Alternates or Substitutes for Charcloth

[jbtusa]

Anyone found a reliable alternate to charcloth for that inevitable day when one finds himself out in the mountains without any?

[sean]

jtb,

While I'm not one to call BS on any of the members here, this is from Garrard and was posted in the Bois de Vache thread:

We encamped on a slope using "bois de vache (dried buffalo excrement) for want of better fuel. We, on horses, selected the camp before the wagons came up; Mr. St. Vrain and I, Folger and Chadwick, and Drinker and Bransford, each pair taking an apishamore (saddle blanket), would collect our blankets full of fuel (for the "wood" lies in all directions), bring up to the intended fire, and off again until a pile several feet high would be collected. It burns freely, and catching the steelsparks like tinder; but being light, is soon fanned into a hot coal, and turns immediately into ashes. Wind prevails to such an extent on the prairie that no ashes are ever seen about a camp a day or two after the fire is made; nothing but black spots mark the site."

I know this is a question you've asked elsewhere, and I suspect this is the ultimate answer for mountaineers who were too cheap to trade for a common worn-out cotton shirt or all that cheap cotton cloth that was in the trade lists.

Sean

[jbtusa]

Yes I have posted this on other forums and nobody yet has come up with an answer. All I get is the rote "well charcloth... stupid!"

No one has produced documentation for what the rocky mountain trappers of the 1820's did to catch the spark from flint & steel. ....Other than the rote "well charcloth... of course... you must be stupid."

I have heard of tinder fungus. It doesn't catch the spark for me. I have heard use charred punk wood but it doesn't work either.

So, there has to be an answer that is so simple that yes indeed, I must be stupid for not figuring it out!

[Lloyd]

There is plenty of tinder fungus up here in North Idaho.. It only grows on birch tree's though. One of my AMM buddies is harvesting gobs of it... I have a couple chunks about the size of my fist that I harvested...

I somewhat crush it and it catches a spark instantaneously and is almost impossible to put out unless you drown it.
www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/tinder/tinderfungus/true.html

This coming spring, I am planning on picking up some buffalo chips up at the buffalo ranch north of town and drying them good...

I just want to experiment on seeing if they will actually catch a spark...

I have used charred cattail fluff, but it goes up real fast... I have also used some rotten cedar (the big stuff that grows up here) that is charred.... I have also used Red Cedar bark that I charred.. All of these really live up to the name "tinder." You must be pretty gentle with them...

Once when moose hunting, I found a Red Cedar tree that the whole center was rotted and there were long (3 foot or so) strips of the rotted fiber.. I pulled some out and I had one of those Gerber survival tools and struck one of the sparks on that punk wood... It grabbed the spark and took off like it was covered in gasoline... I took a bunch home and got some of it to catch a spark off of a good hot flint and steel... I lost all of it when my shop burnt back in 2002 though... One of these days, I might go back up there and see if that old tree is still standing...

[sean]

JTB, no one called you stupid. The question you asked is just one of those things that was such a part of normal life that it was not recorded in detail. But the answer here is the same as what you got elsewhere. Pretty much what ever works and what ever is handy. Gotta say that BS is always handy down here on the southern High Plains. ;D

Lloyd, when you can find pitch-wood like you describe, I swear its better than a Zippo lighter and goes off in a darned rainstorm.

Sean

[jbtusa]

LLoyd, I'll try crushing my tinder fungus and see if it will catch the spark. I just got Keith Burgess' new book, "Primitive Fire Lighting" in the mail today and I'll give a report on it. He's the Australian.

My quest is to find a replacement to charcloth from mother nature herself which is an inexhaustible source; not a trading post for cloth or gunpowder. ...I guess it's part of my survivalism thing.

[Rod]

I've used charred wood for some time, some woods are far better than others. Rotton elm, boxelder, and cottonwood work well, ash is worthless. I suspect softwoods are generally better than hardwoods, you'll have to experiment to see what works best in your area.

Charring it is easy, I have a metal tinderbox that's fairly airtight---just stick a piece of the rotton wood in a fire, get an end of it glowing good, drop it in the box and shut the lid. The lack of oxygen will put it out, and it's charred on one end. It is fragile, however, but will take a spark readily. It also takes some practice to light your tinder bird's nest, it doesn't react the same as charcloth---you can't blow through it like charcloth, so it doesn't transfer the heat as easily, but it can be done.

Rod

[Cody]

When you say pitch wood are you refering maybe to what we call lighter pine ?It is real flamable but havent tried to use it for char just kindling ,the good stuff will really open up your sinuses

[Mark]

Punky cottonwood works very well for char with flint and steel. Cottonwood is probably one of the more universal tree species west of the Mississippi. You are looking for the wood that is just short of falling apart. You can put a piece in you fire and let it catch. After it is going good bring it out and cover it with sand, earth whatever to restrict oxygen (same as a char tin).

You will have more than enough to start your next fire. Already mentioned, though, the stuff does crumble fairly easily. It does not catch a spark as easily as char cloth, but once it catches it does not go out. Good stuff.

Mark

[blackhand]

I've used charred punky cedar while a friend uses charred cottonwood inner bark (charred in a tin like cloth). Both will catch a spark.

[RileyMN]

Dec 28, 2010 18:19:06 GMT -7 Lloyd said:

www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/tinder/tinderfungus/true.html

This site has great pics - Thanks Lloyd!

I try to describe the tinder fungus to people and they harvest the shelf/hoof fungus shown in the bottom picture on that web page.

Once you harvest the true tinder fungus it is very recognizable.

The tinder fungus I have use will catch and hold a spark right off the tree - just like charcloth. The other fungus I have had mixed results with by charring it first. It works, but not as good...

[Lloyd]

The thing about tinder fungus is how much documentation there is for using it in the northern climes.... All the Hudsons Bay folks used it, and I would bet most of the french American Men used it too...
Karl Koster wrote a great article that includes much of the documentation...

[isaac]

I almost exclusively use the "bear cr@p" fungus/true tinder fungus that is shown on the top of the page Lloyd gave. It will take a spark as is... torn right off the tree. I find that the fresher it is.. the better it catches. I keep my supply in the freezer to keep it "fresh" when not using it.

IW

[Lloyd]

Hay Ike,
Once you catch a spark in a large chunk, how do you put it out???

I have burnt myself more with tinder fungus than with any other char/tinder.....

[RileyMN]

Not Ike, but I use smaller pieces...

The only way to get it to go out is to completely suffocate it.

Thanks for the fridge tip, Ike.