flint and steel Minecraft Item

Behavior

The Flint and Steel will create a fire on the targeted surface of a block when used. Some blocks such as wood and wool will burn down when set on fire, but some blocks such as stone , will not be affected. Interestingly, any use on an item will reduce its Durability by one, regardless of whether it is set on fire or not. If used on the top of a non-flammable block like stone, it will set a fire for about a minute and then it will burn out, but if used on the side of the block the fire will burn out immediately. If you place fire near flammable blocks, like wood, it will spread to the flammable blocks, but it will not spread to Netherrack . Flint and steel was also a very infamous griefing tool back before beta 1.6 when fire spread indefinitely, and is still somewhat dangerous.

Uses

Flint and Steel can be used to light blocks on fire, activate TNT , or activate Nether Portals. However, Flint and Steel is an infamous griefing tool, explaining why so many beta servers ban Flint and Steel. When a Flint and Steel is placed within a dispenser , when activated, it will set fire to the adjacent block.

Also, Flint and Steel can be used as a weapon. If being chased by a player in Multiplayer PVP, for example, flint and steel can be used to light the player on fire, thus damaging their health.

Trivia

• In early versions of Indev , the player started with a Flint and Steel in their inventory. Flint and Steel was also found as loot from killing Mobs .
• In the start of Survival Multiplayer, furnaces did not work. There was a mod that turned Flint and Steel into a "lighter" that lit the furnace and made it work.
• Prior to 1.6, fire could spread indefinitely, making Flint and Steel an effective weapon of mass destruction in areas with large, interconnected sections of flammable blocks. Many servers banned and continue to ban the use of Flint and Steel as it can be used for griefing. Following 1.6, fire will no longer spread infinitely.
• Before furnaces , Flint and Steel could be used to smelt Ore .
• As of beta 1.7, left-clicking a block of TNT with a Flint and Steel will ignite it.
• If the player uses Flint and Steel on any animal, excluding Squids and Bats , the meat they drop will be cooked, a faster method than using the furnace.
• Despite the fact that it is called "Flint and Steel", it is made of Flint and an Iron Ingot , not steel.