this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2025
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What is this thing?

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It looks like some sort of wiring inside

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[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago (22 children)

piezo-electric igniter from a lighter

Waaay more likely to be laying around in the ground outside too.

Like, I can't recognize a brush on sight, but I would be shocked if they looked identical to a common switch found in cheap electric lighters....

[–] PyroVK@lemmy.zip 28 points 5 days ago (21 children)

But it is in fact a carbon brush nonetheless

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 6 points 5 days ago (11 children)

Every brush is a carbon brush.

[–] clb92 7 points 5 days ago (2 children)

A steel wire brush isn't.

I was initially going to say "my hairbrush isn't", but I forgot plastic is largely made of carbon, so you's still be right.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 3 points 5 days ago

To be fair, I'm only "right" pedantically. 😂 My understanding is rocks and minerals aren't mostly carbon, but still contain it...

[–] Davel23@fedia.io 3 points 5 days ago (2 children)
[–] clb92 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

And how do you make steel?

I don't. I have people to do that for me.

(But to answer your question, with a small amount of carbon, sure, but in my opinion that doesn't mean that steel is "made out of carbon" any more than we would say humans are made out of iron)

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Well, you take iron ore, heat it up, and add, uh...

[–] Successful_Try543@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

As iron, unlike gold isn't a noble metal, an important aspect is, you need carbon to make ~~pure~~ iron from the iron oxides in the iron ore: The carbon will react with the oxygen and ~~pure~~ elementary iron and carbon oxides are left.

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Pure iron is somewhat soft. To make steel, you typically add extra carbon to the iron, which results in a harder (though more brittle) metal.

[–] Successful_Try543@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Essentially, you reduce the carbon content of the raw iron by blowing in oxygen until you have the desired amount of carbon left. I should have written 'elementary' iron instead of pure.

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