USING Charcloth?

I got into historical re-enacting over 20 years ago (muzzle-loading rifles, historical clothing, etc.) and one of the first things taught to me was how to start a fire with flint, steel and charcloth. Left out of this conversation so far is the use of "tow", which IIRC is the fiber from the flax plant used in making rope, linen, and where we get linseed oil. Muzzle-loading folk carry it because it is a traditional bore cleaner. A wad of "tow" on the end of a ramrod is like steel-wool for scouring your bore. The neat thing about it is that after you clean your bore, you can wash the wad out and dry it and re-use it again and again.

And it burns great. To make a fire, you make a small bird's nest of tow in the palm of your left hand, lay the char cloth in the middle, hold the flint (large musket flints are great) between your thumb and forefinger and strike it with your piece of high carbon steel. When the char cloth catches a spark, fold the nest of tow around it and start blowing on it - or if there's a good wind, just hold it up. It will light up very fast. If you're going to carry a flint, steel and char cloth, may as well throw some tow in with it for flash tinder. This kit may sound like a lot of fuss, but once you do it, it is extremely easy. (you can find these kits and materials from places like Dixie Gun Works or Track of the Wolf)
 
i was taught to use and make charcloth at one of my son's scout camps. the instructor for the course said to use natural fiber rope. just cut off a 4-5 inch peice and pull it apart to form a small "nest". then place the charcloth in the center of the nest, then lay it down in your fire area and start sparking on to it. when the cloth starts to glow red, begin blowing on it and be ready to back up FAST before you lose your mustache and eyebrows :eek:. - Eric
 
FWIW, you can get to the University Endowment Lands and to Grouse Mtn on transit. Grouse should still be mostly hikeable still with snow at the top. The hike to Dam and Goat Mtns from the chairlift is a great day, although I haven't done it in probably 10 years. Park Royal also has a shuttle to Cypress Bowl, where the Baden-Powell Trail will take you over the base of the Lions and right up to the Mamquam Glacier, but that's a couple days. The lower trails beside the ski hill are good day hike fodder, though Cypress usually gets snow pretty early.

But back to local tinders for charcloth...In the lower areas, regardless of how wet it is, try around the base of ferns for dried fronds. Same for any of the dense plants like juniper, blackberries and salal. Salal stems also make good cordage for lashing and the berries are great smashed up and rubbed on salmon before grilling ! Lodgepole pines have dead lower branches thinner than a pencil. Once de-barked(comes off by hand) the sticks are bone dry.

In more forested areas, look for Old Man's Beard (the dark green tendrils hanging from shaded branches) It's plentiful, dries quickly and works well.

Red cedar and birch bark have been described well already.

Conifer cones work well too if you cut the 'seed flakes' off like you're cutting kernels off a corncob, then scrape the stringy 'core' for dry tinder. Pine and spruce work pretty well, I haven't had as much luck with cedar cones. I haven't tried any others, I'm sure there's a ton more (but that's the fun of learning this stuff :D)

YMMV, but there's always dry stuff around...

Years ago, the ministry of forests put out a bunch of pamphlets describing provincial flora and fauna. These are out of print now, but a good resource if you can find them (library has them), as they have encyclopedic and range information. I think most would agree that your best bet is to find multiple sources of plant info, as they're sometimes contradictory.
 
If you're really into finding tinder in the wet and the wild, that's fine, that's one thing. But if I were going out in the woods with the intention of starting a fire, and I were bringing a kit with me, then I would bring some good dry tinder along too. You can stuff it in your pockets unless you're planning on getting totally immersed in water. We've already talked about birchbark, and wood shavings and tow. One good thing to look for at this time of year is the fluff from milkweed. The pods are split open and the white fluff is easy to spot about 2-3 feet off the ground in open fields. This stuff is highly flammable.
 
borrowed time said:
i was taught to use and make charcloth at one of my son's scout camps. the instructor for the course said to use natural fiber rope. just cut off a 4-5 inch peice and pull it apart to form a small "nest". then place the charcloth in the center of the nest, then lay it down in your fire area and start sparking on to it. when the cloth starts to glow red, begin blowing on it and be ready to back up FAST before you lose your mustache and eyebrows :eek:. - Eric
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This is the method i have found most effective as well. I carry a length of 1/2" natural rope. unraveled a 2" length of this rope is suffiecent to create a flame. I have used this method effectively and you can have a flame in 30 sec with practice.
Thanks,
Del
 
Coldwood: I carry a jet lighter and a K&M matchcase every day in the city. In the bush I'd carry vaseline and cotton balls as well. I certainly would not depend on a method of fire starting I haven't practiced.

