Home Sign Up!

Browse Community Submit

All Art Craft Food Games Green Home Kids Life Music Offbeat Outdoors Pets Photo Ride Science Tech

Make Char Cloth

by Graywolf on October 16, 2006 Table of Contents Make Char Cloth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: Make Char Cloth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: Make the char tin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Put the cloth in the can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Put it on the fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 4: Remove the lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 5: Light it up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 4 4 5 6 6 7

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

Intro: Make Char Cloth

In this entry I will show you how to make char cloth which will aid you in fire starting the primitive way.

Image Notes 1. this is the char cloth it is already chared

Image Notes 1. Here is the hole I poked it the tin it is a small hole and it put here to release the gases. It needs to have a hole in it or you risk it blowing up

Image Notes 1. Heat from the fire 2. smoke is let off out of the hole

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

Image Notes 1. if it starts on fire dont worry it is fine and you'll know when its done, when there is no smoke bellowing out

Image Notes 1. here is the char cloth after being chared

Image Notes 1. seprating the char cloth

Image Notes 1. the char cloth burning 2. here is the ember it is very hot although it looks pathetic

Image Notes 1. this is a piece of char cloth not fully chared all you would have to do is cover the tin back up and cook it longer

Image Notes 1. After this is a perfect piece of char cloth 2. Before

Step 1: Make the char tin

You need a tin of some sort it just hast to be a closeable tin that is kinda air tight like a tin of mints or maby a altoid can. When you get your tin you need to punch a small hole in the top with a small nail or 4-5 cm, but dont make it to big no bigger that 1cm . this must be done or you risk the chance that the gases presurize the tin and it will explode. after that you are ready to char some cloth.

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

Image Notes 1. Here is the hole I poked it the tin it is a small hole and it put here to release the gases. It needs to have a hole in it or you risk it blowing up

Step 2: Put the cloth in the can

Now you must gently put the cloth in the can after you cut the cloth in squares. you must not pack them in tight or by just throwing them in you should place them in gently like I did in the picture. Then put the cap on. also you must use 100% cotton for the cloth this is readlly avaliable by using a old tee shirt which I use and it works fine, but remember 100% cotton!

Image Notes 1. here is the char cloth after being chared

Step 3: Put it on the fire

now just start a fire not a blazing inferno just a calm fire or you can use the embers (lots of embers, this usaly works much better) set it some where in the fire where it will not fall over and watch it you will eventualy see smoke billowing out or it might start on fire. dont freak out just let it burn itself out and when there is no more smoke coming out take it out. what ever you do DONT! take the lid off right away just wait a little while for two reasons. one it is probaly really hot! and two if you open it before it cools, the oxygen will rush in and might start the whole thing on fire. then you run the risk of getting burnt and you will have to start over because the cloth is all burnt away.

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

Image Notes 1. if it starts on fire dont worry it is fine and you'll know when its done, when there is no smoke bellowing out

Image Notes 1. Heat from the fire 2. smoke is let off out of the hole

Step 4: Remove the lid

Remove the lid :] if your cloth looks like the picture where it is brown then dont worry just cover the tin back up and put it back on. if it is very starchy or crumbles when you tuch it you over cooked it and will have to start over. but if is knida soft completly black and is not very fragile then it is perfect. then you should take it out of the can and seprate each piece gently like I have done

Image Notes 1. this is the char cloth it is already chared

Image Notes 1. this is a piece of char cloth not fully chared all you would have to do is cover the tin back up and cook it longer

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

Image Notes 1. seprating the char cloth

Step 5: Light it up
now all you have to do is let anykind of spark fall on it and it will glow red with a hot ember but no flame or for all those teck freaks you can just use a lighter but it burns it up fast. for all you primitive and medieval people like me this is the exact way the people back then made char cloth

Image Notes 1. the char cloth burning 2. here is the ember it is very hot although it looks pathetic

Related Instructables

Illustrated & Detailed Guide To Making A Fire Piston by jphphotography

Making char cloth in just a couple of minutes! by tim_n

Tang Survival kit by tjk888

Mini-Mess tin survival tin. by RWOW66

Instructions on personal suvival how to make kit by charcloth for firemaking paintballworld using flint+steel or firestick. by garethllewelyn

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

Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 58 comments

Eleniel says:
umm.. is the can just in/on the fire. or is the fire IN the can ?

