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This is a new reproduction Single Finger Loop Fur Trade era fire steel or flint striker with a straight handle. I forged this one up based on an original in my collection from up in Michigan. This is also based on an example dug up at Grand Portage MN (pictured in the Museum of the Fur Trade Quarterly Vol. 20, #3), and was a common European trade item in the 1600's and 1700's. It would have been carried by a farmer, settler, hunter, soldier, or traded to one of the Tribes in the New World Colonies from the early 1600's up through the Revolution and beyond. Originals have been found throughout most areas of North America, but primarily the northern two thirds, especially along the Atlantic coast and along the Fur Trade routes through the Great Lakes. Examples are pictured in The Museum of the Fur Trade Quarterly, Where Two Worlds Meet, Voices From the Rapids, A Toast to the Fur Trade, Firearms Traps and Tools of the Mountain Men, and numerous other publications. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a catalog from Ross & Co. dated to 1797 that shows them offering three fire steel styles for sale - Ovals, Single Finger Loop, and Double Finger Loop or C shape. I hand forged this up from 1095 high carbon spring/tool steel, and heat treated it to throw a large quantity of sparks when struck smartly with a sharp piece of flint. If you are recreating most any persona in North America during the 1600's or 1700's - especially the Great Lakes fur trade era, or just like old style tools that were used in everyday life, then this is just what you need for your kit. It has the look and style of the originals, and it throws better sparks. Use it everyday to start your cooking fires, or add it to a period trade display. Size is approximately 2 1/2 inch by 1 7/16 inch by 1/8 inch thick. Shipping will be $2 via USPS in the United States and most of Canada, $4 to the British Isles and most of Western Europe, and might be a little more for other areas overseas. Payment is expected within 7 days in US funds - personal check (shipped when check clears), money order, or Paypal (credit cards only through Paypal). I will combine shipping on multiple items. Thank you for your interest in my humble work. It is appreciated.
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