How to Make Char Cloth with a Zippo

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For those who don't know, char cloth is a useful tool for starting a fire. It is so flammable that you only need a few sparks to create an ember. Then you can use that to get a fire going. Of course, you can start a fire with other types of tinder, but most of them won't catch fire as easily.

Although you can buy char cloth online, I recommend making it yourself as the materials cost very little. In this video, Sigma 3 Survival School explains how to make char cloth step by step.

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Here's what you'll need:

Cotton (from a T-shirt or anything made of cloth).
An empty Zippo lighter.
Some sticks and twigs for a small fire.

Here's how to make it:

Fold up the cotton and put it inside the Zippo.
Build a small fire on top of the Zippo.
Let the fire burn until there's nothing but ash and charcoal.
Let the Zippo cool off completely before you pick it up.
Open it up and remove the cloth, which is now char cloth.

And that's all there is to it! To start a fire, stick the char cloth in the top of the Zippo and turn the striker wheel. A few sparks will hit the char cloth and create an ember which you can blow into a flame.

To see exactly how this is done, watch the video below.