Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: How to Prepare Charred Cloth
• Method 2 of 2: How to use charred cloth
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Lighting a fire with flint and iron is not easy, especially if you have little or no brushwood. The charred cloth makes this task much easier. It takes about 10 minutes to cook the charred cloth and less than an hour to wait. To do this, you only need a few things that you probably already have.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: How to Prepare Charred Cloth

1. 1 Find an empty metal box or jar. Many people use a mint box for this, but any clean metal box will do. Wipe the inside of the box.
   • Use a paint or oatmeal can for large amounts of charred cloth. Make sure the jar is 100% metal and has no plastic or rubber parts.
   • If the can does not have a lid, wrap the hole tightly with aluminum foil.
2. 2 Punch a hole in the lid. Use an awl or nail and hammer to punch a hole in the lid of the jar. The hole should be large enough to accommodate the tip of the pen. Gases and hot air will escape through this hole, preventing the can from exploding.
   • If the hole is too large, air will enter the jar and the fabric will catch fire. Instead of being charred, it will turn to ash.
   • If the box has a hinged lid, some air can pass through the hinge. This is not critical, but instead of a new hole, it is better to expand the existing one on the hinge.
3. 3 Take natural fabric. An old clean 100% cotton T-shirt or a pair of blue jeans will do. It is better to use a white cloth, as it is easier to notice the charring process on it and no paint will interfere with it. Most dyed fabrics that do not contain synthetic materials will work for our purposes. Here are a couple of options:
   • Loosely woven fabrics (easy to ignite): cotton T-shirts, gauze, rolled cotton pads, linen, jute and hemp.
   • Thick fabrics (long burning): jeans, a cotton belt, natural canvas, a soft cotton and microfiber cloth for washing dishes, and a hemp rope.
4. 4 Cut the fabric into pieces. As the charring progresses, the fabric will begin to shrink, so that 5 cm pieces of fabric turn into comfortable pieces of charred fabric. The pieces do not have to be exact and may have jagged edges. Just estimate by eye and cut the fabric with scissors.
   • All pieces should be small enough to line up evenly inside the jar. If you roll them up, they will char unevenly.
   • Larger pieces of cloth will take longer to char, which is very helpful if you have damp brushwood. True, this way you will have fewer attempts to light brushwood.
5. 5 Place the fabric in the jar. Place the pieces of fabric in the jar and make sure they lie flat. Leave free space in the jar or fill it almost to the top, but do not tamp the fabric.
6. 6 Place the jar on a ventilated heat source. Unpleasant and potentially toxic fumes will be emitted from the charred fabric. Install the heat source outside on a non-combustible surface. If you are indoors, the surrounding area should be fireproof and well ventilated. Here are some things you can use while outdoors or in an emergency:
   • a camp stove on gas, turned on at the lowest fire;
   • hot coals from the fire (or in the grill);
   • Fat Candle - Prepare a candle from a jar, leftover cooking oil, and a stick.
7. 7 Wait until the smoke stops coming out. The tissue inside the can will begin to partially disintegrate into gas and ash, leaving behind flammable carbon. If smoke and fire (flammable gas) comes out of the hole, then this is a good sign. Just wait until the smoke stops coming.
   • The entire process can take from 5 to 50 minutes, but usually the smoke stops flowing after 15 minutes. A large can and a low temperature will result in a longer charring process.
   • Hold the jar straight with the opening facing up.
   • In large jars, sometimes not all of the fabric is heated. Use a poker or tongs to turn the pieces of cloth over or roll them into coals to avoid burning more gas.
8. 8 Wait for the box to cool down. Remove the box from fire or coals. Place it on a fireproof surface. Wait until the box is cool enough to touch.
   • To prevent fresh oxygen from entering the jar, insert a nail or other object into the hole. The charred tissue is now incandescent and may burst into flames if sufficient oxygen is introduced into the jar.
9. 9 Check the fabric. As a result, you should be left with a completely black charcoal, on which the grain pattern will be visible. The charcoal will not disintegrate even if you transfer it to another location. Separate the pieces from each other, place them in a waterproof bag and store them until your next hike or just in case.
   • If the pieces of fabric are not completely blackened, return them to the box and reheat. Before removing the box from the fire, make sure that there is no more smoke coming out of it.
   • If you touch the fabric and it crumbles, then the jar has been near the fire for too long. Take a new cloth and try again.

Method 2 of 2: How to use charred cloth

1. 1 Collect wood, brushwood and tinder. Charred cloth alone will not be able to light the wood. To light a fire, you will need tinder (dry grass, bark scraps or newspaper), brushwood (twigs and small twigs) and, of course, the firewood itself. The charred cloth makes it easier to ignite and ignite the tinder.
   • Charred cloth is most useful in wet weather when tinder is more difficult to ignite.
2. 2 Light a fire. Find a fire pit or large area clear of vegetation. Do not light a fire in an area with many hanging branches.Fold up the brushwood and place the wood on top so that there is enough room for oxygen. Here are a couple of simple methods:
   • For cooking: Build a vertical wigwam with brushwood and an even larger wigwam of wood above it.
   • For long-term burning of the fire: fold the brushwood crosswise and put the firewood in the same way.
3. 3 Place the cloth on top of the tinder. Place a piece of charred cloth on top of a tinder slide. Get ready to take the tinder and stuff it under the brush when it catches fire.
4. 4 Light the charred cloth. The fabric can be ignited with a flint and a piece of iron or other hand-held sparking device (including an empty lighter). When a spark hits the fabric and forms a glowing red line, the fabric should catch fire. Here's how to direct the spark:
   • Hold the flint directly over the fabric, at a downward angle. Run the iron over the flint so that the spark hits the fabric.
   • Or hold the cloth against the sharp edge of the flint, then run the iron over it.
5. 5 Spread the fire. Blow on a hot, charred cloth to spread the heat. Take the tinder and gently place it on the fabric until it catches fire.
6. 6 Place the tinder under the brushwood. Once the tinder is on fire, tuck it and the charred cloth under the brush. The fire should go to the brushwood, and then to the wood itself.

Tips

• Charred cloth can be set on fire with a lighter or a match, just like tinder itself. The need for this may arise if the tinder is wet.

Warnings

• Never use synthetic fabrics like polyester. It not only exudes poisonous smoke, but also melts when burned.
• Do not open the box until it has cooled down. Otherwise, you risk not only burning your hand, but also igniting the charred tissue with an influx of oxygen.

What do you need

• Metal jar or box (with lid or aluminum foil)
• 100% natural fabric, preferably white and washed (read the fabric care instructions)
• Heat source (camp stove, hot coals, or fire)
• Hammer and nail or awl