How do ya make good Charcloth?

[omarick1948]

Charcloth or some other form of tinder is an essential part of my fire making kit, as with many on this forum. The problem with me over the years is making good quality CHARCLOTH!

I usually use a tin box (Bandaid, Sucrets etc.) to place my cotton cloth in. Close the box lid and then just place over a burner or hot coals.

After a few minutes, I pull it out to check contents. Sometimes I have Charcloth, partially scorched cotton cloth or just black ash! :cursing:

So guys, tell me some of your secrets for methods and materials!

Thanks,
Rick

 

[smo]

Throw a spark on that black ash!

 

[Robert Egler]

Put a small hole in the top. After a few minutes smoke will start coming out. When the smoke more or less stops, (don't wait until completely stops, just when there are only a few puffs every couple seconds) take the tin out of the fire and wait until it cools to open it. Open it too soon and the cloth might actually catch fire from the introduction of more O2.

Also, make sure you don't have too much stuff in the tin to start with, it should be only loosely packed.

 

[Gus]

Ditto to Squirell Tail's response, but

I use an Altoid can that is kind of leaky anyway, so I don't need to punch holes, I only do 5-7, 2"x2" pieces at a time, and I find old cotton shirt flannel makes a great charred cloth, and catches every time. I've done it over coals, and on the side burner of my gas grill with the same results. Sometimes flame or smoke comes out of the can, I can't predict why one and not the other.

gus

 

[Len Graves]

To make good char cloth. I first determine that the cloth I am going to use is 100% cotton or linen. Do this by burning a little piece of the cloth. If it burns to ash it should be OK. If it balls up and melts it has some plastic stuff in it. I use a musket cap tin, or other such tin. I like to use old worn blue jean material. I cut this into about one in squares (size is your preference) and place in the fire. I have found thet the musket cap tin just fits into my lead melting pot. I heat the pot and place the tin on top of the lead. I will turn it over several times to insure even heating. I usually pack the tin as full as I can to keep out oxygen. I have found that I need no hole punched in the tin as the lid leaks enough smoke. When the smoke has almost stopped remove from the heat. Don't open till cool. This method also works in the coals of the camp fire. This is the method that works for me. I know it contradicts some other methods, but it works best for me. I usually keep the char cloth in the tin I use to make it. Hope this helps. Good luck. Len

 

[Blizzard of '93]

good idea Len to use the molten lead heat to char with, no chance of over-heating.

 

Rick,

Good suggestions here. Small twist-- in that hole on top of your Altoids tin, once the smoke stops coming out then plug that hole (i use three toothpicks) and take off your heat source. Let stand that way till cool.

I have found that if you keep oxygen from it till cool then it will really grab a spark :thumbsup:

good luck :v

 

[RADeO]

I generally follow the procedures already mentioned. I personally use an empty quart paint can (purchased new but empty) due to the tight-fitting lid. I punched a hole in the lid with a 10-penney nail. Only a few pieces of cloth are charred at a time due to the volume of gasses generated. I ignite the smoke jet that comes out of the hole. When the jet no longer burns I remove the can from the heat and PLUG THE HOLE in the lid with the afore-mentioned nail. This prevents any oxygen from getting to the char. Open when cool and store the char in a period-correct plastic zip-lock bag :grin:.

 

[paulvallandigham]

To make good charcoal, you have to heat up cotton cloth-- don't use the cotton "blends", that contain some synthetic fibers-- above its flash point, in an oxygen starved atmosphere, and hold it at that temperature until all the moisture is removed, by the heat, from the cotton fibers.

Now, to do that, MOST of us use a tight locking can, and put a very small nail hole it its top. I have a can that came from a roll of tape. Its about the diameter of an old shoe polish tin, but deeper, and the lid screws on.

If you have a can that leaks, it might work. If it leaks too much, the air will turn your cotton into ash inside the tin. I use the tight can and small hole so I can what the white "smoke"( really its steam) coming out of the hole to gauge how much longer I need to leave the can on the fire.

Pack the can FULL and TIGHT with as much cotton as you can get into it, to displace as much OXYGEN as you can from the can. OXYGEN is needed to turn burnging materials to ash! I don't think you want ash! :nono: :nono: :shake: :shocked2: :redface: as the end product.

I don't want a flame burning above the small hole. I have a disagreement with some of the members here on this issue, but I have made lots of charcloth, in public, during club demonstrations of flint and steel firestarting, so I am going to stick with my personal experience. A flame indicates to me( from observation) that oxygen is getting down into the can through my NOT-as-small-as-I-thought hole in the top, and the heat is now mixing oils from the cloth with the oxygen to produce that flame outside. I remove the can from the heat if I seen flame, and I cover the hold with a spoon or spatula until the can cools enough to not allow a flame to begin.

When the smoke from the hole gets to a point where the steam is no longer very visible, I stop the heat, by removing the tin from the fire, and letting it cool, usually with a damp rag on top of the tin to prevent air from getting into the can. Remember that the cloth inside was heated to a temperature above its flash point, so introducing oxygen at any stage when the cloth is still hot will cause the cloth to turn to ash, or a fire to begin inside, which will turn the cloth to ash. Don't open the can until its cool to the touch. I found for my purposes, during a demonstration when I was doing this in public, and they didn't want to stand around waiting 20 minutes for tin to cool to look inside and see the " new " charcloth I had produced, I could speed up the cooling process considerably if I put the can on a wet cloth.

Sometimes part of the cloth comes out brown, maybe in the centers of the cut pieces( I use squares). I just put them back in the can, close it, and put it back in the fire to heat. I do remove the fully charred cloth bits from the can first, however.

