Flint Bar Cross-section

Reflected Brightfield Illumination

Definition/Function:

Ferrocerium alloy is a blend of Misch metal with iron oxide and magnesium oxide to form the "flint" in cigarette lighters and similar devices. Misch metal consists of about 50% cerium, 25-40% lanthanum, 5-15% neodymium, and trace to 10% other rare-earths and iron. Modern formulations tend toward the higher lanthanum content because of more valuable applications for neodymium and the heavier rare-earths. The misch metal is blended with 20-30% iron oxide and about 2% magnesium oxide to harden the material so that suitable sparks are generated.

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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocerium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mischmetal