Make Char Cloth

In this entry I will show you how to make char cloth which will aid you in fire starting the primitive way.

Step 1: Make the char tin

You need a tin of some sort it just hast to be a closeable tin that is kinda air tight like a tin of mints or maby a altoid can. When you get your tin you need to punch a small hole in the top with a small nail or 4-5 cm, but dont make it to big no bigger that 1cm . this must be done or you risk the chance that the gases presurize the tin and it will explode.
after that you are ready to char some cloth.

Comments

[DieCastoms]

This comment is a little long, I apologize. Hopefully some will find it useful. I was a member of the Wachussett Mountain Men, the Leominster Sportsmans' Association, the N.M.L.R.A. and am a continuing reenactor and supporter of Living History. My Mountain Man name is Little Coon because as a child I was "always chattering and always getting into things". My father is a Rev.War period correct blacksmith and has made many fire starter kits. if you are interested in a kit, feel free to contact me. When making your charcloth, again, I must stress, ONLY 100% cotton will work. Anything synthetic will MELT instead! If you play with the size of the hole in the top of the tin, and get it small enough that you have a good steady flow of smoke, you can actually light the smoke itself. The can will not explode, because there is no oxygen in it, that's the whole point of doing it in a tin can. If you light the smoke you will get basically a candle flame. 9 out of 10 times, when the smoke finally burns out and will not re-light, the cloth is done. If you keep your char cloth, flint and striker and some rope fibers or DRY grass and a thin piece of leather in a TIGHTLY SEALING tin, you will always have what you need. Half bury a piece of charcloth in a 'bird's nest' of the grass or fibers and lay that on the piece of leather. Either hold the striker in one hand and hit with a GLANCING BLOW of a sharp edge of the flint, or hold the flint and swing the striker. One way will most likely work better then the other for you. Try to get AS MANY of the sparks to land on the charcloth as possible. Once you have embers burning in the cloth, pick the entire pile up using the leather like a pot holder and blow through the fibers gently like if you were cooling off a spoonful of soup. Once the fibers catch flame, place them into your kindling to get it lit, and retrieve your leather. Once your fire is going good, why not replenish your charcloth? Remember 100% cotton will dry if it gets wet, but charcloth will DISSOLVE if it gets wet. Carry cotton and make charcloth as you need it! As a random extra story: A demonstrator came to my school when I was in 2nd grade to show us about "Primitive living". While there, he showed how to start a flint and steel fire and although I do not remember what he did wrong, many people remember what happened. I corrected him, and of course since he was the teacher and I was the student, he was infallible and I was certainly wrong. When he made the comment "If you're so smart, come up and show us how it's done." I set the teachers desk on fire. Had he ASKED me, I at the time held my group's record for flint and steel fire in under 7 seconds! Remember, I was 7 years old! My parents were called and when told exactly what happened, dad told the PRINCIPLE to bugger off because of the demonstrator's attitude to me. In the following years, DAD was the demonstrator!!!! I hope my post is helpful and has not stepped on any toes. DC

[peapeam]

As I've understood it, this is not correct (check Wikipedia article). The point is that it has to be a vegetable fiber. So not only 100% cotton will work, e.g. linen will also work or e.g. a mix of linen and cotton. Synthetics are of course excluded.

[waykno]

Wikipedia? I can change that. Wiki would not be my "go to" source.

[DieCastoms]

You are correct, thank you for pointing that out. Any 100% natural cloth will work. Anything synthetic will melt and smoke and not ignite. I have never tried to use anything other than 100% cotton, mostly from old t-shirts.

[Sir Crapton]

I had a medieval-era style blacksmith teach me how to start fires and make char cloth last time I was at a Renaissance Faire. Its a lot of fun.

[Aklash, The hunchback]

 One can use linen as a substitute for cotton (why one would have linen but not cotton I don't know) but both wil work fine.

[Lithium Rain]

Holy massive paragraph Batman.

[franklinonline]

 wow the instructor. He could always try yours, see it works, then aplogise and say hes human and wrong sometimes. But he bes a looser and stuff. 

[askeladden]

You can also do this on the BBQ.

[kInstructor]

This also works fine with aluminum foil as can and kitchen paper as cloth.

[Eleniel]

umm.. is the can just in/on the fire. or is the fire IN the can ?

