Best Char?

[Marc Adamchek]

CHAR! What have you found to be the best material to char? I seem to recall T-shirts are out, even if they are 100% cotton, is that right?

Just wondering on a cold, zero degree New England night what some of you have found to work the best. I just might put a tin in the woodstove and see what I can cook up.

C'mon now, don't be shy, join in the fun!

 

[awcanis]

Marc, There is a lot of info and opinions out there on this, 100% cotton t-shirts work fine, just a little flimsy. Lamp wick, or jean weight denim are just as good, but tougher. My 2 cents worth, hope it helps.

 

[Luke MacGillie]

Well, since this is the historically accurate forum, I don't think It would be argumentative to say that a bic lighter works best, but bic's just like cotton blue jeans and knitted cotton T shirts aint right for the period. So at the very minimum, you would need to try cotton ticking, or linen.....

 

[George]

What he said.

Tartaglia, Niccoláo, d. 1557.
Three bookes of colloquies concerning the arte of shooting in great and small peeces of artillerie ...."But when you will make tinder for a Gunners tinder boxe, take pieces of fustian, or of olde and fine linnen clothe, make them to burn and flame in a fire, & suddenly before the flame which is in the cloth die, choke their fire..." [fustian is a thick, napped cloth made of cotton and either flax or wool, similar to lindsey-woolsey]

Essay by Moore, Francis, in A Voyage to Georgia, Begun in the Year 1735. London: Jacob Robinson, 1744, discussing Spanish moss: "They use it also for Tinder, striking Fire by flashing the Pans of their Guns into a handful of it, and for all other Uses where old Linnen would be necessary."

An Universal Entymological English Dictionary by N. Bailey, 26th ed, 1789, Edinburgh. ""Tinder - Fine linen burnt, in order to its more ready taking the least spark of fire."

Spence

 

[rich pierce]

Tow, which is the odd, short, woody strands that are discarded when spinning flax fibers into linen thread.

 

[coloradoclyde]

PUNK WOOD! it will set an ice cube on fire.
ok not really but it will start a fire without using a "birdsnest"

 

[Loyalist Dave]

You are going to want to avoid anything with wool in it, but luckily today Fustain is linen and wool combined. Linen alone will work, as will cotton.

Apparently, linen scraps were used as "char" for fire starting, but it's unknown if they were completely charred as we use today or if the edges were ignited and then extinguished and that was what was used... same principle as a previously lit candle wick.

LD

 

[TJK]

Monks cloth. It's been around forever and a day, easy to find at any fabric store and catches a spark really nice.

Rio

 

[Capt. Fred]

I've found punk wood to be the easiest and hottest char around. It works under any conditions and is easier to handle than char cloth. I have no idea if it is HC for whatever period you are concerned with.

 

[William O.]

Cotton flannel makes the best char cloth I have ever come across. Make sure it's 100% cotton and indeed but it cheap and available at the fabric store. It also makes great cleaning patches so I buy it by the yard.

 

[necchi]

Monks cloth.

:thumbsup:
100% Cotton, chemical free.
This is the stuff that win's fire starting contests.
The Best. (period)

 

[TinStar]

Where does one get Monk's cloth? (And don't say off a Monk....LOL!)

TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

but luckily today Fustain is linen and wool combined

Sorry I meant to write that Fustain is not linen and wool combined.




LD

 

[VEARL]

Lint removed from the clothes dryer is really good to use. Around my house it comes often and it's free.

 

[simeon england]

Howdy!

For me and my druthers, I prefer punk wood to any type of cloth for several reasons I will not go into. It will not win any flint-n-steel competitions, but lights a good fire after catching a good spark. But, if cloth is your choice, I would pick a period fabric like linen to go with.

Hope this helps

Simeon, who once 15 years ago tried to make charred cloth from an old green (100% cotton) welding jacket. Stuff wouldnt even burn due to the flame retardent treatment, much less catch a spark or two.

 

[necchi]

Where does one get Monk's cloth?

Fabric shop's, heck even Walmart has it if your store has a fabric section.
Ask where they keep ironing board covering fabric. https://www.google.com/search?q=Monk+cloth&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&ie=&oe=
The stuff is kinda spendy, probably up around $15 a yard now. I got a half yard several years ago and still have plenty.

I won't bother getting into all the many things that can be "charred" and used to start fires or whether something is HC/PC or not as the topic is what's the best fabric for char cloth.

As mentioned above, old worn clothing usually doesn't make good char cloth because even after years of washing a lot of the stuff still has a flame retardant in the fabric.

 

[Mongo40]

Agree with Monks cloth, got mine at Joannes Fabrics, works great!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Monks cloth.

:thumbsup:
100% Cotton, chemical free.
This is the stuff that win's fire starting contests.
The Best. (period)

Hey! Ye blew my secret. :wink:

 

[necchi]

:haha:
Think of it as passing on the Wisdom.
(they still hafta learn how to make a nest and get flame)
Member ike and I was on a woods walk and the challenge was to light a candle.
We had the candle burning in 7 seconds from the first strike of the flint.
(toot-toot)

 

[tenngun]

ceder bark is good, mullin...rabit ears...poor mans tolitpaper chars well. Punk is good and cotton rags sold at lowes.I think my tinder box is full of patchs off the last tent I made. Tow is in my haversack and I have caught sparks on it with out being chared.