Silk char cloth

[tombear]

Ever since reading that in the Bryant and May collection there is Chinese silk charcloth I've been wanting to try it out.

Sooooo when herself was turfing out some clothes from her dim and distant past I snaffled a short vest thing and have chopped it up to tuirn into char when I next have a fire.

I'll let you know how it goes and how well it takes a spark.

ATB

Tom

 

[British Red]

Never tried silk. Did pure linen though - much, much better than cotton

 

[Toddy]

Me neither ........I've got masses of scrap linen but I'm sure there's some silk there too.

Let us know how it works out ?

cheers,
M

 

[Graham_S]

Did we not try some silk at one of the Scottish meet ups a few years ago?
I seem to remember making quite a few different varieties of charcloth one day for comparison.
IIRC linen was by far the best of all the substances we tried.

 

[Wayland]

I've tried most things but not silk. I didn't think it would be robust enough.

So far, pure linen is the one I keep coming back to.

It's not just the catching of the spark, linen seems to burn hotter so it will ignite a wider range of secondary materials.

 

[tombear]

I'm curious myslf so since I've got to be out back ay way I'll chuck the tin on the old camping gaz stove and see what happens.

I can't imagine it will be better than linen (especially when doctored with KN03, for that Hollywood tinderbox experiance ;-{D) but we shall see. Did the ancient Chinese have linen? surely so.

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

That was somewhat farcical. I charred the stuff, plugged the hole and let it cool and when I opened it up there was this brittle solid lump (loose not stuck to the tin).

The pic shows it after I'd broken it into lumps and ground some into dust.

I seriously suspect that back in the mists of time herself knew a cheapskate and the silk, despite the "100% Pure Silk" on the label , wasn't.

I threw plenty of strong sparks on it from one of Mikes steels and got nothing, then I tried the comedy sized ferro rod and got zip with that as well. So until I can get some definately pure silk this experiment has hit a wall.

Thankfully the other job went well, I've cut a spare piece of the stone the builders made the hearth from into two squares and will cut various Roman board games onto the 4 sides, we've just got back from a week on the Wall and want to keep the lads interest up.

Now to find a source of the moorish chip shop haggis sausages they have up there...

ATB

Tom

 

[Toddy]

Would you like to try again ?
I have some samples of heavy boucle silk.....2" x 3", if I sent them down to you, you could see if that heavier weight of slub spun stuff works more effectively ?

cheers,
M

 

[tombear]

I would indeed, that would be great, thanks!

:-{D)

ATB

Tom

 

[Toddy]

pm me an address and I'll pop an envelope of the samples into the post

cheers,
M

 

[philaw]

I did an old pair of jeans (100% cotton) in a biscuit tin recently. Only about half of them charred, but it produced a lot, and the rest of it is still in the tin ready to be put back on the fire next time I need it. It takes a spark very easily; easier than cotton wool, and burned hot when I blew on it. Hot enough that when I put it with cotton wool a couple of blows had it in flames.

 

[tombear]

Will do! Ta!

The Nine Mens Morris board turned out well. When the top back gardens done I'll set it into the ground near the fire pit i've planned.

Just need to find some light and dark pebbles.

ATB

Tom

pm me an address and I'll pop an envelope of the samples into the post

cheers,
M

 

[tombear]

Over the weekend it was dry enough for a fire (briefly) so I had another go at preparing silk char cloth.

Toddy had kindly sent me enough good thick stuff,

And I chard it much as I would linen or cotton

I plugged the vent as soon as the smoke stopped and let it cool.

However they made silk char it wasn't this way as again what I ended up was a solid but very liight mass of carbon

Once again I tried lighting it with a good steel and then with a modern firesteel. We had no joy at all despite raining fire down on it!

Just to show we were getting decent sparks here's Ted having a go on some normal charred linen.

and I was getting aa lot better showers than that!

So I'm a bit stumped. Next i will try only partially charring the silk, perhaps in a test tube.

ATB

Tom

 

[Dave Budd]

ah, I've only just noticed this thread. I could've saved you the rouble of trying :11doh:

I tried using wool and silk a few years ago and both came out as a gloopy lump that wouldn't burn (also stank whilst making!).

still always worth trying again

 

[Toddy]

How about we accept that silk won't work this way, and try something else.
If the silk was scorched, it should hold together and then still take a spark.
If you have any of the pink chemise stuff left maybe try toasting it too close to a fire or under the grill ?

cheers,
M

 

[tombear]

Heres the line I am working from in the Bryant and May collection list.

1937-682/5 SCM - Firemaking Tinder made of charred silk. Japan. Science Museum, Blythe House

I will try scorching a piece Toddy to see how it goes. Short of going down south to view it I'm a bit stuffed!

Wool used to be used in fire fighting gear, fearnought cloth and all that so I appreciate that won't be a runner. I just hope i'm not barking up the wrong tree because of a typo!

ATB

Tom

 

[Matt.S]

Surely silk is a protein based fibre whereas cotton and linen are carbon based?

 

[Toddy]

Tom, reading that description it says the silk is, "firemaking tinder made of charred silk"
That might not be cloth.
We sometimes use raw flax fibre to catch a flame, and silk comes in many forms. One of them is called 'in the gum', and another is Throwster's waste. Mawata caps and the bombyx crysallis' themselves are all techinically 'silk'.

Somewhere (back of a very full cupboard, in a bag, in a basket ) I have all of those, but burrowing them out just now isn't happening.
If you think there's any validity to this that makes it worth trying though I'll see what I can do when I've finished decorating.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[tombear]

Um, could be. In the mean time I'll try scorching some, I've a old electric iron I could use, it would be more controlable I think.

Of course it could be treated with something that we don't know abouit.

What we need is a Japanese bushcrafter. Any out there?!

Its something I'll keep pecking at anyway. For all practical perposes charred linen treated with KN03 is the business!

ATB

Tom