Making Char Cloth

[Kev D]

Having a bash at making char cloth with my firebox stove and trangia.

In progress at the mo. Results to be confirmed

[MadPlumbarian]

Having a bash at making char cloth with my firebox stove and trangia.

In progress at the mo. Results to be confirmed

Have fun, just don't burn anything down! if necessary! Lol..
JR

[Smashie]

 

[Kev D]

The setup



The results 





Success at last. I've failed twice at making char cloth, I guess I just needed an altoids tin with a better seal.

Thanks to Aloha007 for the denim material to make it.  Now I know how, my old pair of jeans can be recycled   

Now I need to get some materials together to try it for real and light a fire with it.

[Aloha]

I like using thicker material like old jeans. 

[MadPlumbarian]

Nice, our one kid did that without a flame!

How
We asked him to clean his room, so he did so very quickly. I was at work and the Mrs was two rooms over, well she smelt smoke and ran, come to find out he threw his cloths and they stacked on top of his dresser, needless to say there was a 75w wall light.. so yeah they started to burn! I got a phone call at work and the boss told me to go home and take care of things. The next day I had a write up slip from my manager, so I took it to the boss that told me to go home who tossed it out, and my manager ended up with one!  That day I had to pick up a new light to rewire and I got a Florence's bulb,
JR

[Kev D]

I like using thicker material like old jeans. 

That was one of the vids I watched after my failed attempts. I subscribe to his channel 

[Kev D]

Nice, our one kid did that without a flame!

How
We asked him to clean his room, so he did so very quickly. I was at work and the Mrs was two rooms over, well she smelt smoke and ran, come to find out he threw his cloths and they stacked on top of his dresser, needless to say there was a 75w wall light.. so yeah they started to burn! I got a phone call at work and the boss told me to go home and take care of things. The next day I had a write up slip from my manager, so I took it to the boss that told me to go home who tossed it out, and my manager ended up with one!  That day I had to pick up a new light to rewire and I got a Florence's bulb,
JR

Lucky there wasn't a big fire. Very lucky

[MadPlumbarian]

Nice, our one kid did that without a flame!

How
We asked him to clean his room, so he did so very quickly. I was at work and the Mrs was two rooms over, well she smelt smoke and ran, come to find out he threw his cloths and they stacked on top of his dresser, needless to say there was a 75w wall light.. so yeah they started to burn! I got a phone call at work and the boss told me to go home and take care of things. The next day I had a write up slip from my manager, so I took it to the boss that told me to go home who tossed it out, and my manager ended up with one!  That day I had to pick up a new light to rewire and I got a Florence's bulb,
JR

Lucky there wasn't a big fire. Very lucky

Couldn't yell at him, he actually attempted to clean his room, he was only like 4-5? Just gotta play it smart like I did, fluorescent bulb! Lol, gotta love this auto correct, what the heck is a Florence's bulb?
JR

[Kev D]

Nice, our one kid did that without a flame!

How
We asked him to clean his room, so he did so very quickly. I was at work and the Mrs was two rooms over, well she smelt smoke and ran, come to find out he threw his cloths and they stacked on top of his dresser, needless to say there was a 75w wall light.. so yeah they started to burn! I got a phone call at work and the boss told me to go home and take care of things. The next day I had a write up slip from my manager, so I took it to the boss that told me to go home who tossed it out, and my manager ended up with one!  That day I had to pick up a new light to rewire and I got a Florence's bulb,
JR

Lucky there wasn't a big fire. Very lucky

Couldn't yell at him, he actually attempted to clean his room, he was only like 4-5? Just gotta play it smart like I did, fluorescent bulb! Lol, gotta love this auto correct, what the heck is a Florence's bulb?
JR

I just assumed it was a manufacturer over there like osram, etc

[Poncho65]

I have always wanted to make some char cloth but never got around to it Glad you got to make some Kevin

[Kev D]

Thanks 

I can't think when I will ever need it, but it's nice to know I can make it if I need to.  I just need to practice using it as well, so I know I can if I ever need to.

[AimlessWanderer]

The thing about char cloth is that it's only purpose is to help start a fire, but you need to already have a fire to make it 

So, you either have to make it in advance of ever needing a fire, or carry an alternative spark catcher .... which is highly likely to be better for starting fires than char cloth is anyway.....

It's fun to have a go at lighting fires different ways though, even if it teaches you to make sure that you never have to light a fire that way again 

[Kev D]

I made it because I have a flint and steel so want to try making a fire with it just to see if I can.