Jan 16, 2011. 11:59 AM REPLY

nutsandbolts_64 says:
weird question: could you use cotton balls?

Jul 16, 2010. 6:16 AM REPLY

beehard44 says:
charred balls? sounds awfully wrong

Nov 10, 2010. 7:27 AM REPLY

Eleniel says:
ROFL!

Jan 16, 2011. 11:15 AM REPLY

nutsandbolts_64 says:

Nov 11, 2010. 1:43 AM REPLY lol. To other iblers out there: DO NOT use newspapers. I repeat, DO NOT use newspapers. If you attempt to turn it into charcoal, the end result is some pretty flammable paper, but it would be extremely smelly (I mean potent to the point of irritating and causing a sort-of burning sensation to your nose).

DieCastoms says:

Jul 2, 2008. 7:15 PM REPLY This comment is a little long, I apologize. Hopefully some will find it useful. I was a member of the Wachussett Mountain Men, the Leominster Sportsmans' Association, the N.M.L.R.A. and am a continuing reenactor and supporter of Living History. My Mountain Man name is Little Coon because as a child I was "always chattering and always getting into things". My father is a Rev.War period correct blacksmith and has made many fire starter kits. if you are interested in a kit, feel free to contact me. When making your charcloth, again, I must stress, ONLY 100% cotton will work. Anything synthetic will MELT instead! If you play with the size of the hole in the top of the tin, and get it small enough that you have a good steady flow of smoke, you can actually light the smoke itself. The can will not explode, because there is no oxygen in it, that's the whole point of doing it in a tin can. If you light the smoke you will get basically a candle flame. 9 out of 10 times, when the smoke finally burns out and will not re-light, the cloth is done. If you keep your char cloth, flint and striker and some rope fibers or DRY grass and a thin piece of leather in a TIGHTLY SEALING tin, you will always have what you need. Half bury a piece of charcloth in a 'bird's nest' of the grass or fibers and lay that on the piece of leather. Either hold the striker in one hand and hit with a GLANCING BLOW of a sharp edge of the flint, or hold the flint and swing the striker. One way will most likely work better then the other for you. Try to get AS MANY of the sparks to land on the charcloth as possible. Once you have embers burning in the cloth, pick the entire pile up using the leather like a pot holder and blow through the fibers gently like if you were cooling off a spoonful of soup. Once the fibers catch flame, place them into your kindling to get it lit, and retrieve your leather. Once your fire is going good, why not replenish your charcloth? Remember 100% cotton will dry if it gets wet, but charcloth will DISSOLVE if it gets wet. Carry cotton and make charcloth as you need it! As a random extra story: A demonstrator came to my school when I was in 2nd grade to show us about "Primitive living". While there, he showed how to start a flint and steel fire and although I do not remember what he did wrong, many people remember what happened. I corrected him, and of course since he was the teacher and I was the student, he was infallible and I was certainly wrong. When he made the comment "If you're so smart, come up and show us how it's done." I set the teachers desk on fire. Had he ASKED me, I at the time held my group's record for flint and steel fire in under 7 seconds! Remember, I was 7 years old! My parents were called and when told exactly what happened, dad told the PRINCIPLE to bugger off because of the demonstrator's attitude to me. In the following years, DAD was the demonstrator!!!! I hope my post is helpful and has not stepped on any toes. DC

peapeam says:

Sep 15, 2010. 6:18 PM REPLY As I've understood it, this is not correct (check Wikipedia article). The point is that it has to be a vegetable fiber. So not only 100% cotton will work, e.g. linen will also work or e.g. a mix of linen and cotton. Synthetics are of course excluded.

DieCastoms says:

Sep 15, 2010. 7:11 PM REPLY You are correct, thank you for pointing that out. Any 100% natural cloth will work. Anything synthetic will melt and smoke and not ignite. I have never tried to use anything other than 100% cotton, mostly from old t-shirts.

Sir Crapton says:

May 4, 2010. 9:42 AM REPLY I had a medieval-era style blacksmith teach me how to start fires and make char cloth last time I was at a Renaissance Faire. Its a lot of fun.

Aklash, The hunchback says:

One can use linen as a substitute for cotton (why one would have linen but not cotton I don't know) but both wil work fine.

Feb 25, 2010. 1:08 PM REPLY

Lithium Rain says:

Holy massive paragraph Batman.

