Firecraft: How to Make Char Cloth

If you've not used char cloth before you're missing out on a trick; it's the ideal fire starter. Before the advent of matches, char cloth was widely used in the fire lighting process along with traditional flint and steel strikers.

Char cloth is a slow burning fuel made from natural fibres, such as cotton, that have been baked in an oxygen free environment; a process known as pyrolysis. Char cloth will catch even very dull sparks which will cause it to ignite and smoulder slowly with a warm orange glow. The glowing char cloth can then be placed into a tinder bundle and blown to a flame.

Making char cloth is extremely simple, and no fire lighting kit should be without it. Here's how it's done.

Firstly, find yourself a metal container with a tight fitting lid. Do not use an old paint tin; any remaining paint may produce harmful fumes later on when the tin is heated. In the past I have used clean shoe polish tins, Brasso wadding tins and Lyle's Golden Syrup tins. Some are better than others, but to date the Lyle's tin has been my favourite. Ideally, try to choose a tin from which the lid can be levered. If the lid gums up later on in the process this feature will prove to be invaluable.

Once you've chosen your tin the next step is to punch a hole in it's lid. This is extremely important as it will prevent a dangerous build up of pressure within the tin when it's heated. To punch a hole you can use a hammer, nail and wooden block. Place the lid of the tin on top of the block and position the point of the nail centrally over the lid. Tap the nail gently with the hammer until it pierces the metal lid. This will almost certainly create a sharp ragged edge on the underside, so be careful to avoid any nicks or cuts.

You're now ready to put the cotton into the tin. I like to cut the fabric into smaller swatches, but this isn't strictly necessary. Also, be careful not to just cram in as much as you can. I've found that overloading the tin affects the consistency of the finished cloth. Be a little conservative to begin with. In time you will be able to judge a good sized batch.

A point to note before going any further is that you should avoid attempting to make char cloth in confined spaces. Choose somewhere that is well ventilated, and avoid inhaling any fumes created during the process.

The next step is to heat the tin. You can be quite blasé and just drop the tin into a roaring fire, but don't forget you're going to have to get it out again at some point, so it's worth making provisions for this early on. The use of a stick to coax the tin from the embers is usually enough. If you don't have a roaring fire you can use a gas stove or a barbecue. When I took the photos to illustrate this process, I chose to use a gas stove. If I'm honest, I much prefer an open fire as it can take 30 minutes or more for the cloth to bake. Using a gas stove is obviously more expensive than lighting a fire with whatever freely available fuel you can lay your hands on, and there's also a chance that you may run out of gas before the job is done.

Watch carefully as the tin is heated. After only a few seconds a plume of white smoke should start to jet from the hole in the lid. This is your indicator, and when it slows or stops your char cloth will almost be ready. You may also find that this jet periodically ignites, but there's no need to worry about that.

When the time comes, carefully remove the tin from the heat and, if need be, plug the hole in the lid with a pointed stick to put out any flames. Wait until the tin is cool enough to touch before levering off the lid and checking the contents. If the char cloth is brown rather than black, replace the lid, remove the peg and put the tin back in the fire for a few more minutes. If the cloth at the bottom of the tin is black, but the cloth at the top is brown, remove the cloth, turn the bundle up side down and replace it with the brown pieces at the bottom of the tin. Again, replace the lid and put the tin back in the fire for a few more minutes. When all of the fabric has turned jet black the batch is done.

Finally, don't be tempted to leave the tin in the fire for too long. Prolonged heating may make the cloth more delicate than it needs to be. The finished product should be soft and easily torn, but should not crumble to dust when handled.