If I can't light a fire with the 2 lighters, inner tube, fat wood, ferro rod, waxed cotton balls, birch bark and 100ml of trangia fuel in my fire kit then I've got no chance with some char cloth.  It's just a skill I'd like to learn.

[AimlessWanderer]

I've only used char cloth once, and that was on an island in the Outer Hebrides with some dried grass, char cloth, a lump of flint, and a piece of hardened steel. It took me over an hour to get flames. I managed to get embers three times, but that fizzled out before the grass caught. I went through a lot of char cloth trying to catch the spark, as the cloth kept disintegrating.

After that I tried friction firelighting, and aborted that before I even got an ember. If I had used a plaster from my first aid kit with a modern firesteel, I would have had fire instantly. In fact a mischmetal rod would have probably lit the grass on it's own. Of course I also had a butane lighter, matches, and other options, but wanted to learn the process.

What I learned was that I never want to be totally reliant on that method of firestarting  Fun to try, but I'd always want better options 

[Kev D]

I've tried friction fire lighting, I won't be trying it again.  It's not a fun thing to do.

Most of my fire lighting will be lighting a trangia or gas stove with a lighter or ferro rod.  But it's nice to learn other ways.

[AimlessWanderer]

 

[Kev D]

Have you tried cooking on your alcohol stove yet?

[kaput]

You know what works super well too that lights quick and is easy, and everyone has it?

Dryer lint.

[Kev D]

You know what works super well too that lights quick and is easy, and everyone has it?

Dryer lint.

I've got plenty of that 

[kaput]

You know what works super well too that lights quick and is easy, and everyone has it?

Dryer lint.

I've got plenty of that 

Of course. Bring that too, and give it a shot.

[Kev D]

I'm outside again, sacrificing my old jeans to the gods of char 

[Smashie]

I'm outside again, sacrificing my old jeans to the gods of char 

(Image removed from quote.)

You took them off first I take it? No I don't want to see photographic evidence 

[Gerhard Gerber]

Friction fire lighting was my new year's resolution in 2014, still haven't managed it. 

I use a ferro rod for 99% of my fire lighting, ingrains the basics of preperation, starting small and building.....

Dryer lint is another mystery for me, can't see why it wouldn't work as well as cotton wool, but it never has for me 

[Kev D]

Friction fire lighting was my new year's resolution in 2014, still haven't managed it. 

I use a ferro rod for 99% of my fire lighting, ingrains the basics of preperation, starting small and building.....

Dryer lint is another mystery for me, can't see why it wouldn't work as well as cotton wool, but it never has for me 

I tried dryer lint while my char cloth was cooking. It lit first stike of a ferro rod and burned a little slower than a cotton wool ball does

[AimlessWanderer]

It depends what fibres your clothes are made from. Not all drier fluff is equal.

[kaput]

Friction fire lighting was my new year's resolution in 2014, still haven't managed it. 

I use a ferro rod for 99% of my fire lighting, ingrains the basics of preperation, starting small and building.....

Dryer lint is another mystery for me, can't see why it wouldn't work as well as cotton wool, but it never has for me 

I tried dryer lint while my char cloth was cooking. It lit first stike of a ferro rod and burned a little slower than a cotton wool ball does

Told ya. Easy peasy lemon squezy 

[Kev D]

Friction fire lighting was my new year's resolution in 2014, still haven't managed it. 

I use a ferro rod for 99% of my fire lighting, ingrains the basics of preperation, starting small and building.....

Dryer lint is another mystery for me, can't see why it wouldn't work as well as cotton wool, but it never has for me 

I tried dryer lint while my char cloth was cooking. It lit first stike of a ferro rod and burned a little slower than a cotton wool ball does

Told ya. Easy peasy lemon squezy 

[Gerhard Gerber]

It depends what fibres your clothes are made from. Not all drier fluff is equal.

Sure, but 99% of my clothes are totally or partially Cotton, some wool and the rest fleeces.

 

I don't carry tinder anyway, should be something easily renewable IMO

[Kev D]

It depends what fibres your clothes are made from. Not all drier fluff is equal.

Sure, but 99% of my clothes are totally or partially Cotton, some wool and the rest fleeces.

 

I don't carry tinder anyway, should be something easily renewable IMO

Wool and fleece won't burn, so I'm betting a lot of the lint is wool fibres