[almac]

so i tried to make some charcloth last night.
i used a small metal tin that sealed pretty good, and poked a very small hole in the top.
cut the white cotton tee shirt, place strips inside, then sealed it up and put it on my BBQ.

when the smoke stopped flowing out of the hole, i removed it from heat, and put a coin on the hole to stop the air from going into the tin.

this is the result:

my first try was even worse. when i opened the tin, all the cotton was very frail and charred to bits.
because this batch is mostly brown, can i assume that i didnt cook it long enough?
all the black edges crumbled when i touched them...

i'm not really sure what i'm doing wrong here.
can anyone help?

 

[cjknight2]

Use jean (denim) material thats what i always used. It holds up better. I would say leave it on the BBQ less time too. Good Luck

 

[Trilect]

It's getting too much oxygen. The can you have isn't sealing as well as you think.

I've left my paint can full of cotton cloth pieces all night before (I forgot about it) and I still have a very nice amount of char cloth the next day. Just be sure to let it cool down completely before opening the can.

 

[Drat]

I use terry cloth from old bath robes or towels in a Snus can.I used old shoe polish cans as well.

 

[tonyclark]

Smoke should come out of the little hole, when smoke quits it's done.

 

[panoz77]

The heat source probably needs to be hotter. A direct flame from a single propane burner might be better. Also, you might want to reduce the amount of material, if you put too much in it does not work as well.

 

[Celt1776]

You definately have an uneven burn going on there. As someone said you still may be getting too much oxygen in there. I prefer to use an Altoids tin but anything really can work like a small paint can etc. I only poke one small hole about the size of a toothpick in the top. I put it directly over the flames on high heat. If you are using an open fire or charcoal once you have coals put it directly onto them. It will start to smoke and sometimes a small flame may begin from the gasses being released. After you are sure no more smoke is coming out, I put the tooth pick in the top and remove the tin waiting for it to completely cool before opening. If you don't and its still hot you will get a pile of ash. What type of cotton shirt were you using? I only use old well worn cotton. Todays clothing fabrics have flame retardant chemicals applied to them so if they aren't washed out over the years and you try to make char with them you may get a result such as you are experiencing. Keep trying and pay close attention to what you are doing and I'm sure you will be able figure out what going wrong in the process.

 

[charliemeyer007]

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=210883&highlight=tubalcain

 

[Colorado Rancher]

what is the purpose of charcloth?

 

[charliemeyer007]

It allows you to catch a spark from a flint and steel, thus making fire easier. Could also be used in place of burnt toast for certain poisions.

 

[DontPanic]

Did you make a hole for venting? i didnt really see a hole on the top of the tin. you know the cloth is ready when most of the smoke stops coming out. also a good tip is to let the tin cool down cool enough to be able to touch it. if its too hot, the rush of air can actually ignite the cloth.

 

[ThinkToSurvive]

Since charcloth ignites at a low temperature, it also works great with a magnifying glass.
Tary

 

[81eagle]

I make charcloth in my wood stove that I have in my shop. I use a similiar tin with a hole in the top. When the hole no longer has a small flame, and the smoke is diminished I immeadiately remove it from the stove and empty the contents onto the concrete floor. It will glow until the oxygen is removed. I hold a welding glove down on it for a few secoonds and that sufficates it. Now it is ready for use.

It is very fragile stuff. I have had some in a ziplock bag in my vehicle pack, and in the same pouch was the fire rod, multitool, and a small flashlight. The addition stuff beat it to death and turned it into chardust. Just a little info to help ya along.

 

[Florida7759]

I always pack my charcloth in a small glass jar with dryer lint and have no problems with chardust and it stays dry

 

[Florida7759]

It allows you to catch a spark from a flint and steel, thus making fire easier. Could also be used in place of burnt toast for certain poisions.

this is not quite the same as charcoal for use in poisions will not work near as well charcoal from the fire would be much better for that

 

[81eagle]

Yeah a glass jar should do the trick, I'll try that. Thanks for the tip. I have packed it in drier lint in a ziplock in my water bladder pack I wear when riding my dirtbike. It too fell apart, but it bounces around alot.

 

[Florida7759]

dirtbikes might make anything hard to stay in one piece bouncing around if you ride like I do on a quid

 

[SamboRoberts]

FYI...The smoke is flammable. I set fire to the smoke coming from the vent. When that smoke won't burn anymore, the char cloth is done.

 

[JDBushcraft]

If you use an altoids tin or similar there is no need to poke a hole. They are not air tight. The hole is to keep the top from blowing off as it heats.
Make sure the material is 100% cotton.
Don't try to make too much at one time. Start off with just a couple pieces until you get the timing down.
Denim does work very well
Let it cool before you open it. If it is still brown and not charred then put it back on for a bit more.
If it just crumbles then it's over cooked. Try again for a bit less time.

just saw pics: Use smaller pieces. 1"X1" is about right.

 

[KsPete]

I use a small paint can with a lid. You can buy them new at your big box store. Use a nail to poke a small hole in the lid, and set the nail aside for later. I used an old white t-shirt cut up into squares and packed the can full. I set the can in a campfire. As it cooks, there should be a small flame (or at least smoke) coming from the hole. When it stops, take the can off the fire, put the nail in the hole to cut off oxygen, and set it aside to cool.