the years Fire Steels have become more and more popular with more and more Blacksmiths now making them. We love the fact its now a growing art. We now use quite a few different Blacksmiths and our range is getting quite extensive. We love using Blacksmiths who make it 'real' and their work shows their passion and their craft comes through. The Picture on the left shows a small range taken from all of the 'makers' we use, see if you can spot who's work each one is and what is your favourite piece? Our range of Fire Steels start from the very 'basic' and reasonably priced to the more 'artistic' and limited edition range that we do. Happy striking.
For more information on how to use a Traditional Fire Steel, visit our Library of Fire Lighting videos.