Rub Cloth

Rub Cloth Fire Starter:

After watching Dave Canterbury's Fire Series on Youtube (specifically this video LINK) concerning Rub Cloth I decided to try it out and see if I could actually get it to work with Pyrodex Black Power since that is the only thing in any of the gun shops where I live. 

***Warning- If you have never used black powder, don't know how volatile it is, don't know how flammable it is, don't know how dangerous it is, and don't know that IT CAN KILL YOU..... please please please quit reading this post! This is not for someone who is not familiar with the use of black powder or how to handle it in a safe manner.***

The materials needed are simple: black powder, water and 100% cotton swatches. 

1) First step is to obtain your ingredients and a work platform (log)

2) Pour a small amount of black powder onto your work surface

 3) Wet your cotton swatches (square 100% cotton makeup pads work well) thoroughly

4) Place you wet swatch onto the pile of gun powder

5) Press down firmly (don't grind or rub)

6) Rub the black powder into the cotton with your fingers on the side you just put into the black powder then place the other side of the cotton into the powder and do the same. The finished color should be that of the above "Charcoal Grey"

7) Place your completed rub cloth in a warm dry place to thoroughly dry and why doing so prep your fire lay material.

8) Place the rub cloth into a tinder bundle  The best I could come up with was this little very marginal tinder bundle made up of mostly wet (not just moist but out in the rain for 3 days wet) inner bark.

9) Three strikes on the ferro rod and we have an ember (not the nice flash like you will see Dave's video with the non Pyrodex black powder).

10) Let it get going with a little infused oxygen, if you have residual powder you will get a poof of fire so do as I say and not as I do and just blow on the rub cloth and don't handle it if you can avoid it.

11) Pull your tinder bundle over the rub cloth and blow on the rub cloth until you have ignition. Notice how intense the ember becomes compared to flint and steel, the perfect solution for a very marginal tinder bundle.

12) Rub cloth and tinder bundle after ignition.

13) Add Smalls to your tinder bundle

14) Full fire to the point you can walk away and get a little more fire wood.

There you have it rub cloth via Pyrodex for those of us who can't find it in a gun store. I haven't tried it with flint and steel or magnification yet (can't guarantee these methods work) but will attempt it later today and let you know in the comments how it goes whenever the sun decides to grace us with its presence here in North-Central WV.

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