How do ya make charcloth?

[Andy A]

We in our class have been trying to make charcloth. We have bee using cotton out of the field, back of the school, but this isn't working. We are using an old paint can with holes in the lid.

Andy A

[brokenflint]

http://www.utahpreppers.com/2009/07/making-better-char-cloth/  just a quick google search, bunches of stuff out there.  Look at the buckskinner series also

Broke

[Kermit]

I use cotton cloth (about the weight of blue jeans) cut into strips about an inch wide, maybe a foot long. They get stuffed loosely into a can that IIRC is an old tea can. Looks like about a half-pint paint can with a press-in lid. There's one 1/16" or so nail hole in the middle of the lid. I throw it into a campfire that's got a good bed of coals. When the "smoke" starts to come out the hole, I make sure these vapors get lighted--small jet of flame. When the flame goes out for good, I fish it out of the fire and let it cool completely before opening--usually the next morning. Works for me, and has for about 30 years.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Same procedure as Kermit, except I use a smaller can - one that had hard candies originally.  And I cut up the old blue jeans into two inch squares so I can fold the charred pieces.  And I use the BBQ to do the burning.  It's important to let it get cold enough to pick up before you take a peek, otherwise, the contents will become a big red ember.

[Ky-Flinter]

Alan, how big is your paint can?  I'm thinking a gallon may be too big, too much air inside.  And only use 1 hole in the top.  The key is cutting off the air before the cloth burns completely to ash.  BTW...  my hat's off to you for going to the effort to make learning fun for your students.

I do it similar to Kermit and Taylor, but I like a lighter cloth (no pun intended).  Old cotton bed sheets work the best for me, cut into 2" squares, loosely stacked an inch or so high.  I have a small can and that pretty well fills it up.

I've never tried lighting the vapor coming out of the hole.  I have a little wooden plug at the ready and when the smoke ceases jetting out, I remove the can from the fire and plug the vent.  Wait until cold before opening.

-Ron

[Seven]

I do the same procedure as noted above.  I use an old tee shirts cut  up and an old soup can with aluminum foil over the open end.  Poke a small hole in the foil and then put it on the bar-b when I'm cooking steaks.  I don't put it near the steaks, I'm afraid of contaminating the meat somehow, but place it off to the side with the jet stream facing away from the meat.  I'm cheap so I figure if I'm going to be firing up the bar-b I might as well kill two birds with one stone.  -Chad

[Andy A]

Thanks guys!

I appreciate the help!

Andy A

[sniper68]

Easy as boiling water. I use a stainless Steel pot with matching lid. Any size will work. The bigger, the more char you can make. No need to vent. Put in as much cloth as it will hold, or as much as you want. Put the pot on your "out side" heat source, with the lid on. The gasses will start escaping around the lid. Once started, you may want to reduce heat some what. So long as you have a steady amount of gasses escaping, you're good to go. When it subsides, turn off or remove from heat. The residue around the rim will solidify and seal the lid on the pot, making it air tight. Let cool and you're done. I like to use thick Egyptian looped  bath towels.

[Larry Pletcher]

I put 10 squares of flannel in a metal bandaid box.  The hinge holes will smoke and then flare.  when the flame goes out remove from fire and cool.  Don't open too quick.

Regards,
Pletch

[Roger Fisher]

I do the same procedure as noted above.  I use an old tee shirts cut  up and an old soup can with aluminum foil over the open end.  Poke a small hole in the foil and then put it on the bar-b when I'm cooking steaks.  I don't put it near the steaks, I'm afraid of contaminating the meat somehow, but place it off to the side with the jet stream facing away from the meat.  I'm cheap so I figure if I'm going to be firing up the bar-b I might as well kill two birds with one stone.  -Chad

I suppose pld T shirts work fine.   I have 100% cotton material around here like forever, can't recall where it came from.  Beware trying cotton undershirts!!! Since they most certainly contain flame retardant!!  The sparks bounce off the char.  Don't ask how I k now this....    

[Kelhammer]

I use a cookie tin that held butter cookies.  It is about 8 inches across, and 3 inches deep.  I have a small hole in the center of the lid, the hole is small enuff to be plugged with a tooth pick.  Use any type of 100% cotton cloth, mine are cut to about 2 inch strips of any length, rolled up, but not rolled tight.  I have filled the entire can with these rolls.  Anyways fill your can and put the lid on, and place in a bed of coals.  I have used my little smokey joe, when there is no fire to be found.  You cook your cloth untill smoke stops comming out of your vent hole in the lid.  20 to 25 minutes is usually about all it takes.  Pull your can from the heat and plug the vent hole with a tooth pick.  The idea being to prevent oxygen from letting the cloth to continue burning.  Let the can cool all the way down before you open it.  This method has never failed me.     Andrew

[Leatherbelly]

  Try an old 8mm film can with one nail hole in the lid.

[T.C.Albert]

What Leatherbelly said....only I use swatches of old used up bath towels....
Just a side note, but the flat-ish round 8mm film can doubles as a great little fishing
kit in the possables bag when not making char....allowing you to carry your tackle
and make char in the field if needed...
TCA   

[William Worth]

I pick up and save my shot RB patches, they need to be picked up anyway...and will sometimes char them.  I usually have more used patch material than I need char cloth.  I have found that I can't pack the char can (refractory) very tight or it just fuses into a smelly lump that can't be usefully separated.

[jbtusa]

The use of charcloth by the frontiersmen or Rocky Mountain trappers cannot be documented.  Arguably the use of charcloth is therefore not historically correct. 

However, assuming that being documented historically correct does not matter, this is what I do.  Get one of those empty quart paint cans at Home Depot.  Punch a small hole in the lid.  Cut pure cotton patches, say 2" x 2", and loosely fill the can about 1/3 full with them.  Then close the lid and toss the can into a good bed of campfire coals.  Once most of the smoke has quit coming out of the can, the charcloth is done.  I like these cans because they are cheap and you can do a large batch at one time. 

[hammerhead]

got to try that

[The other DWS]

I've used old scraps of canvas picked up on the ground after reenactments as my preferred charcloth. I always policed the grounds after an event to scrounge for more--found all sorts of interesting other stuff too
 Canvas sailcloth was a real common 18th cent commodity and old weathered scraps char up real nice with out getting to fragile.  In addition the coarser weave "catches" sparks a whole lot better than tighter woven cloth like denim etc.  I burned it in a film can like mentioned above.  carried it,with flint, french type strike-a-light steel and a bit of dry tow, in a battered little pewter box with a busted hinge tied shut with a leather strip, in my little belt pouch.

I'm a pipe smoker and when I was giving 1st person programs for schools clubs etc, I'd fish my clay pipe twist of tobacco and fire kit out s load up and fire it up while talking about other things.  with the canvas charcloth its light in the 1st strike, got so I could do it as quickly and casually as digging out a box of matches and doing the same.   the kids/audience were always amazed by it and it gave me the opportunity to build on it to starting a fire--usually a quickly flaming pinch of tow, and then to the flintlock.  a natural progression that helped reinforce the educational component of that part of the event.----of course in those days you could light a pipe and take a puff or two with out creating an environmental hazard--and even touch off a little powder on school grounds.

[Brian Jordan]

I have found that the red shop rags that you have layin' around work excellent for charcloth. the open weave catches sparks like you wouldn't believe. Cut them a little bigger than you want because they shrink some while charrin'