Wicks

[TOOLTIME]

I Work With Conveyor Belts. Sometimes We Get An Order Calling For An All Cotton Belt. I Bring Home The Rest That Is Scrap, Use It For Bench Tops In The Garage Etc. Anyone Here Think Something Like This Would Be Useful For A Wick For Something??? I'M Pretty New To All This Survival And Make Your Own Stuff, So I Thought I'd Ask What Experts Thought.
Thanks, I Really Enjoy Reading All Your Posts Here In This Message Board. I Have Learned Alot....
Tim

[NorthWindTrails]

Tooltime ... How thick are these all cotton belts? I have done a lot of experimenting with different thicknesses of cotton fabric in making "char cloth" for use in fire starting with flint and steel. If it isn't too thick, this material might be useful in not only wick making, but also fire starting material. This forum has a lot of information in the archives on making char cloth ... hope this helps! NorthWind

[TOOLTIME]

I'd Say About 3/16'' Of An Inch. Heck, Even If Someone Here Could Use It, More Power To Them...postage Maybe???

[TOOLTIME]

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[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

Cotton makes an exelent oil wick, (vegie) I have a good example of one in my photo album.

[crashdive123]

Cotton will make fine wicks, and as NothWindTrails said, it makes excellent char cloth as well. Judging by the photo, you could make a lot of each and still have plenty for other projects.

[Rick]

What is the width and length (ballpark is fine). I'm just trying to understand how much you have there.

[TOOLTIME]

The Piece Is 24''wide X 72'' Long.

[Rick]

Would that make a decent summertime sleeping bag insert or blanket to go on top of a ground cover? Since it's cotton, it would not be very good for winter but it should be light and airy for summer time use. The advantage as a sleeping bag insert is it could be removed and aired out if need be.

[NorthWindTrails]

Rick ... that's a very good suggestion, methinks! As an insert for a sleeping bag, I suppose the only real consideration would be how heavy the material is. It certainly seems as if it would be warm enough. As Nessmuk would say; "Go light!" Tooltime ... if you decide to sell any of that, I'd like to experiment with a bit to see if the char cloth idea works. I have to say, though, that all my previous experience with cotton char cloth is "The thinner the better". I work in a nursing home, and they throw away worn out wash cloths, so I tried charring one to see how it would take a spark. I also tried using pieces of an old t-shirt and a pair of BVD's (both 100% cotton). In a side by side test, I found the thinner material to be better at catching fire by spark. The thicker stuff does work, it just didn't do as well for me personally. I would like to see how your material fared in a similar test, though. Thanks for offering this to the group! NorthWind

[Rick]

I've always used old cotton T-shirts myself. Preferably not while they are being worn.

[NorthWindTrails]

Ouch ... just the thought of smouldering Underoos makes me cringe. Thanks for the warning, Rick ... I won't EVER experiment while actually WEARING char-clothes! (Not now, anyways ... ) Be safe out there ... NorthWind

[TOOLTIME]

Ok, Here Is What I Have...first Off I Am New To All This, I Had No Idea What I Was/am Doing. Just Looked Up How To Make Char-cloth And Went With It...
This Material Im Using Is The Stuff Mentioned Above.

1st Test...just Lit It And Blew It Out A Few Seconds Later. It Kept A Nice Hot Glowing "hot" I Guess You'd Call It. Increasing It's Volume When Blown On. Did Nothing To The Material Except Lit It.


2nd Test...cut A Small Strip And Coated One End In Vaseline. Like The Cotton Ball Trick. It Held A Nice Flame, Then I Blew That Out To Minutes Later, Again, A Nice Glowing "hot" (dual Purpose If Flame Goes Out)(flame Then "hot")

3rd Test...i Slightly Chared One Side. Using The Tin Can Method. Im Impatient By Only Doing One Side I Know...thick Stuff. Lit It With A Lighter, When Actually I Should Have Used My Flint.(packed Away On Quad For Camp/ride I Have Coming Up) Quickly Blew It Out To Get The Same Effect I Got With Tests 1&2.

So, Again, I Have No Clue What Im Doing, Or The Purpose Of It. Meaning, I Guess Since I Carry A Lighter, I Could Use That, Or Light The Cotton Conveyor Belting I Mentioned I Was Using.

Northwind....pm Me Your Address If You'd Like, I Mail You A Sample For Now. No Charge....maybe You Can Experiment A Little Too....anyone Else???


ALSO, I FORGOT TO MENTIONED, THESE "HOTS" I SPEAK OF STAYED TOO. NEVER GOING OUT. WELL AT LEAST WITHIN A 5-7 MINUTE RANGE..

[Gray Wolf]

It looks like it's a very tight weave. When you cut it (1/2" x 6"), does it fray apart? Or is it woven tightly?

[TOOLTIME]

It Is Woven Tightly, But Will Fray Apart If Pulled, Maybe Making For A Good "string Char Cloth"