Did some cooking today..

[Nessmuck]

Made my first batch of charred punk wood. Been a char cloth guy for ovah 35 years. Nevah going back now....this stuff takes a spark like crazy...plus I don’t have to cut up my clothes anymore....lol

[smylee grouch]

Looks like you charred the wood the same way you would the cloth, is that right?

[Nessmuck]

Yes same way.

[Nessmuck]

And then I packed a smaller tin with the charred punk wood....and threw some sparks on it...and it took off ! Took that chunk of ember out of the tin....quickly put the cover on the tin,to snuff out any other embers....and put that ember into some tow..blow and blow..and a ball of fire !

[Nessmuck]

[trentOH]

So your charcoal catches spark fast, then holds embers longer than char cloth? So it doesn't burn fast and fizzle out?

[Nessmuck]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Correct

[kudu]

I have to agree.  the char wood holds a ember wayyy longer.

What you want is "punk wood" - Wood that has rotted and it really light in weight not quite powder yet, but easily shredded with bare hands. Then you just char it same as making cloth. works great and probably "Historically correct"

[rich pierce]

I like using white rotten wood that can be torn like a loaf of bread for char. Makes really soft charcoal that catches and holds a spark well. I doubt frontier folks used char cloth much. Cloth was expensive and obits show folks had fewer clothes back then.

[Greg Pennell]

I found some nice punk wood the other day while out checking for mushrooms. I brought a bunch home, but haven’t charred it yet.  Glad I picked it up now!

Greg

[thecapgunkid]

Never tried this but always admired the style of it in passing.  How'd you make it and where did you find the wood?

Thx
Capgun

[Steve Patterson]

I stepped on a wasp gall from a white oak the other day and got to looking at it. It's drying out in a tin on my dashboard right now. Gonna try it uncharred first, then charred.

[axelp]

I stepped too close to a yellow jacket nest the other day and it sure lit a fire under me...

[David R. Pennington]

I have tried this with varying degrees of success. Seems as though species makes some difference. Some I made worked well some not so good. Trouble is hard to tell species after its rotted to punky state.

[Nessmuck]

Never tried this but always admired the style of it in passing.  How'd you make it and where did you find the wood?

Thx
Capgun

Take a walk in the woods and find an old rotted dead fall ....hardwood trees.....and remove with your fingers the soft spongy decayed wood pieces...