Jan 29, 2010. 3:14 PM REPLY

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

franklinonline says:

Oct 25, 2009. 7:43 PM REPLY wow the instructor. He could always try yours, see it works, then aplogise and say hes human and wrong sometimes. But he bes a looser and stuff.

LOOPDOP says:
I think you mean 4 to 5 mm (millimetre). Am i correct?

Jul 19, 2010. 12:46 AM REPLY

peapeam says:

Sep 15, 2010. 6:16 PM REPLY Yes, looks like a typo. It must be 4-5mm, since it is to be no bigger than 1cm. A 4-5cm (appr. 2") hole of course would be way too big.

minime12358 says:
Fun and useful thing to do- light the smoke on fire. it will stop burning once it is done. the smoke is flammable.

Aug 2, 2010. 4:56 PM REPLY

GroovyPoet says:
Char cloth, excellent... do know what works nearly as well? Raman Noodles.

Jun 7, 2010. 11:52 PM REPLY

technodude92 says:
do you need to use a fire? can you char cloth on a hotplate/gas stove? and aprox. how long does it take to char cloth?

Jan 30, 2008. 4:01 PM REPLY

Aklash, The hunchback says:

a grill will work great

Feb 25, 2010. 1:09 PM REPLY

sharlston says:
no it wont get hot enough

Jun 13, 2009. 10:39 AM REPLY

dscroll says:
yes you can use any heat source(not sure about hot plate) but do it out side.

Mar 15, 2008. 9:31 PM REPLY

technodude92 says:
thanks i just might do this

Mar 16, 2008. 11:33 AM REPLY

pyro13 says:
hot plate will most likely work, just turn it up on high

Jul 8, 2008. 11:03 AM REPLY

Evilrick says:

Jan 15, 2010. 10:14 AM REPLY Just some added information, you can use any type of tin, including a soup, bean, tuna, or any other can. Use heavy duty aluminum foil or several layers of regular weight foil for a top/ lid. I have done this many times, I have also used thin flexible wire (bread ties, snare wire, a few strands from a lamp cord) wrapped around to hold the foil tight to the sides of the can, not absolutely necessary, but it does help keep the can sealed. Be sure to let the can/tin cool completely before opening or the char may ignite when you open it. The thicker the cotton, the better, cotton rope works great and is less brittle. I also use one of the cheep round plastic waterproof matchboxes to keep my char in. Keeps it dry, and will hold enough char to start many fires. It's always in a pocket and a fero rod is always on my keyring. Aug 13, 2009. 12:31 PM REPLY Graywolf, Great instructable and correct for period reenactors if I might add to keep your char-cloth dry try applying a drop of melted candle wax on the hole in your tin. I always carry a small beeswax candle in my rucksack.

lillady09 says:

sharlston says:
will this work for rags like dusters?

Jun 13, 2009. 10:40 AM REPLY

sharlston says:
will this work with them material dusters for cars?

May 20, 2009. 10:12 AM REPLY

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

rofus says:

Apr 6, 2009. 7:04 PM REPLY char cloth is very useful to me because it takes the tiniest ember and starts smoldering. its a good idea to make it when its easy to make a fire or your out of luck. one more thing, denim jeans works better. Oct 16, 2006. 7:36 PM REPLY i hope yall enjoyed this and it worked for yall please give me feed back and tell me if ther is any thing i can do to improve, also i will eventualy show yall how to make fire with a spark and eventualy with sticks

Graywolf says:

scoutmastermike190 says:
thank you graywolf. I am teaching this at a boy scout camporee this weekend

Nov 28, 2007. 7:05 PM REPLY

Fake_Name says:

Oct 17, 2006. 1:15 PM REPLY You know, there's this prillian new invention called punctuation... It's really quite usefull. Other than that, a useful and wel photo-documented instructable. This would be perfect for starting my furnace.

Graywolf says:
the other invention is spell check lol jk

Jul 10, 2007. 7:14 PM REPLY

Gramps says:

Feb 27, 2007. 7:58 AM REPLY Like your imput on how you guys carry the Char Cloth while in the field, i.e. How do you recommend carrying it and what amount. I just like to get other folks Ideas. Appreciate your response. Thanks

Graywolf says:

Jul 10, 2007. 6:55 PM REPLY in something waterproof i use a peice of electral tape to cover the top hole and then seal the side with a length of electral tape. carry as mush as you think you need, if your good you could start a fire with one peice

Trans_Am says:
Whatever those handheld sparkers are made of. I can never get flint to work.

