i did a quick search but couldnt really see anything, can some one either explain or point me in the right direction for good char cloth making how-to's?
many thanks guys, happy trails.
many thanks guys, happy trails.
char cloth advice
- Thread starter Ruckus
- Start date
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I made some that seems to work using a yellow duster cut up to use in a sweet tin on top of a trangia.
Dead simple!
Dead simple!
Get something like a tobacco tin. Fill it with rectangles/squares of natural material (linen works well). Don't use man-made fibres, they'll just melt! Put the lid on the tin, and make a small hole in the lid. Put the tin on a fire or over a burner. You'll see smoke start to come out of the hole. When the smoke stops, take the tin off the fire and let it cool down.
One word of warning - don't use upholstery linen. It's often treated to be fire retardant. You'll still get something that looks like char cloth - it just won't take light! Very safe though!
WL
One word of warning - don't use upholstery linen. It's often treated to be fire retardant. You'll still get something that looks like char cloth - it just won't take light! Very safe though!
WL
I made charcloth with bits of an old t-shirt wrapped tightly in aluminium foil and cooked for about an hour in the charcoals of a homemade brazier, made from an old bean tin. It worked fine.
Another word of caution,a small hole means something the size of a pencil in diameter,i made a smaller hole and discovered you can get quite a satisfying bang out of your charcloth tin
Some people also put in a small plug after taking their tin out of the fire(never needed that myself)
My first attempt to make charcloth i used half a pair of trousers,downside was the tin kept smoking like a volcano for an hour,upside was i managed to reorient the tin so the smoke went back into my gardenhearth (looked and sounded like a blowtorch and all the smoke was gone)
Porcupine
Some people also put in a small plug after taking their tin out of the fire(never needed that myself)
My first attempt to make charcloth i used half a pair of trousers,downside was the tin kept smoking like a volcano for an hour,upside was i managed to reorient the tin so the smoke went back into my gardenhearth (looked and sounded like a blowtorch and all the smoke was gone)
Porcupine
due to the lack of places where i can make fire, i make them on top of a traniga stove. One fill is good enough to char a reasonable strip of cloth in a candy tin. It will produce a LOT of smoke. Once tryed to char an intire t-shirt at once on my balcony, the hole place was filled with some in minutes. Had to stop the proces, with the cloth barely chared.
Anything made of cotton or linen. I started with old clothes. Now I don't know exactly why this is but the stuff would not take a spark, even if you put a match to it. It might be to do with the fact that I am in a hard water area and the cloth gets coated with lime? Anyway once I moved on to new material I had no more problems.
It did however teach me an important lesson - always test a piece before putting the rest in my kit and relying on it.
A simple test I now do with a candle or night light. Cut a 1-2 inch square and wrap it in aluminium foil. Do this outside. Then hold it with fire tongs over the flame. After about 5 minutes it stops smoking and it is done. Then test a corner with a match to see if it will glow and spread and immediately put it out before the glow spreads - then you can use it for real another time. You could probably make a full batch this way if you keep the package small enough to have a good proportion in the flame.
Different materials behave differently. I like a bit of linen works very well. Cotton bandages can have a loose weave that won't spread the glow well. Natural materials is another story.
It did however teach me an important lesson - always test a piece before putting the rest in my kit and relying on it.
A simple test I now do with a candle or night light. Cut a 1-2 inch square and wrap it in aluminium foil. Do this outside. Then hold it with fire tongs over the flame. After about 5 minutes it stops smoking and it is done. Then test a corner with a match to see if it will glow and spread and immediately put it out before the glow spreads - then you can use it for real another time. You could probably make a full batch this way if you keep the package small enough to have a good proportion in the flame.
Different materials behave differently. I like a bit of linen works very well. Cotton bandages can have a loose weave that won't spread the glow well. Natural materials is another story.
Ruckus said:
Try this:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/content/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=45
and this:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/content/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=59
Richard
Hello all
I use 100% cotton stockinette that is used for polishing cars.
Buy it from your local car parts shopfor £1.
I only use small quantities to test the fire pistons that I make.
I do this by cutting a small piece and wrap some aluminium foil around it leaving a small hole at one end. Then when "she who must be obeyed at all times" is not around I put it on the livingroom gas fire . When it stops smoking, its ready.
Careful though, it can get smelly.
cheers John
I use 100% cotton stockinette that is used for polishing cars.
Buy it from your local car parts shopfor £1.
I only use small quantities to test the fire pistons that I make.
I do this by cutting a small piece and wrap some aluminium foil around it leaving a small hole at one end. Then when "she who must be obeyed at all times" is not around I put it on the livingroom gas fire
. When it stops smoking, its ready.Careful though, it can get smelly.
cheers John
M
Millbilly
Guest
I use an old empty boot polish tin, with a tiny hole in the lid (make the hole by pushing a nail through) pack it full of denim and cook it for about 20-odd minutes. Got the advice from the british blades thread on using a flint and steel: http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11664
Im yet to try the method mentioned on this forum, using copper pipe, but it looks like a good one. Check out Jason01 firesteels, theyre the mutts nuts
Im yet to try the method mentioned on this forum, using copper pipe, but it looks like a good one. Check out Jason01 firesteels, theyre the mutts nuts
wow theres some stuff to try! thanks for all your input.
i think i'll give a couple of those a try.
thanks for all your help guys, really appreciate it.
i think i'll give a couple of those a try.
thanks for all your help guys, really appreciate it.
