Having problems making Char cloth

  • Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.

Whittler Kev

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 8, 2009
4,314
12
64
March, UK
bushcraftinfo.blogspot.com
I am having problems making char cloth.
I watched a youtube video on it and followed the instructions although I used a gas barbeque instead of a small gas canister cooker on low.
I put about 6 pieces of 2"X2" off cuts from an old 100% cotton shirt, stuffed in an old, burnt clean, hammerite tin with a whole in the lid. I heated it on a low heat until the smoke had almost stopped, turned the heat off and waited for the tin to go cold with a stopper in the hole.
I kept getting just ash so assumed I left it on to long.
Reducing the time heating leaves the cloth brittle, whitish and it burns with an oil, smoky flame when lit with a lighter (won't take a spark).

HELP!!!!!!!:censored:

Any ideas folks?
 

addo

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 8, 2006
2,485
9
Derbyshire
Is the cloth tightly rolled up inside?
I do mine on a fire or hobo stove with wood so guess its quite a hot constant heat for around 3/4 hr for a small golden syrup tins worth, if that helps.
Ive been lucky as this has always worked. Some cotton works better than others too. An open weeve and definately 100% cotton with very little dye seems the best for dull sparks.
 

BushTucker

Settler
Feb 3, 2007
556
0
60
Weymouth
I have done an entire tea towel before and it has turned out brilliantly, 3-4mm hole in an otherwise airtight tin, cloth rolled up tight, I usually turn mine a quarter turn for about every 15 mins or so. I d this on a small colemans gas stove in the garden because it stinks.
 
I've got a tutorial here which might be useful:
http://mungobah.blogspot.com/2008/05/tutorial-how-to-make-charcloth-for.html
(pasted below)

Tutorial: How to Make Charcloth for Tinder for a Firesteel or Steel Striker



This afternoon I was sitting in the backyard with a couple of books, trying to avoid the direct sun by hiding under my hat when it occurred to me that now would be the perfect time to make charcloth for the first time in my life. I ran inside, scrabbled about and found a few things: a stained 100% cotton tea-cloth that had seen brighter days, a small tin that I had picked up from a makeup store one day with Spring - they had a little basket full of stuff that they were trying to get rid of - my propane/butane camping stove, my ferrocerium firesteel, a little stick, and my Mora carbon steel knife.


Charcloth is linen or cotton cloth that has been combusted in the absence of or with a minimal amount of oxygen.


Just like charcoal, it ends up that the water and impurities in the cloth are burned off.


All that remains is a fairly pure form of carbon.


This - along with the woven structure allowing a large surface area of the carbon to mix with atmospheric oxygen - makes it easy to catch a spark and turn to fire with the presence of flammable kindling.


To prepare, I cut the teacloth with my knife into strips, and folded it tightly up into a round cylinder.


I carefully packed this folded and wrapped cotton cylinder into the base of the tin container and packed it down tightly.


I then packed the lid on carefully.


Into the lid, I cut a small circular hole with the blade of my Mora carbon steel knife. Normally I would avoid using my knife tip for this type of operation, but the metal tin was very soft, softer than that of a soda tin - so it was okay.


I rounded and smoothed the hole by pushing in my firesteel and rotating it.


Then I trimmed a small stick and rounded it off and fitted it into the hole. I checked to ensure it made an air-tight seal, removed it and put it to the side for later.


I put the closed tin, with the hole in the top and the cloth wrapped up tightly inside on top of my stove and turned the flame on to a medium heat.


Within a few seconds smoke began to flow out of the top hole.


Soon it begun to billow and pour out of the top.


Holding the blade of my knife in the smoke stream briefly revealed that within the smoke were non-combusted carbon-compound fractionates, like a honey-coloured tar, and water which beaded on the blade.


Soon the smoke diminished in volume and opacity and only wisps were appearing from out of the hole as most of the impurities and moisture had burned and evaporated off. At this point, I removed the tin from the stove, and placed it on the grass, and poked the stick into the hole to prevent any oxygen entering the tin and causing further burning and combustion.


After a few minutes of cooling, I removed the stick to see if any more smoke was being made.


The tin was smoke-free and had cooled down enough that I could hold it in my hand.


Opening it up was a bit tricky, it seems that the tar has distilled and sealed the lid to the container. It opened after a bit of twisting though, to reveal dark grey fabric.


It was not particularly fragile, as I feared it would be. I could unravel and unroll the packed material without breaking much of it off.


I cut a fragment off and lay it down on the upturned tin.


I put a single spark on it with my ferrocerium Light My Fire Scout firesteel rod and within a second red spots began to grow across the surface.


I picked it up with my fingers and could feel the intense heat coming off the small piece of charcloth - and try as I might, I couldn't extinguish it by blowing on it.


Now that I had seen that the charcloth was working, I gathered some kindling.


I pulled together a handful sized pile of dried leaves, wood shavings from the workshop, and some dried cedar.


I tucked a small patch of charcloth - about an inch square - into the middle of the pile of dried material and cast a small shower of sparks on to it.


Instantly red glowing patches began to radiate out, and I could feel the heat as I held it close to my mouth as I blew on it.


Within seconds a blaze started.


It burned hot and I sat back in complete satisfaction. My first charcloth! I am going to unwrap the rest of it, and store it in small portions in small ziplock bags for my next hike and camping trip. Brilliant!

