char cloth again

[necchi]

It ain't you Redsitck,,
To all,,
Alright guy's beat me up all ya need to.
I guess my point was,, that if someone "new" to flint-n-steel,, someone that hasn't had tutelage from another,, and they're just out there trying to figure it out,, all by themselves,, and they come here to this forum that does not offer easy access to "char cloth catching a spark" as part of it's forte.
Burning chucks of old clothes in a fire and hoping that they work well to "catch a spark" the olde timey way,
, doesn't work well.
Spudnut said he's got a bunch of old bluejeans he's gonna toss.
Well I don't toss my old bluejeans either,, I cut'm up then they become shop rags. They wipe grease from zerks and my hands,, then they're tossed.
If I am going to use fabric for char,, old clothes are not the best choice.
I'm sorry I caused so much trouble.

 

[coloradoclyde]

You sure took the long way round the barn....But!, I'm a big man........

Apology accepted..... :thumbsup: :hatsoff: :grin:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Hey Necchi.....I got to wondering.....I wonder if your laundry detergent isn't the issue?...

Just a random thought..... :idunno:

 

[necchi]

:hmm: !
Could be.(?!) It's been Arm-n-Hammer for years.
Got sensitive skin,, I can't use stuff like Tide, gives me a rash,, honest.
It's not like the allergies Pop had,, but I have to be careful with laundry detergent.
Downey fabric softener,, uh-uu, nope. Gotta be Gain or it's scratch city!!
:hmm:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Arm and Hammer?........Baking soda is a flame retardant....

We might be onto something.....:hmm:

 

[Redstick Lee]

wouldn't the phosphates ("brighteners") in detergent add to the flammability if not well rinsed ?

 

[coloradoclyde]

Are those in his detergent?....I'm pretty sure his detergent doesn't even contain any baking soda. Arm and Hammer is just a brand name.
Flammable compounds would likely be consumed during the charring.

Now if he is using Borax or washing soda as laundry boosters....Then we may definitely have a culprit...

A simple side by side comparison test would be easy for Necchi to conduct. I'm not sure why his T-shirt material doesn't work, but he seems to be the only one affected....
Maybe his water has a lot of asbestos in it.. :idunno: :haha:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Funny, but what you describe is how I learned it back in 1976..., at Goshen Boy Scout Camp. Nobody to train me, just a piece of steel, and a piece of flint, and a pile of charred cloth made from charred t-shirt, plus a bird's nest of rope fibers.

Most of the guys were trying to strike down from the steel (which was just a rectangle of carbon steel, not a forged striker) onto the charred cloth as it sat on a table top, but I held the cloth against the top side of the flint, and struck the edge of the flint with the steel...voila, the spark caught, and then after a lot of coaxing, I produced a flame in my bird's nest. One of the three phases of The Order of The Singed Eyebrow [all hail the masters of the spark! :bow: ] was complete! :wink:

After that, and then making a fire with bow-n-spindle, and using a burning glass, an older scout showed us how to use a tea-tin with a hole in the lid to make Char.

And although I've seen it on YouTube done with charred wood bits, it was only this year that anybody ever showed me how to use a tinder box, with an in person demonstration.

So I suppose our definitions of "works well" are different, and granted, from what you say, my method probably doesn't "work the best", but without any other method in my experience with which to compare, I had no idea.
:idunno:

LD

 

[coloradoclyde]

And although I've seen it on YouTube done with charred wood bits, it was only this year that anybody ever showed me how to use a tinder box, with an in person demonstration.



LD

Keith Burgess has some good vides... https://www.youtube.com/user/historicaltrekking/search?query=tinder+box

One mistake the people often make when using plant materials is, they are too impatient...they don't give it enough time for heat to develop before trying to blow into a flame.

Seriously....Next time you start a fire, try doing it without blowing....It might take ten minutes and smoke like crazy, but, it is quite doable.

Charcoal can be lit with a burning lens or flint and steel (although a little harder) but it has many advantages....
It can start your fire, cook your food on it's own, be made in the field, burns smoke free and is light to carry
Some amount of charcoal should be a kit necessity IMO.

 

[Redstick Lee]

Order of the Singed Eyebrow........LOVE it !!!

we were Scouts at the same time in different regions of the U.S. and I will never forget the O.A. weekend alone in the woods with a knife and ball of twine.....(and fire kit hidden in my sock).

