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Flint and Steel

Normark said:
The only thing that I can suggest is leave it longer,, Especially if it's Packed full...

If you run into this again,, lay it on it's side and roll it around...

Make sure your fire is hot enough, and you have a small hole poked in the top...

I once did a HUGE batch of char cloth in a tobacco can..There were easily several hundred pieces in the can.. I did it on a propane burner and let it sit for a good long time,, rotated it,, flipped it over etc etc..

I let the can sit for a couple of hours, then opened it to examine the char.. Looked great..

I set it on my vise on the workbench and went in the house.. An hour or so later I came out and as I passed by the can I could feel the intense heat coming off of it...

A Good lesson learned, that could have burned my shop down under different conditions..

Always let it sit longer than you may think,, Especially if you are doing large batches....

Eric
O/ST
Click to expand...


Thanks. I think with more time on the coals it would have turned out better.

And I didn't have a hole in the top. How important is that? I thought the idea behind charcoal was to heat the material in the absence of oxygen.

I saved my partially "cooked" cloth and will try to finish it later. It was a fun experiment anyway, and I did make some char cloth that worked well.
 
Hey Rotte

Rotte said:

Thanks. I think with more time on the coals it would have turned out better.

And I didn't have a hole in the top. How important is that? I thought the idea behind charcoal was to heat the material in the absence of oxygen.

I saved my partially "cooked" cloth and will try to finish it later. It was a fun experiment anyway, and I did make some char cloth that worked well.
Click to expand...


Yaa For sure,, all that is is unfinished business. A little more time and they would have been completely done.. It's hard to tell, especially when doing such a large amount...

A small hole poked in the top would have pretty much told you whether it was Completely cooked or not...When it stops smoking or the little flame goes out, that means it's done producing Hydrogen gas and is done or close to being done... I usually let it cook a bit longer just to make sure.

Basically what you are producing in the can when you heat anything carbon based is Hydrogen gas ie. (wood gas)

http://www.google.ca/search?q=Wood+...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a


The Germans ran some 200 Thousand 2.5 ton trucks on wood gas during WWII, when petrol was scarce..

The concept is exactly the same, except on a much smaller scale

With a hole in the top the Hydrogen escapes and usually ignites...

With Anything that is carbon based, wood, cotton, lumber, grass clippings, rubber tires, dead raccoons when it is heated in the absence of oxygen, hydrogen is produced, all the other materials in the object being heated is burned off,, and what you have left is pure carbon...

In the case with char cloth, the hydrogen simply escapes and is burned off..

Do this on a larger scale, say on a truck, that Hydrogen can be captured, collected, and cooled, and then introduced to the engine of the truck, where it would be used in place of gasoline, diesel or propane...

The partially chard cloth can be used, however doesn't take a spark very well..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Normark said:
Hey Protourist


Nice looking kit...

I use one of Rick's Kits as well...

Gotta love the traditional look...

Eric
O/ST
Click to expand...

We have some incredible makers here. Some make tools that just make you want to cut things and some make art that doubles as a tool. Rick fits that second group and his artwork fits in a lot of past centuries.
I'm something of an anachronism myself so I really love his work.
 
Here's a question for my fellow flinters... Given a choice, do you prefer jute or sisal as a tinder, when starting a fire ?

I've tried sisal and it seems it takes a little longer to catch, and it flares something crazy when it does.. It also has a thicker heavier smoke, and yes I've sucked in a bit of it when getting my coal going(and don't tell me you haven't inadvertently !).. It wasn't the most pleasant of experiences, thats for sure..
 
Hey Tuxdad

I'm not sure if it really makes a difference as far as fire making is concerned.. What I think it boils down to more is a personal preference...

With that being said I prefer Jute.. It's a little softer to work with and comes apart a little better..

I have found the the sisal can sometimes be hard to get apart and doesn't open up as easily...

Jute also can be coiled a little tighter than the sisal can as well...

Other than that I don't find much difference in making fore with the two..Both work equally well...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
I keep the sisal for home use mainly, because I can't carry as much.. You're right about the getting it apart being hard at times, but if I cut in about 6" pcs, it's a lot easier to deal with, and get apart.
 
Rotte, don't over think the char cloth.

I use a round candy tin, cookie tins would work fine also...anything with a tight fitting lid. Punch a nail hole in the top, toss in some cut cotton (dish towel, denim) replace the lid and drop it on gray charcoal. You can fill up the tin just don't compress the cotton

It's done when the smoke stops pouring out of the hole. It shouldn't take much more than 5 minutes. Pull it off the heat and let it cool for a while before opening the lid.


IMG_0382.jpg
 
Hey Ramm

"It's done when the smoke stops pouring out of the hole. It shouldn't take much more than 5 minutes. Pull it off the heat and let it cool for a while before opening the lid."

The time it takes to make char cloth is completely dependant on the amount of cloth that is in the tin...

The cloth can be packed into the tin perfectly fine,, I've made several hundred with success all in one shot,, it just needs more time, a hot fire, and the tin needs to be rotated on all sides to insure a complete burn....

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Hey Tuxdad

Tuxdad said:
I keep the sisal for home use mainly, because I can't carry as much.. You're right about the getting it apart being hard at times, but if I cut in about 6" pcs, it's a lot easier to deal with, and get apart.
Click to expand...

True Dat..

Eric
O/ST
 
I mus admit, I've never tried charring anything other than just cloth.. I've been bouncing around the idea of trying some punkwood, or cattail down, or thistle down... Any sugestions or hints on doing this beforehand ?
 
A saltine ?!?!? C'mon Bud, why not a dorito ?? They're supposedly already flammable if memory serves me...lol
 
I've often wondered something with strikers... Does it help any to rough them up a little, like say with a file to give them a little bit of a rough surface.. Would it help get a better spark ???
 
I got my Order In from Mikey of Fire & Steel the Web Site listed above, His Flint Striker's are very reasonable I got these 3 different style's for 15.00 Dollar's each, When I get my Order In I'll get some picture's of my own with some Spark's Flying these are from his picture Gallery,

This one Is the 1600's French - Black Robe
25i691g.jpg

English Double Curl
28004f8.jpg

Colonial Snail
20kyhpd.jpg
 
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