What is the best material to make charcloth with?

[chickenplucker]

Dumd question,what is charcloth?

 

[dnm]

If you can find Monk's Cloth at the local fabric store, you'll find it makes the best char cloth. It's a heavy 100% cotton with a nice open weave to catch the sparks.

 

[Diomedes Industries]

I am sitting on my back patio right now doing a batch of charcloth out of an old diaper.

TF


p.s. - Is it just me - or did what I type above just SOUND nasty?

 

[ejes]

Dumd question,what is charcloth?

Chickenplucker,

It is basically cotton cloth of some sort that has been combusted without oxygen. What you have left over is a black piece of cloth that is, well, charred. It takes a spark easily to create an ember to ignite tinder.

Here are one of many, many links out there on how to make it:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Char-Cloth/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7uLVGrAt1M

 

[chickenplucker]

Thanks ejes! :thumbup::thumbup:
Chickenplucker

 

[ejes]

Thanks ejes! :thumbup::thumbup:
Chickenplucker

:thumbup:

 

[Loosearrow]

The best I have found is just buying the woven cotton wicks for kerosene lamps. I have tried all of the above including cotton mop strings. The wick material holds together when laying on top of your flint and using your striker. It burns slowly with a good hot glow and lights the birdsnest easier. You can cut it up into squares or roll it up after charred and place into a brass tube and make a tinder tube that you can retract into to snuff it out. Regards, Loosearrow

 

[Cooter DeGraw]

.30 cal. U.S. Army cleaning patches---loosely stack them in a clean pint can with small hole in top--place on charcoal grill next time you cook---when smoke stops coming out hole in top, stick round toothpick in hole--take off fire and let cool

 

[abo4ster]

I like an old cotton t-shirt myself.

Here is a good article regarding cattail char...

http://www.dirttime.com/cattail char.html

 

[ejes]

I like an old cotton t-shirt myself.

Here is a good article regarding cattail char...

http://www.dirttime.com/cattail char.html

Now that is very interesting. I'll have to try that sometime. Still, I would think just the handling of a piece of char cloth would be a little easier though.