Just saw Jon Mac's 'rainy day charcloth' thread, decided to add my 'winter day charcloth thread' just because I did it differently, using a torch. How he did it inside, can't imaging not smelling it, I did it outside, and while my last batch was cooling, the neighbour got home and asked if I was burning something, said I was making charcloth, what it's for, he said "Cool!" (we're buddies, go fishing once in a while together, loves camping, etc.)
So, I used my MAPP gas torch (propane torch will work just fine) to burn the paint off the growing collection of Altoids tins (Canadian friends.....namely Treefrog..., Shoppers Drug Mart sells them for $3.49....... even get a bunch of mints as an added bonus!) and decided to try making charcloth using the torch as well. Grabbed some coarse cotton rag material from work, cut into 1" by 1.5" pieces, stuffed a third of them into one of the tins I modified (drilled a hole top and bottom with a bit smaller than 1/8"), placed on a few high temp brick pieces I have kicking around and heated up the tin. Here's what happened....
While heating, when the contents start to smoulder, flammable gases escape from the various holes. This is good if they catch fire, keep the flames going by torching around the tin until there isn't enough gas able to be generated inside. Means the charring is finished!
Before and after material (it shrinks by about 50%
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Originally Posted by Fletching
