Charcloth

I made a batch of charcloth this morning to use with my new ML Knives Coffin Firesteel and some flint.

I used this tutorial I wrote back in 2006 and this may be my best batch yet.

Laura and I tested it this morning while waiting for the bus. It's a very wet day and we got embers on the first strike and they stayed lit when I tossed the piece of charcloth on the ground, walked her to the bus, and came back. I could have easily blown it into a flame if I had a tinder nest ready to go.

I buy 100% cotton dish towels and use them around the house until they're just too dirty to use any more and then they go into a bucket to become charcloth when I have the grill lit or a fire in the fire pit.

The tin I'm currently using is big enough to fit a towel and a half which makes enough charcloth to last a lifetime but I always end up giving it away, using it up in demonstrations, or misplacing it and then I have to make another batch.

I have so many plans for the campout this weekend that I'm beginning to worry that I'm not going to have time for even 1% of them...after all, I still have to entertain a campsite full of Cub Scouts on top of everything else.

Thank for reading,


B