Did you know that striker flints have been around for thousands of years? They may not have been conventionally made as we know them today, but the basic principle of using flintstones to generate sparks and light up a fire is several millennia old. Also known as the flint and steel method, this technique of making fire has been honed and modified over the years to suit modern applications.
Today, striker flints are commonly used in modern welding projects — more specifically, in gas welding. Let’s take a closer look at the role of these handy spark-generation tools in modern gas welding.
The Role of Striker Flintsin Welding Today
Although welding techniques have evolved to include electrical welding procedures, traditional gas welding still remains the procedure of choice for many applications. For example, if the welding project needs to be done outdoors or in other places with no access to electricity, gas welding becomes the only viable option.
Here, a fuel gas is ignited and burned in the presence of oxygen to produce a flame that offers the high temperatures required to weld metal workpieces together. And a flint striker produces the spark required to ignite the gas and get the welding process started.
Here is how you can incorporate a flint striker in a modern gas welding project.
●Step 1: Begin by preparing your welding workspace and keeping all the equipment and tools handy.
●Step 2: Load the flint striker correctly, so the flints are positioned as required to strike the steel at the right angle for optimal spark generation.
●Step 3: Adjust the settings in the welding torch, so the levels of oxygen and the fuel gas are optimized to suit your requirements.
●Step 4: Hold your flint striker near the opening on the welding torch from where the fuel gas is released.
●Step 5: Strike the tool in a quick and controlled manner to generate sparks, which need to be directed in a manner that allows them to come in contact with the mixture of gasses.
●Step 6: When the sparks ignite the mixture of oxygen and fuel gas, the welding torch will be ignited and you can see it light up with the welding flame.
●Step 7: You can then get started with the gas welding process.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Incorporating Striker Flintsin a Welding Project
Although striker flints can be extremely useful, there are some precautions and considerations that you must be mindful of before you include this tool in your welding practice. Check out what they are.
●Understand the potential risks involved in using a flint striker, so you can practice using it in the right manner.
●Hone your flint striking skills and practice with the tool to generate adequate sparks before you actually use it in welding.
●Make sure you wear the necessary protective equipment like welding gloves because your fingers could be in close contact with the welding flame that is created.
●Replace your flints as and when they wear out, or at the very least, rotate them so the worn-out side is not exposed or utilized for spark generation.
●Ensure that you adjust the gas levels as required before using the flint striker because too much of the fuel gas could result in a massive flame and lead to accidental burns if you are not careful.
Conclusion
Striker Flints continue to be used in welding applications that require gas ignition even today. What’s more, we now have different types of strikers like single-flint and triple-flint options. You can compare different types of these fire-starters and choose the type of flint striker that best suits your welding requirements.
Comments are closed.