Hope this tutorial was useful,

Cheers,

Mungo
 

Whittler Kev

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 8, 2009
4,314
12
64
March, UK
bushcraftinfo.blogspot.com
Thanks to all.
Here is the YouTube I followed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7uLVGrAt1M&feature=fvw
He loosly packed it etc.
I'll try again using your ideas (thanks for the tutorial with pics Mungo) with a gas stove instead of the barbecue (maybe too little heat and flat no heat spot in the middle) and a better tin.
I also found another YouTube I am going to try using a bean tin and tin foil (worth a try)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBwHMi7oS98 which also loosly fills the tin.:You_Rock_
 

Whittler Kev

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 8, 2009
4,314
12
64
March, UK
bushcraftinfo.blogspot.com
NOTE:
Just because the label says 100% cotton, Don't believe it!

I now have a large ziplock bag full of char cloth.
Best and quickest way I found was with an old plum tomato tin with 4 fold tinfoil on the top.
I left the cotton loose as per videos and tight as per help from you lot, and found that loose fill made it all go black.
The last lot I did I tipped it out hot. Instant red glow when the oxygen got to it.
Quickly stuffing it back in the can and putting the foil back on the top put it out.
Thanks for the help.
Another first I have managed (what mid life crisis).
I will have to put pics of the two knives, crook knife and four pouches I have made this weekend up here as well
 

VtBlackdog

Tenderfoot
Nov 12, 2008
90
1
VT~USA
Mungo-great pics!

I use old jeans; loosely pack the bottom third of a coffee can, cover with aluminum foil and poke a hole with my knife tip; just big enough that it doesn't clog with tar.....

I tried a gas grill; seemed to take forever, so I just build a fire around the can and keep it going till I"m bored. I've never plugged the hole after pulling it out the fire, and haven't yet had my char self-combust.

tip-try lighting it with a magnifier lens if its sunny out; almost cheating.
 
Aug 12, 2009
190
0
28
Kent, England
I made some on Sunday - your method worked perfectly, although they did have a stripe of uncharred material in the centre, because I didn't leave it heating for long enough - not patient enough
BTW: On youtube, there was a video of someone who'd made something they called "char cord". It seemed to work well, and was made using the same method as the char cloth...
 

Graham_S

Squirrely!
Feb 27, 2005
4,041
65
50
Saudi Arabia
If you want a portable method of making it,
take a 6" length of copper pipe, put a nail in one end, and hammer it flat around it.
pull the nail out.
This leaves a hole.
drill a hole in the flattened but and fit a split ring (to help in getting the tube out of the fire)

roll up material, put into tube.
press open end of tube into ground (this plugs the end nicely)
place in the embers of your fire.
smoke will come out the hole that was made by the nail, and will light.
when the flame goes out, hook out of the fire and leave until you can pick up the tube.
knock out the dirt, and a roll of charcloth will slip out.
easy.
 

Whittler Kev

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 8, 2009
4,314
12
64
March, UK
bushcraftinfo.blogspot.com
If you want a portable method of making it,
take a 6" length of copper pipe, put a nail in one end, and hammer it flat around it.
pull the nail out.
This leaves a hole.
drill a hole in the flattened but and fit a split ring (to help in getting the tube out of the fire)

roll up material, put into tube.
press open end of tube into ground (this plugs the end nicely)
place in the embers of your fire.
smoke will come out the hole that was made by the nail, and will light.
when the flame goes out, hook out of the fire and leave until you can pick up the tube.
knock out the dirt, and a roll of charcloth will slip out.
easy.

Why don't I think of these things?:You_Rock_
 
charcloth001.jpg

I used blue jeans.
charcloth002.jpg

Made a small hole about the size of a pencil lead.
charcloth003.jpg

Put it on the fire for about 2 minutes ,flames and smoke came out the hole.
charcloth004.jpg

Took it off the flames at that point and the charcloth was ready, tough and not falling apart.
charclothalight.jpg

Took a spark from my flint and steel, and burned real well.
 

TeeGeeBee

Tenderfoot
Nov 30, 2009
67
0
South Lakes
:confused: Just a thought & a question in the making of char cloth. I'd happliy make it over an open fire, where the heat and the fire's resourses could be put to other uses too. Making it with a gas or liquid fuel stove, though almost mess free and certainly easier, seems like a waste of precious fuels. And how can one live with the notion of a real fire as being a good thing, if you've squandered fuel in the making of said cloth?

TGB
 

mace242

Native
Aug 17, 2006
1,015
0
52
Yeovil, Somerset, UK
:confused: Just a thought & a question in the making of char cloth. I'd happliy make it over an open fire, where the heat and the fire's resourses could be put to other uses too. Making it with a gas or liquid fuel stove, though almost mess free and certainly easier, seems like a waste of precious fuels. And how can one live with the notion of a real fire as being a good thing, if you've squandered fuel in the making of said cloth?

TGB

I had a similar thought but came to this conclusion. It took me a few mins on the burner to make he cloth. I could have made a drink on the stove in that time. Or cooked one meal, perhaps. Now I have enough char cloth to help start many fires. I also don't have to take the stove with me alongside my hobo and can just light a fire in it instead. Seems a sensible long term replacement in terms of ease. I could have ruled out the whole thing and just relied on making a bow drill when I need a fire - but some things are a little easier.
 
:confused: Just a thought & a question in the making of char cloth. I'd happliy make it over an open fire, where the heat and the fire's resourses could be put to other uses too. Making it with a gas or liquid fuel stove, though almost mess free and certainly easier, seems like a waste of precious fuels. And how can one live with the notion of a real fire as being a good thing, if you've squandered fuel in the making of said cloth?

TGB

Ehhh? Ohh lordy, I made char cloth in a BBQ once and didn't cook any sausages. Am I a bad person? :rolleyes:
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE