char cloth

[badgreek]

I need to know how to make char cloth

 

[skunkskinner]

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/f...d/252565/post/926672/hl//fromsearch/1/#926672

 

[Trench]

Great pictures on the thread. I just made some charcloth last weekend. I had some extra linen and cut it in to 1.5in squares. I have an Altoid's tin with a nail hole punched in the top. I loaded it to the top, closed the lid, and then buried it in the hot coals of my fire. I pulled it out after about 20 or 30 minutes, let it cool, and checked it. It was done. If it wasn't, I'd just put it back in for a little longer.

 

[badgreek]

I made some char cloth today. I used some round patches that i make for my 50 cal. GPR. They work great! Thanks for the good advice I cant wait for the next rendevous.

 

[jbtusa]

Now that you've learned charcloth, try moving on to making charwood which is what they used back in the fur trade era. You'll find that charred puncky wood works just as well as charcloth and is historically correct. Even better, charred punk wood is free and is an inexhaustable supply.

 

[Trench]

I like charred wood as well. Make it the same way you make the charred linen. I always have charred wood in the bottom of my tinder kit covered by a piece of leather. You drop sparks in to the char until you get some glowing. I hold my tinder nest directly on top of the char and blow until it catches fire. You'll want a tinder kit with a finger hole to hold it, for as you can imagine, it gets very hot. When you're done, put the leather back on top of the char and close the lid to extinguish it.

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

I wonder if BBQ charcoal will work as well? Will have to try that when BBQ season starts....

 

[George]

BBQ charcoal works just fine for making either char cloth or char wood.

Something which needs to be pointed out to anyone learning to do this is that the cloth can be over cooked. It will lose all it's strength, get so it is almost like soot, and you can't handle it without having it fall apart. It should still be strong when you are finished. I always take the can off the fire when I see the main smoke coming out the vent hole stop. You can always put it back if need be. The cloth will work very well even if it has only gotten to the deep brown stage.

Spence

 

[gearheart]

Briquettes? Probably not, but the regular hardwood coal should work. I once read the it was possible to use charred wood from a burnt out stump left over from a forest fire. Saving a few cold coals from last night's camp fire is another possibility. Disclaimer: I only read this and have not proved it out myself. I will give it a try next chance.

 

[chance]

Can you cut up old tshirts and use them?

 

[necchi]

Can you cut up old tshirts and use them?

Most of the fabric used to make clothing items, like shirts an pants an such have a flame retardent added and it don't matter how many washings it's been through.
You can get it to char but getting a spark to take hold is a dickens, sparks will land on it but not start.

Gun cleaning patches, or fabric used for ironing boards are chemical free and work good.

 

[George]

Can you cut up old tshirts and use them?

Yes, you can, and they will work, but I prefer something a bit heavier. The thin stuff tends to burn up quicker once it catches a spark.

I have used regular briquettes and had no trouble, but you need to have a fair bunch of them and give them time to really get going well.

Spence

 

[Claude Mathis]

I wonder if BBQ charcoal will work as well?

Heat is heat. It's not the heat source that's important. You can make char cloth on your gas stove in the kitchen if you want.

 

[fatboy]

Cut up some old 100% cotton blue jeans heavier fabric seems to work real well dont pack your can to full or it wont char very well in the middle

 

[pa woods roamer]

Secret I learned is to cut the rear end out of worn out 100% Cotton Men`s Underwear. Before you Char it, stretch it length wise. This will catch Sparks on the first try and burns Hot. I`ve started many a five second Fire with it done this way...

 

[spudnut]

I like old faded thread bare 100% cotton red shoprags

 

[gearheart]

I believe your question was: "Could one throw a spark at BBQ charcoal and have it take?" Am I right?

 

[sleepingbear]

Am new in here, but old in making char. I prefer either outing weight flannel or diaper flannel(non fire retardant). This seems to catch the sparks better than anything else I have tried, though the strings I unraveled when making my last hunting frock worked very well.

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

Yes sir that was the idea ... would it work?

 

[David Shaw]

An electric stove works as well :thumbsup: .