And we now have the perfect use for all those tins of maya dust !! Empty contents into bin, make hole in lid and fill with cotton...
innocent bystander said:And we now have the perfect use for all those tins of maya dust !! Empty contents into bin, make hole in lid and fill with cotton...
Funnily enough, thats EXACTLY what I did
Then realised I had a few empty air pellet tins kicking around
I've always used the baccy tin method using linen, with good results, but the copper tube with denim works really well too. A friend of mine uses kitchen towel and just leaves it in the Rayburn oven for an hour or two. It chars well and takes a spark, but is a bit fragile and "fly away" for my taste.
Willowbark
Willowbark
I prefer using denim - makes for a less fragile cloth. The copper tube method also produces neat rolls of cloth which can either be used as is if you really want to make sure of getting a fire lit, or when conditions are good, a little can be torn off the end. BTW, I normally use char cloth with flint and steel.
M
Millbilly
Guest
Hello mate, you said:
When I didn't have a big tin around I've just got 2 old tin cans and split one about an inch down one side. I put the cloth in then just pushed the tins together. The ridges on the side help keep it ogether and there's enough space to let gas escape.
Im trying to find a suitable tin at the mo, as i cant seem to find any copper tubing, and my boot polish tin has burnt out.
Im trying to work out what you said above, but cant seem to get my head around it. Probabley just me being a plonker but id love it if you could explain that one, or even post a pic.
Cheers!
When I didn't have a big tin around I've just got 2 old tin cans and split one about an inch down one side. I put the cloth in then just pushed the tins together. The ridges on the side help keep it ogether and there's enough space to let gas escape.
Im trying to find a suitable tin at the mo, as i cant seem to find any copper tubing, and my boot polish tin has burnt out.
Im trying to work out what you said above, but cant seem to get my head around it. Probabley just me being a plonker
but id love it if you could explain that one, or even post a pic. Cheers!
I got some dead good charcloth by ripping the back pocket of an old pair of jeans that were kicking around the house and putting it in a tobacco tin (no hole) on the gas cooker for 10 minutes.
Charcloth works lovely but my good lady was incredibly P****d off about the smell of the melted rubber seal!
Charcloth works lovely but my good lady was incredibly P****d off about the smell of the melted rubber seal!
I use a round candy tin which I drilled a hole in the edge rather than the top of the tin. Then by twisting the two halves of the tin the holes missalign and "seal".
My favorite material is old cotton towels. The terry loops produce a nice dense char that catches the sparks nearly first time and holds the coal well.
I layer the towels in and set the tin with the holes aligned in the flame and let the smoke catch fire. I rotate the tin a couple of times and once the flame dies from the smoke hole I just remove and let cool. I thought I could twist the tin to close the hole but this is too much trouble with the friction and heat of the tin, so I do not bother.
You can see my char tin in the middle of this image. The hole is in the tin edge of the bottom and a matching one is in the tin top.
My favorite material is old cotton towels. The terry loops produce a nice dense char that catches the sparks nearly first time and holds the coal well.
I layer the towels in and set the tin with the holes aligned in the flame and let the smoke catch fire. I rotate the tin a couple of times and once the flame dies from the smoke hole I just remove and let cool. I thought I could twist the tin to close the hole but this is too much trouble with the friction and heat of the tin, so I do not bother.
You can see my char tin in the middle of this image. The hole is in the tin edge of the bottom and a matching one is in the tin top.
Millbilly said:Hello mate, you said:
When I didn't have a big tin around I've just got 2 old tin cans and split one about an inch down one side. I put the cloth in then just pushed the tins together. The ridges on the side help keep it ogether and there's enough space to let gas escape.
Im trying to find a suitable tin at the mo, as i cant seem to find any copper tubing, and my boot polish tin has burnt out.
Im trying to work out what you said above, but cant seem to get my head around it. Probabley just me being a plonker
Cheers!
I wish my camera wasn't broken at the minute...
I'll try explain it better.
Get 2 empty food cans (Baked beans, soup, whatever) and remover the labels. You will be able to see the ridges on the side. To get the 2 cans to fit together, we need to remove the rim. If you have a "normal" tin opener, just put it on sideways so it cuts upside down and removes the rim.
Next, cut an inch long slit into the end of 1 of the cans so that the mouth of the can can be widened. Get the other can and ram it into the first can. When the ridges meet, they should help hold it together.
You haven't forgotten to put the cloth in have you?
I hope that makes sense. I'll see if I can borrow a camera and write it up properly (I'll add it to the list of jobs!)
