clinker removal

[geofthesmith]

k ive been runnin my forge on charcoal for a wile but i got my hands on a small amount of coal, and tried it out and i was having problems with clinker getting cloged in my tuyere, i got it out but not without greatly desturbing the fire, how do you guys get it out without breaking up the fire?

[mike-hr]

Crank up the forge before you clean the windpipe, then push the hot mass to the rear. It will stay hot long enough for you to clean it out, and should take off again when you rake the hot pile back over the pipe.

[jayco]

Some times, if the clinker is not too large, you can turn the clinker breaker, if your forge is so equipped, and get the clinker to fall out the bottom.

Larger clinkers are more difficult of course.
You might insert a small poker with a hook on the end ,grab the clinker and pull it out sideways without disturbing the fire much.

You can also use a 'slice'........think flat shovel or spatula,,,,,,use it to lift up the fire with one hand, while you use the poker to hook the clinker.
It's easier than it sounds......

[geofthesmith]

thanks for the info, i was trying to get it out without moving the hot centre. and that just cooled everythign off.

[Glenn]

Give the fire some extra air for a couple of minutes then shut the air off solidifying the clinker. If you can not hook or shovel the clinker out, move the fire to the side and dig the clinker out.

Then just move the fire back into the pot, add some air, add some additional fuel. Couple of minutes and your back up to heat.

[John B]

The trick is to shut off the air blast and leave the fire for a few minutes to allow the clinker to solidify into a solid lump, then lift it out with the rake or slice, this should not disrupt the fire too much, then bring hot embers back to fire pot hot spot and bring air back up.

It is far easier to hook out in a solid lump, and patience is its own reward in this situation, the last thing you want is clinker dispersed through the fire, not good.

[Ian]

I'm with John, thats exactly what I've been taught and its what I do as well. If your patient you can hook out some real 'cowpat' style lumps, like a flat donut, and have a really clean roaring fire five minutes later (instead of the shrapnel you get if you dive in too early after shutting off the air).

[civilwarblacksmith]

If you are tending the fire, aerating it, just plain doing fire maintenance; you shouldn't have meteorite sized klinker. If you are working the fire, the klinker will stay small and be worked out through the klinker breaker.

If you don't have a klinker breaker, such as my 2 portable re-enactment forges, by tending the fire you remove the klinker while they are still small and not robbing the heat from your fire.

Also if you are getting really large klinker, you could have a coal quality problem.