I sent you the cotton rope because I had used it for a long time and loved the results. I really like the Ferro rod with turned handle you sent me in return. Enjoy!!
Put a hole in it if your tin has no gas escape rout such as hinges. In a round tin drip a hole through the side of the lid and the tin body. That way when you carry it you can easily keep crud out and material inside protected by merely twisting the top so the two holes do not align. Try it, you will like it.
I've used cotton cordage for char for years. I was getting cotton mop heads for free and cutting them up and braiding them together then char them up. Not only is the burn longer but catches a spark from flint and steel wicked easy due to the increased surface area of the individual strands. Thank for the video!!
I was about to suggest mop heads. I get them from work (used), and found them to be great to char. Or, wet them down and rub black powder on them. When dry, they catch really well. And when you blow your fire, it smells like fireworks. 😊
@@motrock93b I braid them together because it looks good to me. That's really the only reason I do the braid. I left the individual mop strands loose when I made them into char and they work the same. No real reason other than aesthetics.
With charred rope, you can use a modified rifle casing to act as a handle and a snuffer for it. Cut the primer end off, stuff char rope into the bottom so it starts coming out the neck, and presto! You have a handle that snuffs your coal off the end, or if you trim chunks off to use,you have a way to handle the rest of the rope without destroying it or getting black all over.
I've been using rope or tighly rolled denim or cotton for years. I thought everyone knew about this. I like to ignite the smoke. It helps to know when you've reached temp and when it stops burning, your char is almost complete.
With a smaller hole - 1/16-1/32, if you put your can in a campfire, the gases will self-ignite. With a twisted rope, such as was used in the video, you might be better off dividing the strands before you char it. Cheers!
Yeah I can’t believe all these idiots didn’t know this either! My mother taught me that right after she taught me what a nipple was before I left the hospital.
I have been using rope like that for years reenacting 18th century. I found mine at Hobby Lobby in the home decorating area. Some cotton work rope is treated with fire retardant but this decorating rope was not. Great content Sir!
I’ve always used denim. It’s a strong char cloth. One pair of old, was going to toss ‘em jeans, makes a great amount. I’m going to try the rope! Thanks.
THE best char tin I found was a very small metal wood stain can (looks like a miniature gallon paint can). A less than 1/4" hole in the top and 'cooked' as normal. When taken off the fire a twig, whittled down to a long tapered plug is forced into the hole to prevent air from being pulled back inside when the gasses inside cool. If that hole isn't plugged the "returning" oxygen can sometimes allow the charred material to ignite. If the wind accidentally hits an un-stoppered vent hole just right then the atmospheric oxygen in the air can enter the can and only ash is left.
thanks for the video. I use an old for shoe wax for my char material. The tin has an excenter to help open it. That works fine. I have some ends of cotton rope for magicians. Those ends are left over from tricks. I soaked some wax. Now I´ll try the char rope.
Thanks Ernie. I just switched to charred rope last year, it is a game changer. Funny how we evolve from basic cotton to denim to rolled denim to rope. I wonder what’s next? Thanks for doing this series, I think it will open lots of new possibilities and opportunities.
Not setting alight to the smoke/gas is something I've never seen before. Once the gas flame dies it's done. Still, each to their own. Thanks for uploading.
This char rope is a game changer 😮indeed!!!! You are SO RIGHT! Thank you for the heads up tip! I will definitely get me some rope to char and try this ASAP! Thank you 🙏 again for all you do and your help! You don’t get enough thank yous 🙏 and thank you for being a doctor and helping people! We need more good 👍 doctors like you!!!! So glad you enjoy the great outdoors also!!!! Keep putting out great videos!!! We all enjoy 😉 watching them!!! ALWAYS so informative!!!! 🙏👍🤓😎
I've always added something over the hole once the smoke has stopped - only because that's what they do with charcoal. Not to sure if that's because they have more quantity inside. Looks awesome, now looking for some cotton rope 🤣
I like to use lamp wick. Like the rope it is more dense than cloth and lasts quite nice. Probably a little more expensive, but easy to find and packs tightly. I get mine at the local Wally World in candle and lamp section. Thanks for sharing.
Been putting together 2 fire kits recently. Just saw this video. Personally I really like duct tape. The char looks kind of messy compared to the other things I am putting together, but that rope gave me an ideal. I am going to try cutting it into the small lengths, soak in paraffin and an accelerant. IMO that will be a little cleaner for storage and you would get a burn off of that material.
I bought 100ft of 100% cotton cargo strap from the Army. It is wide, flat and super thick. I bet you it is even better than that rope. BUT, that rope is 1000% better than a cut-up t-shirt.
This is absolute fantastic! I’ve had a trench lighter for about a year and it works awesomely, but I just tried charring the rope and swapping it out and it works perfectly! The non charred version flames up, but it burns way quicker, and less hot. Overall this is a very nice thing to know, and I will definetly be using it on my next trip
Try cutting a strip of denim about 6" long by 2/3" wide. roll it up as tight as you can & char it. It will develop a cherry on the end like a cigar. See how that will start your bird nest with that big hot cherry. I love it rolled char cloth
There's an even easier way to use cotton rope. Lookup sailor lighters. It's a replaceable zippo style flint striker attached to a tube holding a cotton rope. You burn the end or pre char. Then you use it like a lighter and strike the lighter to send sparks directly to the charred end of rope.