This is not an exact science, but the prinicples required to get materials to char, whether wood or cloth, remain the same. Its the cooking time, for any given container, that is indefinite. Sometimes, I found, if I compressed the cotton too tight, the very tightness allowed the cotton ot insulate the inner pieces from heat, and prevent the moisture from being drawn out. So, I chalk up getting partially charred cloth to " Operator error". :surrender: :shocked2: :wink: :hatsoff:

 

[Robert Egler]

Open when cool and store the char in a period-correct plastic zip-lock bag :grin:.

Plugging the hole is a good idea, I'm going to do that. I also store my extra charcloth in the classic PC plastic ziploc bag. :grin:

For the char cloth I'm carrying, though, I have a small tin with a screw on lid. I use a thin piece of dry leather inside the lid as a gasket, and it stays "fresh" no matter what the weather. I have no idea what the actual period correct way of carrying it would be.

 

[Bountyhunter]

When the temperature inside the can gets up to the combustion temperature of the linen or cotton inside, the combustible gasses will squirt out the hole. They will catch on fire, but will not burn down inside the can as it is pressurized like a propane torch tip. The gas jet on this can caught a few seconds after I took the picture.

Watch the process until the fire goes out then using oven mitts or gloves, poke a nail in the hole to seal it, and remove the can from the heat source. Let the can cool. COOL. If you open it while the inside temp is near combustion, it will flash and all you will have is white ash.

Allowing the gas jet to flame tells you when all the combustibles in the can have charred. When there are no more combustibles, the fire will go out and there will not be any brown material.

 

[sniper68]

Here's my simple and fool proof method. First of all "any pure cotton cloth will work, but my favorite is Egyptian, loop stitched(kinda like a rug)bath towel. Make sure you read the label and/or test, because not all are 100% cotton. Cut into 1 or 2" squares
Get a cast iron skillet or "steele" pot with a proper fitting steele lid. Make sure it's not one your wife wants. What you or I call seasoned or patina, she will call ruined! No need to vent(tried it, not necessary), the gasses will vent along the edges of the rim. You will see the oils forming and bubling all along the rim. As the venting slows down to a trickle, turn the heat off and don't touch the lid until completely cooled(bout 30-45 min.). The oils that have formed around the pot perimeter will seal the char from any oxygen. Although I have a 600 cfm exhaust fan mounted directly to an outside wall, I have standing orders to do it outside... :nono: :surrender:
sniper

 

[streetsniper]

Not to hijack this thread but I remember reading some people would use a knotted up candle wick in place of char cloth. The wick was wrapped up on itself hangman loop style and the end charred. Any thoughts on that? Billy

 

[trent/OH]

Once while attending a class at the School of Hard Knocks I learned that your cloth should NOT be from kids pajamas, because they are treated with a fire-retardant so that kids don't catch fire so easily. Said retardant also keeps it from being useful as charcloth.

I'm working on my Masters degree at the School of Hard Knocks; anybody else here a student???

 

[Big Sky Trapper]

The best materials I ve found my self are geniune GI cleaning patches, (the cream-tan colored ones)
They are a cotten linen blend, Char right up and are very durable after charring.

I havnt tried the new ones that are a white cotten/sythn mix and round with a hole in the center....

 

Not to hijack this thread but...

Don't you love it when people do that?

I know I shouldn't do this BUT... I'm going to do it anyway, because I don't really care. :shake:

Sorry, this gets old. :v

 

Not to hijack this thread but I remember reading some people would use a knotted up candle wick in place of char cloth. The wick was wrapped up on itself hangman loop style and the end charred. Any thoughts on that? Billy

Billy,
Yes, they can be used, but ive found Char to be easier. maybe it has something to do with the charred wick being extinguished in an O2 atmosphere, i dont know, but Charcloth made proper, No O2, just seems better, or best.
:v

 

[Many Klatch]

You need a really tight can. An old shoe polish can (remember them?) is best. Pack it full of cloth. The can should have one hole punched in the middle of the top. Put the can over coals in a wood fire. Once it starts to smoke see if you can light the smoke, I usually keep the smoke lit until you can't light it anymore. That usually means that it is done. Now comes the hard part, take it out of the fire and don't open it until it cools.

Some notes on charcloth. Old cotton towels that have been washed thousands of times are real good,so are old baby receiving blankets. Your best bet might be a garage sale for picking up fabric. Be careful with modern flannel, cheesecloth and muslin, some if not all have been fire treated and they won't hold a spark worth doodley. The Feds required baby and children's clothing to be fire treated and so the fabric used in those clothes are treated.

Many Klatch

 

[RC]

they won't hold a spark worth doodley

........... :hmm: ..that's the word I was lookin for!! :rotf: i did the paint can,wait'll it stops smokin...put a toothpick in it and cool...worked at the n'eastern!..now the tow,, :shake: :cursing: :haha:

 

[flaming canvas]

The best material I have found to use is called monks cloth. The threads look to be almost as big as kite string and the weave has 5 or 6 threads running together. Wally world may have it in your area. Down here they are getting rid of all their fabrics so I have to get it at Joann's.

I have a couple of tins that I use to cook it. One is a candy can that is about 5 inches in diameter and two deep.It has a nail hole on each side. The other is a about 2 inch diameter and 1 and a half deep that I got to carry on treks. I got really particular with this one and drilled a 3/32 or so hole through the side of the lid and through the can. When I'm cooking I keep the holes lined up. Other wise I keep them offset to keep the water out.
It really isn't critical what kind of can you use as long as it will seal pretty well.

I don't try to pack the material too tight and I usually flip it over after a few minutes. I don't worry about whether or not the smoke is burning. As long as it's coming out, no air is going in. When it quits smoking I take it off the fire and put some dirt on top of the can to keep the air out while it cools.