Elnathan, thank you very much for the link! It was Part 3 of a three-part article. I poked around some and found the other two. All were excellent!
I have no idea how those strikers in your link ended up in Virginia. One can only speculate, at this point. The "U" shaped firesteels of that particular configuration are nearly always associated with the American southwest, especially New Mexico. I have always lived in Florida, and I'm interested in our local history. In researching firesteels, I contacted some of the state archaeologists at Mission San Luis in Tallahassee several years ago, and asked what sort of steels they might have excavated at that site and others around the state. I was advised that they knew of only one, dug up in St. Augustine, that I believe they associated with the early American phase (post-1821). It has been my understanding that most of the goods traded to the Indians by the Spanish around the Gulf coast and in Florida during the Spanish colonial periods (1565-1763 and 1783-1821) were obtained from Britain and France, as Spain did not produce much in the way of trade goods. However, the Spanish crown was notorious for providing very little support for its colonists in the Americas, and Spanish blacksmiths in the colonies had well-developed skills. You would think the Spanish colonial sites would produce more iron artifacts than have been recovered. Maybe Dr. Levy will see this and contribute some thoughts.
Here are some other examples of Spanish/New Mexican firesteels, all from pictures found on the web. This first one is the type frequently called a
chispa. I have heard of using that hole in the steel as a pulling device for a stuck ramrod, but even if it works, you could probably expect a pretty deep gouge in the side of your rod:
This one is a typical
eslabon, in remarkably good condition. Most that you see show extensive wear. I wonder if this might be a reproduction:
This
chispa is in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), and was collected with its pouch from the San Carlos Apache:
The next one is also in the AMNH, and came from Jemez. It is shorter and broader than the others shown, but I have seen several similar examples:
...and a more typical
eslabone, apparently from New Mexico:
These last ones are in my personal collection, and are all reproductions. The one on the upper left was made by Don Abbott. It is my favorite steel. The one on the upper right was made by Darryl Aune, and is also a great sparker. The "B" shaped one on the bottom was also made by Mr. Aune, in an earlier Spanish style. I think this type may have been more typical of the ones carried during the
entradas of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, while the "U" shaped ones may be from a later colonial era:
The
eslabons made by Mr. Abbott and Mr. Aune are both of uniform thickness. Both of these steels were made from files, both by master blacksmiths. I had not given any thought to thickening of the steel on the inside of the bend. It is interesting to know that Bill-52's original and Elnathan's reproduction both have this feature. As they say in the scientific community, more research is needed...
Notchy Bob