If we think of the burning char material as an ember, then the thicker charred rope ember lasted longer and, as you stated, produced more heat. This would give a person a better chance of getting their tinder bundle started. I have used this pyrolysis technique to turn sticks, pine cones, hickory nut husks, feathers, and even bones into charcoal. While watching your video I had an idea for you to try(another excuse to make a good video). Completely fill your tin with small sticks, char them properly, then when they're cooled off grind them into a powder. Go outside, prepare a tinder bundle, pour 1 tablespoon worth of charcoal powder in the center of your bundle, then apply a spark. Blow on tinder bundle as you normally would. I'd like to know how well this powdered charcoal works, and it may make an interesting video. A hiker could easily carry a sandwich sized zip-lock bag of this powder in a backpack, along with some of the charred rope. Just a thought. :)
Some years ago, I charred a bunch of 1" pieces of 1/4" cotton sash cord (braided rope). It was quite early in my foray into serious bushcraft, so my techniques weren't what they are now. It worked, but I wasn't overly impressed. Could have been because the rope was very old and dirty. Anyway, you've inspired me to give it another try this year. Always good videos. Thanks.
Been using denim for years and really like it but..........this looks good, very good! Big box hardware here I come! Thanks for great tip.....or the other guy in Florida...thanks!!
You're not wrong about the charred cotton rope. Stuff is amazing and I've been using it for many years now. I bought a length of twisted cotton rope at Tractor Supply to use as pack straps for a Roycroft pack frame and unraveled some of the excess and charred it for charred material.
When switching back and forth in talking about charred material, it's easier just to use the generic "char". It could be wood, punkwood, cloth, rope, etc. A variation on rope as char is lampwick. You insert a length of it through a close-fitting section of tubing. Then you extrude a short portion and light it to get it started. You get a quarter inch or so well charred and pull the uncharred end to retract the burnt end into the tube and extinguish it. Now you have some char protected in the tube for when you need it to catch a spark. You can lay the charred end in your tinder bundle, blow it to flame, and pull the tube out. The end of the wick will still be charred (or burning) and you can let it make a bit more charred wick before extinguishing it if you want to. The advantage of this method is that wick is much, MUCH less fragile than the char, and much less messy to handle, while you still always have some char for the next time you need it to start a fire.
Ernie, GOOD IDEA, good to see you back. Have missed your nice articulate, well organized videos. Thank you for sharing. IMHO, a Bic Lighter, accelerant on a cotton eye swab, is handy too.
I really enjoy your content. I've bounced around from knife community back when they used to find cheap quality. Then bushcraft and backpacking. Anyway it seems nowadays the different sites just push expensive gear. What gets me is nobody could use the stuff as fast as they switch up. Anyway I enjoy your content trying to make camping hiking easier.
Nice one Ernie, now i need to go find me some cotton rope. I do recall some fantasy novels talk about using charred rope in their tinder box but having seen how effective that is i can see why. Catch you again soon 😊
1/2"cotton cording, the kind used in furniture trim is even better. Or, just take any 100% cloth, tightly roll it up, char it, and it will be just as good or better. A big jute rope is really good as well.
I remember receiving a flint and steel and char kit from Creek Stewart a few years ago. the char was made from 100% cotton Piping used in upholstery from hobby lobby. The piping came in various diameters. The ember from that and your rope looked about the same. I find it amazing how inventive people are and would be interested to see what ideas come from this video. You light a spark and it turns into a fire. How many great ideas come to be from this basic concept. Thanks for the video!
Hey Ernie, First of all it wasn't me who sent you the cordage, so don't worry about the patch (although it would not go to waste). I do think it is a great idea. Going to find some, it looked to be 1/2" diameter, or bigger? Really glad your back, stay tickless.
My opinion, The real test of whether char cloth is good, is to use flint and steel. If you can start a fire with flint and steel (not ferro rod) then you have something to put in your kit worth the trouble of making it.
I have started char clothe with Ferro Rod , Flint and Steel and Solar Ignition , Solar Ignition - 4 inch Magnifying Glass Cool name you have , sounds familiar
@@davidvaughn7752 , Flint and Steel is Fairly easy , I only been doing it for 6 weeks and got good at it , I have a TH-cam video in my name with 1989 behind it if you are interested in watching , I even light a Fire with my Boots !
Thank you, this will be a part of my-list of what we will be teaching our grandkids this summer while camping. Perfect, so easy, doable. Time to find the tins.
I've been using a product called SURVIVAL TORCH an all in one firestarter kit. Purchased off Amazon. Liked so much it's now my go to gift for any outdoors person in my life (especially the spouse). Comes with length of waxed burlap cording you feed through metal tube and attached ferro rod and strick plate housed in a small burlap bag. Excellent for beginners as you just pull out a small measure of the cord out of housing end, place that end to ground and strike ferro downward to create spark and flame on piece of cord exposed. This is now your match to light fire. Truly an all in one device. Also use two cotton rounds with blop of vasoline sandwiched in between and stacked cookie style into plastic waterproof container. These burn up to 5 minutes on its own. Great for damp conditions. Thanks for great content.
Quick tip: hold the striker above the charcloth and draw the ferro rod back towards yourself. It helps keep you from messing up the combustion bundle/charcloth.
I got my char rope from a small shop in Connecticut so can't help the remembering bit, BUT I can tell you that the char rope for catching sparks, lasting longer than just a piece of cloth, and starting fires is absolutely awesome and I concur with your Ultimate category Doc.
Ernie, thank you for the videos. I cannot find the bottom half of my flash burner stove. HOWEVER, am in the process of modification. It so far, has been excellent. Very,Very similar setup to the jetboil. Ernie, what is the average boil time for 2 cups of water in the flash boil jetboil stove. 2 cups. Thank you, from Steve, northern Canada.
Aluminum cigar tubes work great for stroring it and weigh nothing, but a copper tube with (unsoldered) sweat caps at either end seems to be better for making it.