DeadeyeLefty: I hadn't thought of Grouse, that's not a bad idea. Don't they frown on fires in the endowment lands? Thanks for all the great information on local stuff!
 
Actually, I think all LM municipalities now require permits for open burning, even on private property. Same goes for the more urban areas of the Sunshine Coast (where I am). How one addresses the need to practice is one's own issue. Check your municipality's bylaws and all that stuff...;)

Offhand, I can't think of anywhere one could get to on a day trip (without driving) where one wouldn't be subject to burning bylaws.

An ingenious way of getting 'around' a burning bylaw, but not in an underhanded way:
A local fishing lake is 4x4 access but is within regional boundaries and so is subject to municipal burning regulations. The 'parking' area is a reasonably flat shelf of rock. Because everyone likes shore lunch and the warmup of a fire after a day in the float tube, there's an old woodstove that someone's dragged up there. Fires contained within incinerators intended for cooking are exempt from the bylaws.

Part of the OP's problem is that the ground litter around here gets soaked pretty thoroughly, including pine needles. The west coast (this part of it at least) gets very little snow and loads of rain and wind.
 
Khalnath said:
Coldwood: I carry a jet lighter and a K&M matchcase every day in the city. In the bush I'd carry vaseline and cotton balls as well. I certainly would not depend on a method of fire starting I haven't practiced.
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I didn't mean to suggest that Khalnath, sorry if it sounded that way :)
 
I made some charcloth last night and found this thread. Great information so far.

I would agree that the tinder used is geographically dependent. The reason I was searching for this information is that there is about a foot of solid snow on the ground, and there are no dry grasses, so what to do...

I always keep and eye out for a piece of birchbark. That seems to be the standard where I live. I also carry a stick of fatwood and some cotton balls and vasaline. Fluff form pockets and fuzz from clothing are good ideas, too.

I'm looking forward to the weekend when I can practice some more.

Thanks for the ideas.
 
I used some variety of unidentified natual fiber twine that I snagged from work, and that seems to work pretty good. Something about blowing it into flame is just so cool.
 
Khalnath said:
Something about blowing it into flame is just so cool.
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Thats why I like to use a fire piston, and charclothe as well as other methods instead of a lighter, its just plain fun! If its really important though I do have a lighter and other goodies just in case...like a magnesium bar, and waterproof matches...
 
Does the cloth need to come from denim or be a certain size to burn longer? I've been trying with some inch squares I made from a t-shirt, and it just ain't happening for me. It catches a spark and glows hot, but I've stuck it in a nest of jute, a bed of dryer lint, and even put some fatwood shavings on top of it with no flame. Each of these flare up with a strike of the ferro, but bundling the charcloth inside and blowing til I'm dizzy just scorches the bundles into carbon or makes the fatwood spark, no fire.
 
hardheart said:
Does the cloth need to come from denim or be a certain size to burn longer? I've been trying with some inch squares I made from a t-shirt, and it just ain't happening for me. It catches a spark and glows hot, but I've stuck it in a nest of jute, a bed of dryer lint, and even put some fatwood shavings on top of it with no flame. Each of these flare up with a strike of the ferro, but bundling the charcloth inside and blowing til I'm dizzy just scorches the bundles into carbon or makes the fatwood spark, no fire.
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My suggestion is to get some lamp wick and char it, the stuff used for oil lamps, it's thicker, flat, and easy to handle. Don't blow so hard; a nice steady blowing would be better in most cases. Try a chunk of Manila or Sisel rope all fuzzed up. It's about ten cents a foot.:thumbup:
 
hardheart said:
Does the cloth need to come from denim or be a certain size to burn longer? I've been trying with some inch squares I made from a t-shirt, and it just ain't happening for me. It catches a spark and glows hot, but I've stuck it in a nest of jute, a bed of dryer lint, and even put some fatwood shavings on top of it with no flame. Each of these flare up with a strike of the ferro, but bundling the charcloth inside and blowing til I'm dizzy just scorches the bundles into carbon or makes the fatwood spark, no fire.
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Denim works fine and is sturdier, but I've had good luck with thiner material to. Try using two pieces, of the thin stuff, I actually make mine from denim and normally between 1.5 or so squares.
 
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