[gearskin]

The principle at work here is pyrolysis, in which you separate an organic substance into a solid and a gas (or multiple gases) by high temperature in an environment free of oxygen. You'll want the fire on the outside of the tin - what you want inside the tin is a whole lot of heat, and a way for the gaseous byproduct of pyrolysis to escape. This is also why you can "overcook" in this recipe - once the gaseous byproduct is driven off, oxygen can reenter the tin through the hole in the top.

[Graywolf]

i hope yall enjoyed this and it worked for yall please give me feed back and tell me if ther is any thing i can do to improve, also i will eventualy show yall how to make fire with a spark and eventualy with sticks

[Top feeder]

That's is very similar to making charcoal for BP and fireworks which also happens to be fun.

[Shilloh777]

Spell check would help. No offense meant. Some comic slang is okay, but it helps me if I understand you. I hope you didn't mean to make fun of southerners or the way they speak.

[scoutmastermike190]

thank you graywolf. I am teaching this at a boy scout camporee this weekend

[tcasarella]

i make my char cloth in a altoid tin on the charcoal after i am done cooking.

[nutsandbolts_64]

weird question: could you use cotton balls?

[beehard44]

charred balls? sounds awfully wrong

[Eleniel]

ROFL!

[nutsandbolts_64]

lol. To other iblers out there: DO NOT use newspapers. I repeat, DO NOT use newspapers. If you attempt to turn it into charcoal, the end result is some pretty flammable paper, but it would be extremely smelly (I mean potent to the point of irritating and causing a sort-of burning sensation to your nose).

[LOOPDOP]

I think you mean 4 to 5 mm (millimetre). Am i correct?

[peapeam]

Yes, looks like a typo. It must be 4-5mm, since it is to be no bigger than 1cm. A 4-5cm (appr. 2") hole of course would be way too big.

[minime12358]

Fun and useful thing to do- light the smoke on fire. it will stop burning once it is done. the smoke is flammable.

[StickStoneBone]

Char cloth, excellent... do know what works nearly as well? Raman Noodles.

[technodude92]

do you need to use a fire? can you char cloth on a hotplate/gas stove? and aprox. how long does it take to char cloth?

[Aklash, The hunchback]

 a grill will work great

[sharlston]

no it wont get hot enough

[dscroll]

yes you can use any heat source(not sure about hot plate) but do it out side.

[technodude92]

thanks i just might do this

[pyro13]

hot plate will most likely work, just turn it up on high

[Evilrick]

Just some added information, you can use any type of tin, including a soup, bean, tuna, or any other can. Use heavy duty aluminum foil or several layers of regular weight foil for a top/ lid.  I have done this many times, I have also used thin flexible wire (bread ties, snare wire, a few strands from a lamp cord) wrapped around to hold the foil tight to the sides of the can, not absolutely necessary, but it does help keep the can sealed. Be sure to let the can/tin cool completely before opening or the char may ignite when you open it.   The thicker the cotton, the better, cotton rope works great and is less brittle. I also use one of the cheep round plastic waterproof matchboxes to keep my char in. Keeps it dry, and will hold enough char to start many fires. It's always in a pocket and a fero rod is always on my keyring.

[lillady09]

Graywolf, Great instructable and correct for period reenactors if I might add to keep your char-cloth dry try applying a drop of melted candle wax on the hole in your tin. I always carry a small beeswax candle in my rucksack.

[sharlston]

will this work for rags like dusters?

[sharlston]

will this work with them material dusters for cars?

[rofus]

char cloth is very useful to me because it takes the tiniest ember and starts smoldering. its a good idea to make it when its easy to make a fire or your out of luck. one more thing, denim jeans works better.

[Gramps]

Like your imput on how you guys carry the Char Cloth while in the field, i.e. How do you recommend carrying it and what amount. I just like to get other folks Ideas. Appreciate your response. Thanks

[Graywolf]

in something waterproof i use a peice of electral tape to cover the top hole and then seal the side with a length of electral tape. carry as mush as you think you need, if your good you could start a fire with one peice

[Trans_Am]

Whatever those handheld sparkers are made of. I can never get flint to work.

[FrenchCrawler]

If you're refering to the sparkers that are kind of like tongs with a upside down cap on one end that are usually used in scientific classes, they use flint (at least the ones I had did)...