making char cloth

[blueridgebushcraft]

I am new to the world of trekking, but I've been bushcrafting and camping using primitive skills (with some modern equipment) for years.

I don't make char cloth at home... I usually grab a chunk of fabric from home before I leave and make it in the woods... My tinderbox is an altoids tin with a very small hole in the lid. I just put the fabric in the tin and put it in the fire... I remove it when the smoke stops billowing out of the small hole and plug the hole with a twig... after it cools I have char cloth.

The altoids tin works great and lasts a pretty long time plus it doubles as my tinderbox.

My question is: what would be the historically correct way of making char cloth in the field? How do the PC tinderboxes made of brass and tin hold up when put into the coals of your fire? Would it be more PC to make it at home and take it with me or use more natural materials like charred punk wood or something like that?

I've also been thinking about making a tinder tube out of an old .30-06 brass or something... would that be better for an early 1800s fur trade persona?

Thanks for the help, guys! I love this forum! So many knowledgeable people here.

Ed

 

[jbtusa]

Scout: The use of charcloth and tin boxes to make it in is very sparsely documented, if at all, so your use of charcloth as being "historically correct" is as much speculation as anyone else's. However...

I use a blank quart paint can from Home Depot ($3) to make charcloth in. Use heavy cotton patches; 2 x 2" to burn. Just punch a tiny hole in the top of the can, fill to about 2/3 full and put on embers until the smoke spouting out seems to die down. Then pull the can out of the embers and turn can upside down in the dirt to seal the hole so it doesn't flame.

Tinder tube: cut a 2" piece of 3/8" copper tubing and get a piece of same size upholstery piping from Joann's Fabric. Burn the end of the piping and viola, your tinder tube will become your preferred char instantly once you use it! (Pull the rope clear of the tube so that you don't ruin the charred end while striking the flint.)

 

[necchi]

My question is: what would be the historically correct way of making char cloth in the field?

Well they actually didn't use cloth,,It was too precious a commodity too be burnt,,there's a bunch of readily available natural tinders that would be gathered along the way.

Any way,,to save damage to the brass containers you mentioned,, just start fabric on fire and step on it to smother the flame,,all you need is that small chared edge to catch the spark,, :wink:

Same thing can be done with the pith center of the common Mullin plant,,and the dried husk of a Milkweed pod.

p.s. As your grabbing fabirc from home to make char cloth,,keep in mind many of our clothing materials have a flame retardent added,,sometimes little Jeffies old PJ's or Bluejeans/T-shirts won't work very well.

 

[the Black Spot]

small chunks of rotten wood can be turned to char also, use the same method as you would with clothe.(if the wood crumbles it is too rotten.)

 

[shmrck1]

VS,
Goggle char cloth...Some PC some not so much

 

[gus13]

some types of fungus can also be used for char, I wanna call it the "horseshoe fungus" ( ) but I'm not sure as to the name. Also Cattails work great if you char them first!

but IMO the punk wood is probably your best bet as far as HC/PC is concerned. you could still throw a tin of ready made char cloth in your bag as kind of a "just in Case" type of deal but I would still recommend the wood for tinder!
:thumbsup:

 

[blueridgebushcraft]

the fungus is called "tinder fungus" or amadou... I've used it quite a bit, but it works better as a coal extender than a tinder... it doesn't catch a spark as good as charred punk or a coal from the previous camp's fire.

I am very well versed in primitive skills... I guess I was just looking for guidance on what to replace my tinderbox with... I guess what I'll do is get one of those Hudson's Bay tinderboxes and just keep some charred punk wood in it along with a tinder tube.

Thanks again, guys! I knew I'd find an answer here.

Ed

 

[Ketchakah]

Last i read, the original tinder boxes were tin or wood. The brass ones are modern representations. They dont say however that they were used to actually make char in.

 

[runnin lead]

A white cotton shirt + an iron = charcloth :rotf: To be period corect you can use an old iron that has to be heated on the woodstove

 

[blueridgebushcraft]

Well... looks like what I'll do is put a tinder tube in my kit, and keep some char punk wood in my tinderbox.

Thanks for the heads up about the tinderboxes... I'll be looking for a tin one.

 

[Many Klatch]

My wife and I were experimenting with char yesterday. Charred Punk, will catch a spark all by itself. I used shredded grape vine bark as the tinder and a piece of charred punk and got fire fairly quickly.

We also experimented with charred lint from the dryer. Boy does that take a spark fast, but it isn't historically PC.

One of the things we found is that some of the fabrics that are available today have fire retardant in them. Even when charred we couldn't get them to take a spark. We threw out a batch of charred cotton bath towel that wouldn't take a spark. Some char that we made from an old linen shirt worked just fine. If you do make char from cloth, test it before you take it in the woods, it might not work.

We always carry a stub of a candle in our fire kits because if you really need to start a fire a candle stub lit from the burning tinder will light even the dampest wood.

Many Klatch