Char cloth

From WildernessWiki.org

Char cloth (also called charpaper) is linen or cotton cloth that has been combusted in the absence of oxygen. It is easily ignited by even the weakest of sparks. It is used as tinder, often in conjunction with Flint and Steel or other firestarters. Char cloth will not burn with an open flame, rather, it will burn slowly as a very hot ember. Even small pieces of char cloth will burn long enough to be used to ignite a larger fire.

1 Making Char Cloth
- 1.1 Materials
- 1.2 Method
2 Usage
3 External links

Making Char Cloth

Photos of Charcloth being made contributed by Canis Vulpes. Click to enlarge.

Materials

Cotton or linen cloth. Cloth the consistency of a t-shirt (t-shirts actually work very well) is best, but most other organic materials will work as well, such as paper towels or punk wood.
A closed, fireproof container. Any metal container such as a coffee can (with metal lid) or an Altoids tin will work well. Alternatively, aluminum foil can be used.

Method

Use a nail to punch a small hole into your container. If using aluminum foil, wrap it around the cloth several times, then punch a small hole.
Pack the cloth in the container without compressing it.
Seal the lid and make sure that the hole is clear.
Heat the container. This can be done by:
- Placing it on the hot embers of a fire.
- Hanging the container over a fire.
- Applying heat with a blowtorch or gas stove.
All of the materials in the cloth which are not cotton will be burned off as a gas and escape through the hole. It is okay if the escaping gas catches fire.
When smoke stops coming out of the hole, remove the heat source, seal the hole and allow the container to cool. The char cloth is now ready for use.

An alternate method is to seal a piece of cotton cloth between two layers of aluminum foil and heat it at high temperatures for several hours in an electric conventional oven. When indoors, be sure to work in a well ventilated area, as large amounts of smoke can be produced.