- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,443
I have experimented in the last few weeks with making clar cloth. I was told that jeans worked - old T's worked (the older the better) - cloth diapers worked - and the like.
I tried all of these - but what I found not only worked best but was the easiest to prepare was 100% white (un-dyed) muslin cloth.
This can be found at the local fabric store for about 99 cents a square yard and is very easy to turn into charcloth.
Here is what I did:
1) Bought 2 yards of cloth. THis is a LOT. Buy a yard - you will have enough for a LONG time.
2) Cut the charcloth into 4" x 4" sections - this is arbitrary though - you can make yours 2" x 2" if you would like.
This gave me a stack of cloth about 8" high.
3) I used a quart paint can. Make sure it is fully cleaned and fully metal. I used a 16 penny nail and poked a hole in the top.
4) Loosely packed the charcloth inside and turned on my grill - low to medium heat. You can pack the cloth tighter - you just need to let it 'cook' longer.
5) TIGHTLY affixed the top - and set the can on top of the flame (taking the grill grate and heat sheild off) at about a 30 degree angle. I simply stacked some lava rocks up until the top of the can was propped up.
6) The can will start smoking. You want a nice stream of white smoke (and there will be a LOT) to come out. You don't want burning - you want charring. Wait for this smoke to stop - or come close to stopping. Rotate the can often to get all the cloth to char on the inside.
7) When the top stops smoking - stick a golf tee (worked for me) or a sharpened twig in the hole to smother any residual charring and let the can cool.
8) Take off the lid. If you have BROWN material - you didn't let it char long enough. No biggie - do it again. If you have black material that is fragile - but not dusty - you have it right. If you have dust... oops - too long - too hot. The charring took about 10-20 minutes and another 10 or so to cool. In 1/2 hour I had GREAT charcloth.
9) Test it - Muslin takes the first spark I give it every time and burns hot and fast! Be careful - in the sun you will have a hard time seeing the spark turning into a burning hole on your cloth. If your hand gets hot - it is burning.
10) you can certainly use a charcoal grill or a simple camp fire - use hot coals - rotate often.
Good luck.
TF
I tried all of these - but what I found not only worked best but was the easiest to prepare was 100% white (un-dyed) muslin cloth.
This can be found at the local fabric store for about 99 cents a square yard and is very easy to turn into charcloth.
Here is what I did:
1) Bought 2 yards of cloth. THis is a LOT. Buy a yard - you will have enough for a LONG time.
2) Cut the charcloth into 4" x 4" sections - this is arbitrary though - you can make yours 2" x 2" if you would like.
This gave me a stack of cloth about 8" high.
3) I used a quart paint can. Make sure it is fully cleaned and fully metal. I used a 16 penny nail and poked a hole in the top.
4) Loosely packed the charcloth inside and turned on my grill - low to medium heat. You can pack the cloth tighter - you just need to let it 'cook' longer.
5) TIGHTLY affixed the top - and set the can on top of the flame (taking the grill grate and heat sheild off) at about a 30 degree angle. I simply stacked some lava rocks up until the top of the can was propped up.
6) The can will start smoking. You want a nice stream of white smoke (and there will be a LOT) to come out. You don't want burning - you want charring. Wait for this smoke to stop - or come close to stopping. Rotate the can often to get all the cloth to char on the inside.
7) When the top stops smoking - stick a golf tee (worked for me) or a sharpened twig in the hole to smother any residual charring and let the can cool.
8) Take off the lid. If you have BROWN material - you didn't let it char long enough. No biggie - do it again. If you have black material that is fragile - but not dusty - you have it right. If you have dust... oops - too long - too hot. The charring took about 10-20 minutes and another 10 or so to cool. In 1/2 hour I had GREAT charcloth.
9) Test it - Muslin takes the first spark I give it every time and burns hot and fast! Be careful - in the sun you will have a hard time seeing the spark turning into a burning hole on your cloth. If your hand gets hot - it is burning.
10) you can certainly use a charcoal grill or a simple camp fire - use hot coals - rotate often.
Good luck.
TF
