Do you know any Ghurkas Wayland? I know they're from Nepal but it shouldn't be too dissimilar between the 2 countries as to what they use for tinder.
What makes the best Char Cloth?
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Do you know any Ghurkas Wayland? I know they're from Nepal but it shouldn't be too dissimilar between the 2 countries as to what they use for tinder.
In my opinion, Mike has hit the deciding factor on the head with his comment.
If you're lucky enough to live in an area with soft water and use little detergent and softeners, your charcloth should be pretty good no matter what the starting garment. However, if you happen to wash your base material in hard water or with loads of softening chemicals, it can have a big detrimental effect on the quality of the resulting charcloth. Of course that means there will be no effect of your local water if you buy new cloth to char, but then you have to deal with the unknown processes that it has been through during production - wich is why I think some folk see lots of tar coming out of tea towels for example!
ATB
Ogri the trog
I often use cotton stockinette, the sort that's used for wrapping a broken leg along with plaster. It's very open and catches a spark on the first strike normally. The main reason I use it is because I have lots of it
I'll second that. Tried a few diferent cotton types but this was the best and I ve got loads of it too.
A piece of copper pipe can also be used to char cotton. One end is flattened, a small hole left by putting a nail in the end before squashing it flat and then pulling the nail out with some pliers. Roll the cloth up, put it in the open end and then ram the open end into some nice compacted mud. Best not to have too much decaying matter or stones in it. Bung it on the fire and do as normal. Once it is done, remove and allow to cool. Once it is cool enough to pick up, you can tap the pipe and the earth plug will drop out followed by the charcloth.
I have kept some for boppers that I will be shown how to make. To be completely honest though, it was what came out of the van this week and so didn't get taken to the scrappies. I'll wait till I've got a decent haul and go again. Pays for the beers!
YOu can get 100% unbleached natural tampons from health food shops. Most tampons are a mixture of cotton and rayon. I havent tried them but I was considering it due to their handy shape and applicator to shove them back in once charred. I made some Charred cattail head, my first batch so Ive not much to compare it to. It takes a spark from a magnesium fire striker, but I dont know about flint and steel. Ill bring the tin along to the bushmoot, people can try it if they like. ANyway, Id rather try something else as the cat tail is far to flimsy, you have to bundle it up or else it blows away and then your fingers are sooty.
Quote...snipped from Mikes post..
"So you don't even need a "tin" to make charcloth. Yes, you do burn up and lose some of your cloth, but scrap cloth is pretty easy to come up with. But I'm also shifting over to mostly using Tinder Fungus or already charred chunks of punky wood to catch my sparks. I'm doing this because most of my stuff is Historically based, and documentation for use of charcloth is almost non-existant before the mid to late 1800's. So we can't find references to people using it back in the 1700's - thus we have to find other options - like the tinder fungus or pre-charred wood/fungus."
From a 16th Century English-Latin phrase book for travellers called..
'Vulgaria uiri doctissimi Guil. Hormani Caesariburgensis' printed in 1519
From the section titled Coquinaria/culinatia/mallcellatria/et ea/quea attinet et affinia sunt iis
'Here as a flynt or a nother stone to smyte fyre can nat begote it must be done with rubbynge of II treen pecis to gether.
Vbi silicis aut alternius viui ignigeni suieignarii lapidis non est occasio lignorum attritu ignis eliciendus est
I shall gette me drye tode stoolis or fyne lynnen clothe half brent to make tynder of
Coquiram fungos aridos aut semiustum xilinum ad excipiendas esilicescintillas
we lack matches to take fyre of the tynder
defunt sulphurata ad excipiendos ingnigena semina'
and then it goes on to complain that the chimney doesn't work and asks for a fryng pan/brazen vessel and various other bits and pieces to do with cooking a meal/ tending fire/ washing up
Another one was..
'Brennynge colis of palme tre kepe fyre longe but geueth lytll heate.'
As it happens I find that Coconut fibre is an excellent tinder and just as this document says it burns for a long time but gives little heat!
Oggie.
"So you don't even need a "tin" to make charcloth. Yes, you do burn up and lose some of your cloth, but scrap cloth is pretty easy to come up with. But I'm also shifting over to mostly using Tinder Fungus or already charred chunks of punky wood to catch my sparks. I'm doing this because most of my stuff is Historically based, and documentation for use of charcloth is almost non-existant before the mid to late 1800's. So we can't find references to people using it back in the 1700's - thus we have to find other options - like the tinder fungus or pre-charred wood/fungus."
From a 16th Century English-Latin phrase book for travellers called..
'Vulgaria uiri doctissimi Guil. Hormani Caesariburgensis' printed in 1519
From the section titled Coquinaria/culinatia/mallcellatria/et ea/quea attinet et affinia sunt iis
'Here as a flynt or a nother stone to smyte fyre can nat begote it must be done with rubbynge of II treen pecis to gether.
Vbi silicis aut alternius viui ignigeni suieignarii lapidis non est occasio lignorum attritu ignis eliciendus est
I shall gette me drye tode stoolis or fyne lynnen clothe half brent to make tynder of
Coquiram fungos aridos aut semiustum xilinum ad excipiendas esilicescintillas
we lack matches to take fyre of the tynder
defunt sulphurata ad excipiendos ingnigena semina'
and then it goes on to complain that the chimney doesn't work and asks for a fryng pan/brazen vessel and various other bits and pieces to do with cooking a meal/ tending fire/ washing up
Another one was..
'Brennynge colis of palme tre kepe fyre longe but geueth lytll heate.'
As it happens I find that Coconut fibre is an excellent tinder and just as this document says it burns for a long time but gives little heat!
Oggie.
I have been working my way through SWMBO's old cotton dressing gown.
I find that the well-washed cotton towling chars very evenly (goes into the boot polish tin purple comes out pure black) and catches the smallest spark.
Cheers,
Steve
I find that the well-washed cotton towling chars very evenly (goes into the boot polish tin purple comes out pure black) and catches the smallest spark.
Cheers,
Steve