While loading a mail truck, a young man lit the rope on the end of the mail bag,thinking he stomped it out threw the bag on to to pile and got burried,as we fill the trucks with bags, the inspector hours later smelled smoke,we unloaded every bag ,and found the rope still burning, oh ya !
Enjoyed your video. Cotton rope is great stuff. For safety sake though I will add: One of the first things I learned as a synthesis chemist was to never heat a vessel that didn’t have an open outlet unless, it was pressure rated with a gauge and over pressure protection device like a pop off valve or rupture disk. So I would urge folks to always make a hole in the top or make sure there was enough openings to allow all gas generated to escape. As a solid is turned into a gas it expands about 1,000 times. If a vessel seals too tightly the gas might become trapped and build up pressure. I think the term we used was catastrophic decompression.
Sash cord works really well... It's the traditional rope for sash windows, available at most old school hardware shops...... also perfect for making match for matchlock muskets aswell
I like punk wood, best material to catch a real spark from flint, (not ferrocerium) that I have found and it can be sourced off the landscape. I know because I started a flint and steel fire every day for 9 months once sourcing everything from the land.
I agree. If you find an old dead pine tree on the ground, you will likely find a lot of punk wood (surrounding a lot of fatwood). I like to make charred punk wood in an open Altoids tin (as demonstrated by NW Primate) by getting the punk wood burning, adding more punk wood, and then closing the tin while it is still burning well. There will then be some uncharred punk wood mixed in with the chared punk wood in the Altoids tin. After you drop sparks in the tin you can blow them into a flame because of the uncharred material, light a tinder bundle, candle, or fatwood (!!), and then add some more uncharred punk wood to replenish before you close the tin. The lid on the Altoids tin makes a good handle for holding the tin with ignited punk wood. In a pine forest you could continue for as long as you want--or until your wife makes you come back.... :-)
@@jleach is pine sap very flammable? I thought i read that it was. Maybe it can be "milked" for sap in a similar way to how sap is collected from maple trees?
@@genkiferal7178 Yes, pine sap is very flammable. It can be scraped off a pine tree where the tree has been damaged, but it can be VERY messy to work with when it is sticky. I prefer to use pine cones, dry pine twigs, or the hardened pine sap in fatwood (heartwood of a dead pine tree). When any of these pine materials are used as firestarters, they will deposit a lot of carbon black on your pots unless you wait until the pine product is burned away.
Very insightful instead of trying to find cloth material can just buy rope and use my stove burner and make as much as I can and store it. Man again your a life saver 🛟 just gotta find some canisters to make it with. You make things a lot more simple to do the craft. Thanks man!!!!!!! SEMPER FI
I would say not as economical but more importantly the tight interlacing of rope strands would contribute significantly to its effectiveness in heat generation which is the more important than time alone. more pads - say 3, would tend to separate or have gaps between the layers and while you could get time to equal, the lower heat would take longer to serve its purpose.
I know the main focus was that charred rope works better than traditional char cloth, but have you compared how charred rope compares to charred material made from punky wood that can be found free in a forest to use to make char?
@@OICUR12 punky wood is from old logs/stumps in the woods where it has gotten soft to the point you can break it up with your hands. Dave Canterbury (was on dual survival I think.) has covered it on his youtube channel
@@OICUR12 Punk wood is normal tree wood that has deteriorated so it is kind of soft and crumbly, and spongy when you squeeze it. There's a video on youtube by grierwolfe called "the truth about flint and steel" that is the best video on both flint and steel and charred punk wood I've seen. If you're still curious, I'd advise watching that.
"This is what you need" That is a question I keep asking myself. It is so easy to buy multiple items that serve the same purpose but harder to find out which is the best for you and to stick with it.
I learned how to make char-cloth from the "Far North Bushcraft" channel. Lonnie used pillow ticking which seemed to work very well. So I've purchased a length of material, cut it to shape and placed it into the tin. Now all I have to do is put some holes into the tin for burning in a camp fire.
I use Chaga or punkwood when I char- material. I have use cotton rope works as well. Fluff up one end of the char-rope in order too have a better results using your favorite Rod.
I think I'll check my mom's garage for cotton rope. There's probably some old clothesline in there and she'll never miss it. I'll try using Altoids tins, because I always have them around anyway. They're not airtight, and from what I've seen, smoke has no problem getting out without putting a hole in them. A hole would probably let too much oxygen in. I'll just ease them into the coals when the campfire settles down at night, and see what happens. Then I could put some char material in a clean tin.
Nice I've used it before... But, I'll keep with using (old) heavy duty plush cotton bath towels. The rope is just not as cooperative when used with a small flint & striking steel for me. Fero rods are useful. But, I keep mine for a backup to my steel. Thanks for sharing.
I came across rope lighters with built in flint strikers the other day on Amazon and was wondering how well they would work. I might get that instead of some of the other stuff I was looking at. Going to make chard rope now. My charcloth was always a bit to delicate for my liking. Thanks for the advice of using more chard material I wasn't using enough to make it easy.
For those lighters, called navy or shepherds lighters, they use braided rope because they need to hook the plug. For the char, you'll want twist which doesn't work for those lighters
There is an old device from the frontier days that looked like a brass tube with a flint igniter on one end. The cotton rope was fed up the tube as needed then pulled back in to put out the flame and for storage. Think of an empty Bic lighter with the metal cap removed taped to the end of a 4” copper pipe with a 1/2” of the charred part of the rope sticking out the top of the pipe next to the lighter. That would make a good project for your TH-cam channel. 😉👍
Like the rope idea where to get cotton rope I'm going try storing it in a planter tin with a plastic top put in camping box little bags dry wood what I use to use dryer lent some times I would sprinkle steel wool in with it and use a 9 volt battery
A couple years ago I bought a length of cotton rope to make a fire starting implement where you draw the rope into a metal tube to extinguish it after use. I bought a minimum length to make it worthwhile and it appears to be a great deal more than I will ever use for the original intended purpose........Now I know what I can do with another portion of it. Thank you.
I stopped making/using char cloth once I discovered & started using Jute Twine. I cut 8" sections of twine, then separate the strands, fluff it up, insert it into a small ziplok baggie to keep it dry. A couple of strokes on my FireSteel ferro rod & I have a flame that lasts for almost 4 minutes. Sparks from the ferro rod turn into a flame as soon as the sparks hit the fluffed up twine. No having to blow on it to turn an ember into a flame. Warm Regards from Reno, Nevada.
@@genkiferal7178 It's a bit tedious fluffing the twine, however, I guarantee you'll have tinder that will ignite with a spark anytime, anywhere, any altitude. Cut off a longer piece of twine & fluff the strands if you want more burn time from your tinder bundle.
@@genkiferal7178 Cut off a longer 10" piece of jute twine & fluff it if you want a longer burn time from your tinder bundle. It will work anytime, anywhere, any altitude, for sure.
Hope your advice works. Trying to get material started in heat of summer using a credot card sized fresnel lens. I can easily get it to burn a hole in paper and start smoking some other materials, but no flames, no fire. Tried blowing in it, putting it in hot-from-the-sun shallow metal bowl, all kinds of things. Still no flame.
There are lots of things in nature that can be charred so it will catch a spark that you can blow on while you hold tinder against the ember. One of the best is the fiber between the branches of any kind of a palm tree. The palmetto grows along the coastal areas from South Carolina around to Texas. If you dont have palms you can try any kind of mushroom or fungus that you find growing on a dead tree.
years ago I found out that using old wrangler jeans to make char cloth was far better then your typical thin cotton material. I can only imagine how awesome this stuff must be. thanks for sharing! I will have to try this out.
I batch make charcloth, cotton balls, denim, etc. I bought an empty 1 gallon paint can at the hardware store and usually use my propane cooktop. I also light the gases coming out the hole a few times when they are no longer flammable I call it good.
I bought an ugly cookie tin full of sub-par cookies in it from Dollar Tree that would make a decent tin for that. Cheap enough to buy two, I guess and store the finished product in a tin without drill holes in it.
When my tin gets too funky with sooty residue, making it very tight and hard to open,I used a scotch brite pad to clear off some of the gunk. Still tight enough to char but easier to open.
Something else that works well for char material is cattail fluff. Pack your tin and throw it in the camp fire. After being chard it doesn't flair up anymore.
I sent you the cotton rope because I had used it for a long time and loved the results. I really like the Ferro rod with turned handle you sent me in return. Enjoy!!
That was a great idea. Thanks.
Yeah! Awesome, I'll be trying this out sometime.
Nice discovery. Thanks for sharing it.
If I may ask do you have a link were you got the 100% cotton rope?
@Sandy Gillilan mop heads are typically 100% cotton. They make for great wicks as well.
Dollar Store Cotton Mop Heads are my go to for this
you said it first Bro...........get hundreds for the price of one
Absolutely. I have strands of mop head in every one of my kits. I even use the cotton for my homemade tallow candles.
Put a hole in it if your tin has no gas escape rout such as hinges. In a round tin drip a hole through the side of the lid and the tin body. That way when you carry it you can easily keep crud out and material inside protected by merely twisting the top so the two holes do not align. Try it, you will like it.
GOOD IDEA
Very smart!
Thanks, that's a great tip!
Great idea. I actually saw what you said in technicolor.
Genius
I've used cotton cordage for char for years. I was getting cotton mop heads for free and cutting them up and braiding them together then char them up. Not only is the burn longer but catches a spark from flint and steel wicked easy due to the increased surface area of the individual strands. Thank for the video!!
I was about to suggest mop heads. I get them from work (used), and found them to be great to char.
Or, wet them down and rub black powder on them. When dry, they catch really well. And when you blow your fire, it smells like fireworks. 😊
@@arctodussimus6198 cant beat that price!
I thought I was the only person who discovered cotton mop heads for char. I also soak a mop strand in wax to make waterproof tinder.
Great idea! Please explain why you braid them together. Won’t individual strands also char acceptably (ie, when field making it in an Altoids tin)?
@@motrock93b I braid them together because it looks good to me. That's really the only reason I do the braid. I left the individual mop strands loose when I made them into char and they work the same. No real reason other than aesthetics.
With charred rope, you can use a modified rifle casing to act as a handle and a snuffer for it. Cut the primer end off, stuff char rope into the bottom so it starts coming out the neck, and presto! You have a handle that snuffs your coal off the end, or if you trim chunks off to use,you have a way to handle the rest of the rope without destroying it or getting black all over.
big brain tips
My man! 👍
So a trench lighter, but for char cloth. Awesome
Or you can dip the same rope in beeswax, put the same sleeve on it and simply char the end...
Stellar tip!
I've been using rope or tighly rolled denim or cotton for years. I thought everyone knew about this. I like to ignite the smoke. It helps to know when you've reached temp and when it stops burning, your char is almost complete.
With a smaller hole - 1/16-1/32, if you put your can in a campfire, the gases will self-ignite. With a twisted rope, such as was used in the video, you might be better off dividing the strands before you char it. Cheers!
Yeah I can’t believe all these idiots didn’t know this either! My mother taught me that right after she taught me what a nipple was before I left the hospital.
Love ur videos. My favorite part is telling my wife i have the same interests as a doctor.
I just really appreciate when I'm just learning and not having influencers selling..thank you..
Good video Ernie, You should try charred punk wood.
I have been using rope like that for years reenacting 18th century. I found mine at Hobby Lobby in the home decorating area. Some cotton work rope is treated with fire retardant but this decorating rope was not. Great content Sir!
That’s how I came across it as well.
Thank you.
I was hoping someone in the comments would point us to where this stuff could be found - thanks, Andrew! 🙏
@@melodyclark4347 thanks! appreciate the info - getting some tomorrow to try out!
Great piece of info .
I’ve always used denim. It’s a strong char cloth. One pair of old, was going to toss ‘em jeans, makes a great amount.
I’m going to try the rope! Thanks.
Awesome. Will give it a shot. I also picked up a few more tips from the comments.
THE best char tin I found was a very small metal wood stain can (looks like a miniature gallon paint can). A less than 1/4" hole in the top and 'cooked' as normal. When taken off the fire a twig, whittled down to a long tapered plug is forced into the hole to prevent air from being pulled back inside when the gasses inside cool. If that hole isn't plugged the "returning" oxygen can sometimes allow the charred material to ignite. If the wind accidentally hits an un-stoppered vent hole just right then the atmospheric oxygen in the air can enter the can and only ash is left.
I’ve used Tee shirt material and denim, both work very well!
Not only the increased heat output, but the concentrated heat output. That’s the game changer.
Any natural rope or cordage ... cotton, manilla, jute ... they all work really well. Charred rope is the ember of choice for matchlock firearms.
thanks for the video.
I use an old for shoe wax for my char material. The tin has an excenter to help open it. That works fine.
I have some ends of cotton rope for magicians. Those ends are left over from tricks. I soaked some wax. Now I´ll try the char rope.
Can confirm. Cotton rope is beautiful stuff. Even without charring, it holds an ember for a long time.
Thanks Ernie. I just switched to charred rope last year, it is a game changer. Funny how we evolve from basic cotton to denim to rolled denim to rope. I wonder what’s next? Thanks for doing this series, I think it will open lots of new possibilities and opportunities.
When the smoke is coming out light it, it will burn like a candle, when the flame goes out leave a couple more minutes and it’s done
Not setting alight to the smoke/gas is something I've never seen before.
Once the gas flame dies it's done.
Still, each to their own.
Thanks for uploading.
This char rope is a game changer 😮indeed!!!! You are SO RIGHT! Thank you for the heads up tip! I will definitely get me some rope to char and try this ASAP! Thank you 🙏 again for all you do and your help! You don’t get enough thank yous 🙏 and thank you for being a doctor and helping people! We need more good 👍 doctors like you!!!! So glad you enjoy the great outdoors also!!!! Keep putting out great videos!!! We all enjoy 😉 watching them!!! ALWAYS so informative!!!! 🙏👍🤓😎
I've always added something over the hole once the smoke has stopped - only because that's what they do with charcoal. Not to sure if that's because they have more quantity inside.
Looks awesome, now looking for some cotton rope 🤣
I like to use lamp wick. Like the rope it is more dense than cloth and lasts quite nice. Probably a little more expensive, but easy to find and packs tightly. I get mine at the local Wally World in candle and lamp section.
Thanks for sharing.
Been putting together 2 fire kits recently. Just saw this video. Personally I really like duct tape. The char looks kind of messy compared to the other things I am putting together, but that rope gave me an ideal. I am going to try cutting it into the small lengths, soak in paraffin and an accelerant. IMO that will be a little cleaner for storage and you would get a burn off of that material.
I bought 100ft of 100% cotton cargo strap from the Army. It is wide, flat and super thick. I bet you it is even better than that rope. BUT, that rope is 1000% better than a cut-up t-shirt.
This is absolute fantastic! I’ve had a trench lighter for about a year and it works awesomely, but I just tried charring the rope and swapping it out and it works perfectly! The non charred version flames up, but it burns way quicker, and less hot. Overall this is a very nice thing to know, and I will definetly be using it on my next trip
Try cutting a strip of denim about 6" long by 2/3" wide. roll it up as tight as you can & char it. It will develop a cherry on the end like a cigar. See how that will start your bird nest with that big hot cherry. I love it rolled char cloth
There's an even easier way to use cotton rope. Lookup sailor lighters. It's a replaceable zippo style flint striker attached to a tube holding a cotton rope. You burn the end or pre char. Then you use it like a lighter and strike the lighter to send sparks directly to the charred end of rope.
Marijuana smokers use that kind of lighter, but with waxed hemp twine. The lighters are found on sites catering to pot smokers - and on Amazon.
If we think of the burning char material as an ember, then the thicker charred rope ember lasted longer and, as you stated, produced more heat. This would give a person a better chance of getting their tinder bundle started. I have used this pyrolysis technique to turn sticks, pine cones, hickory nut husks, feathers, and even bones into charcoal.
While watching your video I had an idea for you to try(another excuse to make a good video). Completely fill your tin with small sticks, char them properly, then when they're cooled off grind them into a powder. Go outside, prepare a tinder bundle, pour 1 tablespoon worth of charcoal powder in the center of your bundle, then apply a spark. Blow on tinder bundle as you normally would. I'd like to know how well this powdered charcoal works, and it may make an interesting video. A hiker could easily carry a sandwich sized zip-lock bag of this powder in a backpack, along with some of the charred rope. Just a thought. :)
Some years ago, I charred a bunch of 1" pieces of 1/4" cotton sash cord (braided rope). It was quite early in my foray into serious bushcraft, so my techniques weren't what they are now. It worked, but I wasn't overly impressed. Could have been because the rope was very old and dirty. Anyway, you've inspired me to give it another try this year. Always good videos. Thanks.
I've made chard rope before and it works great, I normally use old blue jeans especially the thick seams because I don't have to spend money on it
Been using denim for years and really like it but..........this looks good, very good! Big box hardware here I come!
Thanks for great tip.....or the other guy in Florida...thanks!!
You're not wrong about the charred cotton rope. Stuff is amazing and I've been using it for many years now. I bought a length of twisted cotton rope at Tractor Supply to use as pack straps for a Roycroft pack frame and unraveled some of the excess and charred it for charred material.
When switching back and forth in talking about charred material, it's easier just to use the generic "char". It could be wood, punkwood, cloth, rope, etc. A variation on rope as char is lampwick. You insert a length of it through a close-fitting section of tubing. Then you extrude a short portion and light it to get it started. You get a quarter inch or so well charred and pull the uncharred end to retract the burnt end into the tube and extinguish it. Now you have some char protected in the tube for when you need it to catch a spark. You can lay the charred end in your tinder bundle, blow it to flame, and pull the tube out. The end of the wick will still be charred (or burning) and you can let it make a bit more charred wick before extinguishing it if you want to. The advantage of this method is that wick is much, MUCH less fragile than the char, and much less messy to handle, while you still always have some char for the next time you need it to start a fire.
I just read that 1/4th" cotton lamp wicks are also good for all kinds of candles including homemade oil lamps. Is that too thick?
Ernie, GOOD IDEA, good to see you back. Have missed your nice articulate, well organized videos. Thank you for sharing. IMHO, a Bic Lighter, accelerant on a cotton eye swab, is handy too.
I really enjoy your content. I've bounced around from knife community back when they used to find cheap quality. Then bushcraft and backpacking.
Anyway it seems nowadays the different sites just push expensive gear.
What gets me is nobody could use the stuff as fast as they switch up.
Anyway I enjoy your content trying to make camping hiking easier.
Good tip. Imma buy a foot of Cotton Rope at Lowe's. That'll last me a good while. Thanks.
Nice one Ernie, now i need to go find me some cotton rope. I do recall some fantasy novels talk about using charred rope in their tinder box but having seen how effective that is i can see why. Catch you again soon 😊
1/2"cotton cording, the kind used in furniture trim is even better. Or, just take any 100% cloth, tightly roll it up, char it, and it will be just as good or better. A big jute rope is really good as well.
I remember receiving a flint and steel and char kit from Creek Stewart a few years ago. the char was made from 100% cotton Piping used in upholstery from hobby lobby. The piping came in various diameters. The ember from that and your rope looked about the same. I find it amazing how inventive people are and would be interested to see what ideas come from this video. You light a spark and it turns into a fire. How many great ideas come to be from this basic concept. Thanks for the video!
Hey Ernie, First of all it wasn't me who sent you the cordage, so don't worry about the patch (although it would not go to waste). I do think it is a great idea. Going to find some, it looked to be 1/2" diameter, or bigger?
Really glad your back, stay tickless.
My opinion,
The real test of whether char cloth is good, is to use flint and steel.
If you can start a fire with flint and steel (not ferro rod) then you have something to put in your kit worth the trouble of making it.
I have started char clothe with Ferro Rod , Flint and Steel and Solar Ignition ,
Solar Ignition - 4 inch Magnifying Glass
Cool name you have , sounds familiar
Agreed! That would be a more difficult task. I'm upping my game and trying to get proficient with flint and steel. Cotton rope seems to be the best.
@@davidvaughn7752 , Flint and Steel is Fairly easy , I only been doing it for 6 weeks and got good at it ,
I have a TH-cam video in my name with 1989 behind it if you are interested in watching ,
I even light a Fire with my Boots !
@@jimthomas1989 ok, Jim. Sounds good. Will check out for sure. Thanks.
Thank you, this will be a part of my-list of what we will be teaching our grandkids this summer while camping. Perfect, so easy, doable. Time to find the tins.
I've been using a product called SURVIVAL TORCH an all in one firestarter kit. Purchased off Amazon. Liked so much it's now my go to gift for any outdoors person in my life (especially the spouse). Comes with length of waxed burlap cording you feed through metal tube and attached ferro rod and strick plate housed in a small burlap bag. Excellent for beginners as you just pull out a small measure of the cord out of housing end, place that end to ground and strike ferro downward to create spark and flame on piece of cord exposed. This is now your match to light fire. Truly an all in one device. Also use two cotton rounds with blop of vasoline sandwiched in between and stacked cookie style into plastic waterproof container. These burn up to 5 minutes on its own. Great for damp conditions. Thanks for great content.
Maybe cotton clothes line?
I transfer my chared material to an air-tight can to keep out moisture.
Thanks Ernie
Been using the charred lamp wick material, will have to try this one.
Quick tip: hold the striker above the charcloth and draw the ferro rod back towards yourself. It helps keep you from messing up the combustion bundle/charcloth.
Not when you’re shaving off magnesium for your starter bundle. Do you bro.
I got my char rope from a small shop in Connecticut so can't help the remembering bit, BUT I can tell you that the char rope for catching sparks, lasting longer than just a piece of cloth, and starting fires is absolutely awesome and I concur with your Ultimate category Doc.
Ernie, thank you for the videos. I cannot find the bottom half of my flash burner stove. HOWEVER,
am in the process of modification. It so far, has been excellent. Very,Very similar setup to the jetboil.
Ernie, what is the average boil time for 2 cups of water in the flash boil jetboil stove. 2 cups.
Thank you, from Steve, northern Canada.
Aluminum cigar tubes work great for stroring it and weigh nothing, but a copper tube with (unsoldered) sweat caps at either end seems to be better for making it.
While loading a mail truck, a young man lit the rope on the end of the mail bag,thinking he stomped it out threw the bag on to to pile and got burried,as we fill the trucks with bags, the inspector hours later smelled smoke,we unloaded every bag ,and found the rope still burning, oh ya !
Enjoyed your video. Cotton rope is great stuff. For safety sake though I will add: One of the first things I learned as a synthesis chemist was to never heat a vessel that didn’t have an open outlet unless, it was pressure rated with a gauge and over pressure protection device like a pop off valve or rupture disk. So I would urge folks to always make a hole in the top or make sure there was enough openings to allow all gas generated to escape. As a solid is turned into a gas it expands about 1,000 times. If a vessel seals too tightly the gas might become trapped and build up pressure. I think the term we used was catastrophic decompression.
Without a doubt, cotton batting (the stuff used as insulation in quilts) is the best material I've found for making char material for fire pistons.
Great content, thanks for sharing. Hemp rope works well also.
Sash cord works really well... It's the traditional rope for sash windows, available at most old school hardware shops......
also perfect
for making match for matchlock muskets aswell
I like punk wood, best material to catch a real spark from flint, (not ferrocerium) that I have found and it can be sourced off the landscape. I know because I started a flint and steel fire every day for 9 months once sourcing everything from the land.
I agree. If you find an old dead pine tree on the ground, you will likely find a lot of punk wood (surrounding a lot of fatwood). I like to make charred punk wood in an open Altoids tin (as demonstrated by NW Primate) by getting the punk wood burning, adding more punk wood, and then closing the tin while it is still burning well. There will then be some uncharred punk wood mixed in with the chared punk wood in the Altoids tin. After you drop sparks in the tin you can blow them into a flame because of the uncharred material, light a tinder bundle, candle, or fatwood (!!), and then add some more uncharred punk wood to replenish before you close the tin. The lid on the Altoids tin makes a good handle for holding the tin with ignited punk wood. In a pine forest you could continue for as long as you want--or until your wife makes you come back.... :-)
@@jleach is pine sap very flammable? I thought i read that it was. Maybe it can be "milked" for sap in a similar way to how sap is collected from maple trees?
@@genkiferal7178 Yes, pine sap is very flammable. It can be scraped off a pine tree where the tree has been damaged, but it can be VERY messy to work with when it is sticky. I prefer to use pine cones, dry pine twigs, or the hardened pine sap in fatwood (heartwood of a dead pine tree). When any of these pine materials are used as firestarters, they will deposit a lot of carbon black on your pots unless you wait until the pine product is burned away.
Great video, also like to use different materials including fine wire wool that burns very hot and works if damp.
Great video sir.
Spark ferro rod has a very higher temperature than the spark temperature of ceramics, fossil stone, flint, bamboo
Thank you,😊🙏🔥🔥
First time viewer. Halfway through this video, I subbed. Thank you!
Interesting video. Ps it's normally not the ferro rod, it's the striker. Put a really good 90° on the sticker and it should work much better.
Very insightful instead of trying to find cloth material can just buy rope and use my stove burner and make as much as I can and store it. Man again your a life saver 🛟 just gotta find some canisters to make it with. You make things a lot more simple to do the craft. Thanks man!!!!!!!
SEMPER FI
I need to add charged rope to my fire kit now ! 😲 It is a big game changer..
Love all your vids. Quick question, If you add enough pads to equal the weight of your piece of rope would the times equal out?
I would say not as economical but more importantly the tight interlacing of rope strands would contribute significantly to its effectiveness in heat generation which is the more important than time alone. more pads - say 3, would tend to separate or have gaps between the layers and while you could get time to equal, the lower heat would take longer to serve its purpose.
I know the main focus was that charred rope works better than traditional char cloth, but have you compared how charred rope compares to charred material made from punky wood that can be found free in a forest to use to make char?
I've made charred punk wood that burns up to a half hour.
And, what is punk wood?
@@OICUR12 punky wood is from old logs/stumps in the woods where it has gotten soft to the point you can break it up with your hands. Dave Canterbury (was on dual survival I think.) has covered it on his youtube channel
@@overweighthikerwannabe901 learn something new every day, thank you.
@@OICUR12 Punk wood is normal tree wood that has deteriorated so it is kind of soft and crumbly, and spongy when you squeeze it. There's a video on youtube by grierwolfe called "the truth about flint and steel" that is the best video on both flint and steel and charred punk wood I've seen. If you're still curious, I'd advise watching that.
Thank you for this video. Looks like a great idea and a worthy addition to any fire kit.
I have been meaning to try this out for a while. I normally use jeans as my char material
"This is what you need" That is a question I keep asking myself. It is so easy to buy multiple items that serve the same purpose but harder to find out which is the best for you and to stick with it.
Lol this montage, YES! The shop is looking great
I learned how to make char-cloth from the "Far North Bushcraft" channel. Lonnie used pillow ticking which seemed to work very well. So I've purchased a length of material, cut it to shape and placed it into the tin. Now all I have to do is put some holes into the tin for burning in a camp fire.
I use Chaga or punkwood when I char- material. I have use cotton rope works as well. Fluff up one end of the char-rope in order too have a better results using your favorite Rod.
I think I'll check my mom's garage for cotton rope. There's probably some old clothesline in there and she'll never miss it. I'll try using Altoids tins, because I always have them around anyway. They're not airtight, and from what I've seen, smoke has no problem getting out without putting a hole in them. A hole would probably let too much oxygen in. I'll just ease them into the coals when the campfire settles down at night, and see what happens. Then I could put some char material in a clean tin.
