coal or charcoal....

[Sabre]

hey son of bluegrass dont you mean you use charcoal not coal?

and i think that i will try coal as soon as i get back from calafornia on the
19th of july...

thats where i am now.

thanks and i will keep in touch!

sabre.

[Finnr]

Hint: Start your first coal fire with a bit of your charcoal. It will get you going a bit faster.
Finnr

[Sabre]

good idea fin

[ThomasPowers]

What S.O.B said! If you measure by volume you go through more charcoal than coal. If you measure by weight it should be about the same save that charcoal keeps burning more when the blower is off.

As for historicity, the switch from charcoal to cole took place in the high middle ages according to Gies and Gies in "Cathedral Forge and Waterwheel" though charcoal continued and continues to be used through today due to ease of use and availability, (try to mine coal on a coral island--but you can make coconut husk charcoal.)

As for heat, in a properly built and blown charcoal forge you can easily reach welding heat, traditionally made japanese swords are welded up using softwood charcoal to this day; or even melt steel as the wootz makers did 1000 years ago. Now if you use charcoal in a forged optimized for coal, or vice versa you may get the feeling that the fuel in the wrong forge is "weaker".

[son_of_bluegrass]

Yes I meant charcoal.

ron

[Sabre]

ithought so