Char-cloth

[Richard Kemp]

New to the forum. What are the period-correct methods of making char-cloth for fire stating> Thanks.

 

[George]

Welcome. The accepted way of making it these days is to put it in a metal container with a small hole and throw it in the fire. Take it out when the smoke stops coming from the hole and it will usually be about right.

I have never seen a reference to that method in the old literature, so I don't know if it is HC/PC. I have also never found the use of the term charcloth. It was called tinder, in the day, and the only information I've found about making it is that they set linen cloth on fire and then smothered the flames before it was completely burned. Old tinder boxes used in the home had a damper to drop on the burning linen, so more charred linen was made each time the tinder box was used.

Spence

 

[Luke MacGillie]

An Internet friend posted these quotes on another forum, does not go to the method, but it does prove that they had charcloth

"TI'NDER... thin clean linen cloth, burnt, and which being stifled or extinguished, is of a black colour, and will, upon the first stroke of a flint and steel, take fire, whereby a match, small-coal, tobacco, &c. may be lighted."
Dyche, Thomas; "A New General English Dictionary..." 1760. At Google Books.

"Tinder... (linen burnt and extinguished before it is reduced to ashes in order to receive a spark from the flint and steel.)..." p. 643.
Boyer, Abel; "Dictionnaire François-Anglois et Anglois-François..." Volume 2. 1792. At Google Books.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

An all metal tea-tin works fine, but when the smoke stops coming from the small hole in the lid, allow the tin to cool before opening. I opened up mine once, fresh from the fire, and FOOOF! up went the char cloth in flames.

LD

 

[jbtusa]

"Tinder" is the correct term for what we mistakenly call "charcloth" or "charwood."

Secondly, period correct for when and for where?

Tinder (charcloth) was documented as being used in the settlements, cities and Jolly Ole England. However, and here is where the controversy begins, there is a dearth of documentation of the use of charcloth on the western frontiers in the USA, especially the rocky mountain fur trade.

The most likely, and the theory which is arrived at by the American Mountain Men, is that the western fur trappers charred punk wood, cloth being too dear for burning, and that it was smoothered but not burned in tins. Tins with holes in them have not been found from that era. (But surprisingly, tinder tubes have been found from the midwestern frontiers.)

Logically speaking, charwood was more likely used than charcloth because rotten punky wood is easily found, free, and abundant everywhere. Charwood actually cathches the spark just as well as charcloth, so... go figure???

The bottom line is that there is no one way of making "tinder" that can be documented with certainty. Everyone's guess....

 

[necchi]

Kobuk,
You should read these;
This one has 4 pages, http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/236931/

And continues here with this newer one, http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/272722/

 

[Richard Kemp]

Thanks to all. I now will call charcloth "rag tinder. I look forward to learning much more from this forum.

 

[pab1]

But surprisingly, tinder tubes have been found from the midwestern frontiers.

I have wondered if there was documentation on tinder tubes. I like making and using char cloth but a tinder tube is much less time consuming.

 

[necchi]

Yeah, but have you ever entered a fire staring comp with a tinder tube?
I mean if your really want PC/HC then Fungas is the way to go.
Of course alot depends on your era and local.
There was alot of extra fabric to be had here in Voyageur country as early as 1700 and through out the remainder of the Olde Northwest Territory.

 

[Claude Mathis]

I now will call charcloth "rag tinder".

I wouldn't worry too much about what you call it today. I doubt that there's a historical reference to "smoke pole", but it's okay to use.

We call our Harley-Davidsons "Harleys", "bikes", "scooters", "scoots", etc. Just make sure the person you're talking to knows what you mean. :wink:

 

[jbtusa]

It was a post on this forum where I saw a post about an excavation of one of the Great Lakes forts that discovered and photographed a "tinder tube." If I can remember correctly, it was made out of bone or antler. Maybe someone can remember it and pull it up again for us. I

 

[Luke MacGillie]

It may have been here, but this forums discussion does not show up in the top row of results of a bing image search for tinder tube :wink:

The person who originaly posted an image of the recovered artifact over on that forum is a friend and I will ping him on facebook to see if I can get some more info on it.

 

[redneck]

if ou ant to be correct try tinder fngs. once lite it will. not go out unless put in water. however it is only found in the north if yo want to try some sent address and i will send and oz or to. this is a lot of fungus.

 

[LaBonte]

But surprisingly, tinder tubes have been found from the midwestern frontiers.

I have wondered if there was documentation on tinder tubes. I like making and using char cloth but a tinder tube is much less time consuming.

They are well documented for the SW USA during the mountain man era and many of those mountaineers from the SW such as Kit Carson, Ewing Young, Bill Williams, et all also worked the northern mountains. One of the Museum of the Fur Trade's Mtn Man Sketchbooks includes one and they are mentioned by Ruxton and others - using a fire glass aka burning aka magnifying glass rather than flint or steel they work great especially for lighting ones cigarillo, a common smoking item in the SW of the 1820's onward.
With the amount for sunshine here most days in the Rockies and Great Basin, both north and south, a burning glass works great 90% of the time winter or summer, so there's no need to use up tinder a lot of the time no matter what it's made from. Back when I smoked a pipe while on a trek I often lit it using nothing but a burning glass - a neat "trick" that often amazed the pilgrims while doing a public interp...About the only time I've ever used flint and steel to start a fire over the last 45 years of doing living history out west, was during bad weather, inside, or after dark - even on overcast days a burning glass will usually work since it's the UV rays that create the heat. The old timers had more than one way to skin the proverbial cat and so do we.....

As for the tinder tube mentioned by jbtusa, it was as noted bone and I'm sure it was the one posted by the late Mike Ameling and IIRC it was not positively a tinder tube, but was assumed to be based on the one burnt end - also IIRC it was from NY not the midwest.

 

[Luke MacGillie]

Yep, 17th Century Western NY Iroquois site. Hollowed out antler with the remains of chared cloth inside.

There are other things that show up in 17th century sites, like Smoker's Companions that disappear completly by the 18th Century only to re-emerge at a later date, so I would temper what Im doing until there is known 18th Cent examples, if that is the time period you are doing.

 

[jbtusa]

Also an important issue about carrying a magnifying lens is that if you lose your charcloth/charwood due to getting wet, you can start from scratch with the lens to make new charcloth/charwood when absent someone else's fire.

 

[Many Klatch]

Kobuk, the thing to watch in making your own charcloth is to get good fabric. I find that old worn out cotton towels make some of the best charcloth. Old T-shirts work also.

We used to use babies receiving blankets that I bought at garage sales, but now all baby and children's clothes have fire retardant in them. Same with Macrame cord. Cheesecloth used to make a great charcloth but it is treated now as well.

Man Klatch

 

[jbtusa]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5WGTxDS1AE&feature=player_embedded

Kieth Burgess has made this video on making tinder out of punk wood.

 

[M. De Land]

Think I'll make a steel for a flint and steel fire maker. What steel is used,spring ?
To go with the tinder box. MD

 

[Carl Fowler III]

I did watch the video on U-Tube as well as many others...I will definitely give punkwood a try as it is so easily accessible where I hunt and fish! Always wondered where the mountain men got their tinder, because cotton cloth would seem to have been dear to them! :thumbsup: