Making char cloth

[Stophel]

A question on the making of char cloth. Now, I have made it the way probably most of you make it, by using one of the cheap pressed "tin" boxes with a lid, with a small hole punched in it, put in the fire, watch the smoke, when it's done smoking, it's done.

That's all well and good, but to my knowledge, that type of one-piece, UN-soldered tin box was not around 200+ years ago (???). I can imagine your nice, period-correct soldered tin box melting and coming apart quite quickly if tossed in the fire... SO, how was it done without benefit of the little pressed out metal box to do it in???

:idunno:

 

[Rod Lassey]

Like you, I've found zero evidence of the little tin with the hole in the lid existing prior to 1960 or so. I've had good luck with lighting a roll of cloth afire, then smothering it out, either by burying or putting in the thunderbolt and shutting the lid. Doesn't char all the way like it would if cooked in a tin, but there's enough charred material to get it lit. I also char punky wood in the same way.

Rod

 

[George]

I think it's possible they never used the box in the way we do. I've never found any description of such a practice. What I have found is setting cloth, usually linen, on fire and extinguishing it before the cloth is totally burned. Here's such a description from 1557:

"But when you will make tinder for a Gunners tinder boxe, take pieces of fustian, or of olde and fine linnen clothe, make them to burn and flame in a fire, & suddenly before the flame which is in the cloth die, choke their fire..."

An early 19th century description of the ubiquitous tinder box:

"Ordinarily, it was an oblong wooden box some six or eight inches long and three or four in width, and was divided into two parts by a partition. In one of these was fitted a loose lid with a central knob, to drop in as a “damper” on the tinder; and in the other were kept the flint, steel, and bunches of brimstone matches. The “tinder” was scorched or half-burned linen rag."

Tin tinder boxes, some with a candle holder on top, had a circular, flat piece of tin in them to drop on the smoldering cloth to damp out the flames or embers, to keep the cloth from being burned up.

I've tried using what we call charcloth, apparently a modern term, when only part of it is properly burned. If there is a part of it which easily catches the spark, then the spark will smolder into less burned portions and not be extinguished. Partially burned or scorched cloth doesn't catch a spark easily, but it supports the ember quite well, especially in a fairly heavy gauge linen cloth.

Spence

 

[necchi]

Put cloth in fire,
Pull it out when it's burning and step on it.
Remove and save charred edges.
Repeat,,
:idunno:
Simple really, just get the cloth smoldering in any manner you choose and smother it before it's fully consumed in any manner you choose.
Instead of throwing it on a blazing fire,, toss it on a bed of coals,, kinda like toasting a marshmallow, you wanna toast it not burn it,, right? Same with the cloth, you want it charred not consumed by the fire.

 

[Stophel]

Thank you, guys!

I was even thinking about trying to place some cloth on a metal plate/pan/whatever and placing it over the fire or setting it on hot coals to see if I could scorch it black without setting it on fire.

 

[Claude Mathis]

Here's a previous thread with some opinions:
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/224145