Charcloth making FAILURE

Joben

Joben

Joined
May 22, 2009
Messages
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I thought this was pretty funny.

I figured I would try making some charcloth.
These seemed like just the ticket.

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I put them in a tin, punched a little hole in the top and put it in the toaster oven for a while.

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I knew something was wrong when it rattled...
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The cloth had turned into a weird little chip of plastic. doh! must be synthetic!

Also, I would like to point out that is somehow managed to totally seal the hole in the cover.
 
Cool, it they were cotton, you'd end up with these tin size char cloths. I made char cloth for the first time a couple months ago and cooked really big pieces that you olny stick in a pocket.
 
old 100% cotton tshirt is what i've always used. never had a problem. never tried a toaster though! haha usually just use open fires.
 
I have a big bag of 100% cotton patches that make great charcloth. I think I got them from Midway some years ago.
 
Buy far the best thing is terry cloth as in towels and facecloths. Those little frilly hooks retain that texture after they are charred and because of all the nooks and crannies, charcloth made from this stuff catches a spark like nobodies business. Magnussen taught me that one!

When I make it, I use a tin on top of my MSR whisperlite stove out in the back porch. The toaster oven might work, but I hope you do it outside, because making charcloth produces a pile of smoke! I like making about 3" x 3" squares at a time. You can always tear it into smaller chunks, but if you make it them too small they are harder to work with. The squares shrink about 15% after charring.
 
goatariba said:
old 100% cotton tshirt is what i've always used. never had a problem. never tried a toaster though! haha usually just use open fires.
Click to expand...

Well I didn't have a fire going, and the oven heats up fast to supposedly 400 degrees F.
 
kgd said:
Buy far the best thing is terry cloth as in towels and facecloths. Those little frilly hooks retain that texture after they are charred and because of all the nooks and crannies, charcloth made from this stuff catches a spark like nobodies business. Magnussen taught me that one!
Click to expand...

Thanks, Ken. That's a really good idea. I hadn't even considered terry cloth, but it makes a lot of sense. :thumbup:
 
You can wrap the cotton cloth in tin foil. Just put a couple of small holes in the top of the foil wrap and toss it on the outdoor grill, assuming you have one. When it stops smoking it's done.
 
Last tip - when making, let it fully cool down in the tin before opening. If super heated when you open, it will be in embers and then poof its gone!
 
I have tried most of the above and always go back to my favorite. Buy some cotton kerosene wicks. They are cheap enough. After they are charred, you can cut or rip them into squares. Once the char is lit, you have lots of burn time in your nest, and since thick, burn nice and hot on stubborn tinder. They hold up well in the tin and don't turn to dust. When holding up next to the flint, they don't fall apart as easy.
 
You know those old socks with holes in them.

They are perfect, enough coton in them.
 
100% cotton and do it outside as it will produce copious amounts of smoke. denim and terrycloth towels work well. Just make sure its 100% cotton. Mac
 
ahh cool.. i have heard of these but never made them.. good tips as well thanks guys.. as for putting it on a grill i assume it would not be wise to cook at the same time? lol
 
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