Oct 16, 2006. 9:40 PM REPLY

FrenchCrawler says:

Oct 17, 2006. 12:36 AM REPLY If you're refering to the sparkers that are kind of like tongs with a upside down cap on one end that are usually used in scientific classes, they use flint (at least the ones I had did)...

Graywolf says:
those are not real flint the are ferroisum a man made substance it is not a natural stone

Oct 17, 2006. 6:53 AM REPLY

FrenchCrawler says:

Oct 18, 2006. 8:08 PM REPLY Now that I didn't know (the teachers always refered to them as flint starters, so we believed them). Knowledge is power.... And now what does "power" do, class? PS- "It" corrupts :P

knexer1 says:
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

May 4, 2007. 9:07 PM REPLY

stick1985 says:
those flints are made out of magnesum. it is the same stuf as the sparker side of the magnesum bars

Nov 27, 2006. 12:42 AM REPLY

Ncfdpaul says:

Jul 9, 2007. 10:28 AM REPLY actually, the bar is cheap magnesium diluted with loads of other metals. other wise everyone would die. and the striker is actually flint, with some other chemicals to toughen it, but still mostly flint. you strike them with a knife. if u actually want a true flint starter then you can buy a flint kit with a flint rock and a piece of metal. there.

technodude92 says:
die?

Jan 30, 2008. 4:03 PM REPLY

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

Graywolf says:
o i will eventualy post one of those on how to make a fire with real flint and steel then one with the magnesum bar

Oct 16, 2006. 10:11 PM REPLY

Bowcatz says:

Feb 5, 2007. 11:08 PM REPLY I used your method and made some fine charred cloth from an old 100 percent cotton t-shirt. Used two soup cans to make my cooker. Cut one down to about 3/4 " to make a lid of sorts for the other one. Placed loosely packed fabric inside the can and secured the lid snuggly. Put a tiny hole in the top of the lid to releave internal pressure, too. Lots of smoke began to pour out after a few minutes sitting in the nest of hot coals. Puffed good for about ten minutes then began to die down some. I waited about fifteen minutes for the first can of charred cloth and they worked perfectly the first time. The second can had to be re-cooked a little longer. The coals were dying out and I pulled the can of charring cloth out too soon. Practiced making fires with red flint from the rock garden and a piece of high carbon steel made from an old file. Read somewhere that quart can be used, too. The sparks were fat and caught the charred cloth easily. I would fold the one inch by two inch rectangles of charred cloth back on itself to have the one glowing spark make two sparks on the same piece of charred cloth ready for the dried shredded oak leaf tender bundle with just a few gentle puffs of breath. Thanks for the how-to.

stick1985 says:
when you take the can off the fire put the nail back in the hole

Nov 27, 2006. 12:36 AM REPLY

zorahunter says:
Very nice, now about that pitch that you make from birch, is it the same process to make it, or different?

Nov 4, 2006. 11:18 AM REPLY

zorahunter says:
Very nice, now about that pitch that you make from birch, is it the same process to make it, or different?

Nov 4, 2006. 11:17 AM REPLY

Jrabbit05 says:

Oct 22, 2006. 6:54 PM REPLY Hmm smart idea on the hole in the top. When I was doing a flint and steel compition we just used an altiods tin. poped open though and charded the ma bit too much ;o Oct 20, 2006. 11:43 AM REPLY i attended this mountain man thing when i was a boy scout. one of the activites was starting a fire with flint and steel. i made a nest out of the fibers of a piece of rope with a charcoal patch inside. with real flint and steel i started a fire in 14 sec. the flint is real sharp, one kid missed the steel and cut his knuckles up.

thematthatter says:

TheCheese9921 says:
could I just cook this over the stove in the altoids tin

Oct 17, 2006. 7:49 PM REPLY

Graywolf says:

Oct 17, 2006. 9:26 PM REPLY not smart at all you will defently set off the fire alarm and you could probaly kill yourself or start the house on fire im not kiding this is a out side activity ever herd of CO thats carbon monoxide that could be let off in your house if you do it inside and it can kill you

view all 58 comments

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