Hopefully I will know tommorow what it's like to use. If it does not take a spark then I will see what it's like with a lighter as a firelighter. Thanks for the replies.
Charred Newspaper (used like Charcloth): How to make
- Thread starter Neumo
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Well I tried charring one of the now dried out paper mache 'patties' & it looks like it worked. It takes a spark from a fire steel & glows nicely when you blow on it. It has a crinkly sort of appearance & makes a rustling noise when you break a bit off, so it's different from the stuff I used at the gathering. It's quite delicate wheras the stuff I used at the Wilderness Gathering had a compressed cardboard feel to it & was tougher to break a bit off. This may be down to the fact that I just squashed mine togeather by hand & did not compress it under a weight. I have some more paper that has been standing in water for a day so I will try compressing that under a weight, dry it out then char it to see what the difference is. One of the things I love about Bushcraft is the practical things it lets you experament & play with while you gain knowledge.
It's bulkier than charcloth so is probably not as good to carry in the field but it's light, so I will try some out in the woods to see what it's like in real world. I can post some pics later if anyone is interested.
It's bulkier than charcloth so is probably not as good to carry in the field but it's light, so I will try some out in the woods to see what it's like in real world. I can post some pics later if anyone is interested.
I am going to try the 2 day soaked bits tommorow, squeezing them out then compressing them before they go out to dry. I will see how those char up. They should work a bit better if the paper is more compressed, from what I have read above. If I can get hold of saltpeter then I will give that a go afterwards.
I've been playing with this stuff today. First I tried broken off pieces of recycled newspaper that had been made into logs using the press Ogri the Trog showed in an earlier post. The paper mache I'd used was very course - just torn up newspaper rather than a pulp. After the charing it was incredibly delicate - just like char-newspaper. For comparison, I then made some char paper just using ordinary old newspaper and got the same results. They take sparks well and make a usable ember, but are far too fragile to be really practical, and there was no real benefit I could see by making the newspaper into a paper mache log first.
I think making a pulp is the answer - because I then tried charing pieces of old egg boxes (the recycled paper/cardboard ones). The result was excellent - robust, charred 'cardboard' that holds together well and takes a spark easily.
I used a copper tube char maker in all the above processes.
I think making a pulp is the answer - because I then tried charing pieces of old egg boxes (the recycled paper/cardboard ones). The result was excellent - robust, charred 'cardboard' that holds together well and takes a spark easily.
I used a copper tube char maker in all the above processes.
I have some paper drying which was cut into thin strips, soaked for 2 days, squuezed out & put in a small tin with a weight on it. It's is taking some time to dry. I will give that a go but I am now that confident that it will turn into something usefull, asTwoSticks says it's to brittle. I reckon he may be on to something about charing some cardboard that has already been compressed, as it's a lot less hassle than making up stuff from paper mache. I will keep an eye out for some thicker bits of comppressed cardboard to try this out on.
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