Char cloth, char wood(punk wood).
Uses and intent: Any charred material will take a spark and create an ember. The ember in turn is used to ignite a bird's nest or similar material. A lot of people use char cloth, flint and a striker. Typically contained in a small metal tin(preferably steel, not aluminum). The tin can be used to make charred material.
Material selection: Not all materials are created equal. 100% cotton is best. Quality high fiber and thread count is the best. (Think duck canvas or heavy-duty jeans). You can char just about anything, but experiment to find what works best for you. Punk wood works great. (I prefer hard wood that is not too far rotten that it crumbles upon handling and has part of it still strong). Processing: You place your material in a metal container (that has a lid). You may pierce a small hole in the top but not necessary. Once your fire has a bed of coals. Place your container on the hot coals. Shortly smoke, will escape (it may whistle and will be clearly visible). You may see a flame as well, do not worry, it is not burning up inside. The gasses created are burning off. There is no set amount of time per se’. You cannot “overcook” charred material. I usually wait 3-4 minutes after all gasses stop coming out of the container. Carefully remove from fire. Use forked sticks or welding gloves. Let it sit and completely cool down.
Notes: occasionally during cooking gently shake container (this ensures contents get heated evenly) I do large batches several hundred pieces at a time 2”x2”.
Also, I like to vacuum seal and throw a moisture absorber in with each batch. I place a piece of cardboard on top and bottom to protect during vacuum sealing. It will last forever.
Use the best material you can. I go to goodwill and find the heaviest jeans and cut up into pieces. It is time consuming.
Post your thoughts and how you do it and take a video using!!! Let us all see!
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