Nice
I've used it before...
But, I'll keep with using (old) heavy
duty plush cotton bath towels.
The rope is just not as cooperative
when used with a small flint &
striking steel for me.
Fero rods are useful.
But, I keep mine for a backup
to my steel.
Thanks for sharing.
Would it be better to separate the rope before charring? It looks like it was falling apart while you were trying to separate it.
Yeah! It was me! Lol.😉 I remember now!
Great informative video as always Ernie !!! Thanks for posting. Take care and stay safe my friend!!
I came across rope lighters with built in flint strikers the other day on Amazon and was wondering how well they would work. I might get that instead of some of the other stuff I was looking at.
Going to make chard rope now. My charcloth was always a bit to delicate for my liking.
Thanks for the advice of using more chard material I wasn't using enough to make it easy.
For those lighters, called navy or shepherds lighters, they use braided rope because they need to hook the plug. For the char, you'll want twist which doesn't work for those lighters
There is an old device from the frontier days that looked like a brass tube with a flint igniter on one end. The cotton rope was fed up the tube as needed then pulled back in to put out the flame and for storage. Think of an empty Bic lighter with the metal cap removed taped to the end of a 4” copper pipe with a 1/2” of the charred part of the rope sticking out the top of the pipe next to the lighter. That would make a good project for your TH-cam channel. 😉👍
Like the rope idea where to get cotton rope I'm going try storing it in a planter tin with a plastic top put in camping box little bags dry wood what I use to use dryer lent some times I would sprinkle steel wool in with it and use a 9 volt battery
Never considered making char cloth out of rope like that. Very cool! Thanks for the info. Will definitely be putting that one to use.
A couple years ago I bought a length of cotton rope to make a fire starting implement where you draw the rope into a metal tube to extinguish it after use. I bought a minimum length to make it worthwhile and it appears to be a great deal more than I will ever use for the original intended purpose........Now I know what I can do with another portion of it. Thank you.
any ideas on free/upcycled tiny metal tubes to use for that? I keep reading how great that concept is - for hemp-twine lighters, too.
I like soaking chunks of rope in melted wax, fluff the end and hit a spark to that and you got instant flame! And its pretty water-proof!
I stopped making/using char cloth once I discovered & started using Jute Twine. I cut 8" sections of twine, then separate the strands, fluff it up, insert it into a small ziplok baggie to keep it dry. A couple of strokes on my FireSteel ferro rod & I have a flame that lasts for almost 4 minutes. Sparks from the ferro rod turn into a flame as soon as the sparks hit the fluffed up twine. No having to blow on it to turn an ember into a flame.
Warm Regards from Reno, Nevada.
Based on your comment, I will buy jute twine today. Hope you're right.
@@genkiferal7178 It's a bit tedious fluffing the twine, however, I guarantee you'll have tinder that will ignite with a spark anytime, anywhere, any altitude.
Cut off a longer piece of twine & fluff the strands if you want more burn time from your tinder bundle.
@@genkiferal7178 Cut off a longer 10" piece of jute twine & fluff it if you want a longer burn time from your tinder bundle. It will work anytime, anywhere, any altitude, for sure.
Hope your advice works. Trying to get material started in heat of summer using a credot card sized fresnel lens. I can easily get it to burn a hole in paper and start smoking some other materials, but no flames, no fire. Tried blowing in it, putting it in hot-from-the-sun shallow metal bowl, all kinds of things. Still no flame.
There are lots of things in nature that can be charred so it will catch a spark that you can blow on while you hold tinder against the ember.
One of the best is the fiber between the branches of any kind of a palm tree. The palmetto grows along the coastal areas from South Carolina around to Texas.
If you dont have palms you can try any kind of mushroom or fungus that you find growing on a dead tree.
Does hemp rope work also?
years ago I found out that using old wrangler jeans to make char cloth was far better then your typical thin cotton material. I can only imagine how awesome this stuff must be. thanks for sharing! I will have to try this out.
Hello from the thumb of Michigan just subscribe to the channel looking forward to seeing more videos stay safe and God bless you brother
Hi , thank you for your good video, how many minutes should the can be in the heat to prepare the char cloth?
Excellent idea. Made some. Works a charm!
Great information. Glad to see you back.
Yep been doing it for years mate, try jute netting too, it allows more air flow into your initial ember! Best wishes brother 😊👍🏻😎
I batch make charcloth, cotton balls, denim, etc. I bought an empty 1 gallon paint can at the hardware store and usually use my propane cooktop. I also light the gases coming out the hole a few times when they are no longer flammable I call it good.
I bought an ugly cookie tin full of sub-par cookies in it from Dollar Tree that would make a decent tin for that. Cheap enough to buy two, I guess and store the finished product in a tin without drill holes in it.
I'm thinking I'm going to try this. Thanks!
First time I've ever seen this one. Thanks for sharing.
Great video! I'm gonna go tomorrow and try this for sure.
When my tin gets too funky with sooty residue, making it very tight and hard to open,I used a scotch brite pad to clear off some of the gunk. Still tight enough to char but easier to open.
I thought dried cow patty would make good char material, but I could never get it to take a spark like punk wood.
Did you char the cow patty?
I think Mongolians use it more as a flattened log - like those pressed-sawdust logs people used to buy.
Something else that works well for char material is cattail fluff. Pack your tin and throw it in the camp fire. After being chard it doesn't flair up anymore.
I've tried them all I like punk wood the best! But to each his own whatever works best for you.