Luckily, I was near a lake and had lots of small game around to boot......plus this was back before "lean to's" were considered an enviro-crime.

 

[tenngun]

:wink: been fifteen years or more since I made a real hc shelter in the woods. Often sleep under the stars now or throw up a canvas tarp. That was at least known in the old days but I miss a true open face camp.

 

[necchi]

A simple side by side comparison test would be easy for Necchi to conduct.

I'm not going to mess around with my laundry detergent.

I'm not sure why his T-shirt material doesn't work, but he seems to be the only one affected....

Well I'd like to tell all 8 of you internet people that your right about that,,
But I've done enough fire starting demonstrations and competitions and coached too many people personally learning and trying to learn to validate that comment.
It's too simple to use proper material and be successful right away. It's a confidence builder and Much-much easier than struggling. Once the basics are learned,, then a beginner can move on to flint-n-steel lighting of a chunk of Cowboy Hardwood charcoal.

 

[pab1]

Does blue jeans material work for char? Ive got a bunch of them I am gonna toss.what else can I use it for,cleaning patches? shooting patches?

Spudnut, have you tried making char cloth with denim yet? Try it yourself before taking the word of others as gospel. I think you'll find (like many of us have) that it works very well. :thumbsup:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Does blue jeans material work for char? ?

Spudnut, have you tried making char cloth with denim yet?

Those are two distinctly different things. Denim and Blue jean material, I mean.....

 

[running horse]

Check to see if they are 100% cotton. If so then your good to go, if not it the tag is to warn take a lighter to a piece and see if it burns cleanly. If there is any synthetic in it it will leave a hard crumbly surface instead of a soft one like ash.i used blue jeans with success for many years then switched to come gun cleaning patches, there precut. Recently found charred shelf fungus works even better, and will be trying other charred readily available substances as I find them.

 

[spudnut]

going to be grillin a lot over the next week or so( ahh vacation) so Ill char some up and see how it works

 

[coloradoclyde]

Make some charcoal too.... :wink:

 

[pab1]

Those are two distinctly different things. Denim and Blue jean material, I mean.....

:shake:

OK Clyde...

Obviously I was referring to the jean material the OP mentioned which works very well for char cloth.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Those are two distinctly different things. Denim and Blue jean material, I mean.....

:shake:

OK Clyde...

Obviously I was referring to the jean material the OP mentioned which works very well for char cloth.

Some Blue jean material works, some doesn't, some contains up to 20 percent synthetic material.
If yours works, great! ...stick with it....But the next guys blue jeans may not work. Check the labels and do a test.. Denim from Joannes or some other fabric store should be clearly marked.

As I've said many times before, I much prefer charred punkwood over charcloth. Punkwood is much more forgiving and allows me to be sloppy building a birsnest......I mean most of the time I don't even make a birdsnest...Just a featherstick.

Rendezvous flint and steel competitions are great for entertaining tourists....But if you want a real competition, take away the charcloth....Take away as much as you can.

 

[pab1]

Some Blue jean material works, some doesn't, some contains up to 20 percent synthetic material.
If yours works, great! ...stick with it....But the next guys blue jeans may not work. Check the labels and do a test.. Denim from Joannes or some other fabric store should be clearly marked.

As I've said many times before, I much prefer charred punkwood over charcloth. Punkwood is much more forgiving and allows me to be sloppy building a birsnest......I mean most of the time I don't even make a birdsnest...Just a featherstick.

Rendezvous flint and steel competitions are great for entertaining tourists....But if you want a real competition, take away the charcloth....Take away as much as you can.

Its already been stated numerous times in this thread that the material used should be 100% cotton. Any material that's a synthetic blend is not going to work whether its jeans, t-shirts, etc. That's why, just like with jeans, some t-shirts work and some don't.

You stated previously that "Blue jeans are a poor choice...". If you're trying to make char cloth with skinny jeans or jeggings that's probably true. If you're using 100% cotton material, as previously stated, blue jeans work very well. As I mentioned before char cloth made from jeans usually results in more heat than thinner materials which can be a benefit in less than ideal conditions.

I also enjoy more challenging fire starting methods but that wasn't the question. The OP wasn't asking about my fire starting abilities or what the most challenging method is. The OP was asking whether jean material works for char cloth.