Coal types

[clewer]

Hello!

I'm new to the forum so first of all I welcome everybody.
I started blacksmithing 2 months ago.I have many problems and questions,,but what I am most interested in is coal.
I used charcoal first,but t didn't give enough heat.
And now the questions:
-What is the best coal for FORGING iron?
-What is the best coal for SMELTING iron?
I am very grateful for every bit of help!(sorry if something in the text is unclear,I am not english)


Clewer

[Archie Zietman]

Charcoal should definitely give you enough heat. You need to break it up into pieces about at big as your thumb-digit, and don't blast it with too much air.

I'll let others deal with with e coal question,

Archie

[Aeneas]

For smelting iron, my opinion is that you definitely need charcoal -it works - I've participated in several iron-smelting weekends.
And I agree with Archie, prepared right charcoal gives more than enough heat to do ANY forging job with iron or steel.
While I've used coal before, I'm not that knowledgeable about types of coal, so I look forward to the education when one of our coal experts responds.
Welcome to IFI - don't worry, your english is fine.
Aeneas

[ThomasPowers]

you were using real charcoal and not briquets right?

Charcoal was the only fuel for smithing until the high middle ages when coal was used in some places. However charcoal remained the fuel for smelting until Abraham Darby figured out how to use coke for smelting in the 1700's.

For smithing bitumenous coal is best; but folks have learned how to use whatever they have---even peat has been charcoaled and used for smithing!

[fishdaddy]

i can get all the bitumenus coal i need.i can also get coke.which is best?ive never tried to burn coke.

[Aeneas]

Hi troybart,
If you've ever smithed with coal, then you've smithed with coke.
Coke is the near-pure carbon left behind when all the junk has been cooked out of the coal. Usually, when your forge fire stops smoking after you've lit it and got the bellows or blower going, and your fire burns clear and clean, you've turned your coal to coke. Coke is what gives you your heat for forging.
Charcoal is similar to coke in that it is also almost pure carbon, except that charcoal comes from wood and coke comes from coal. Also, charcoal burns faster so you need to use more of it than coke.
But since both of these are excellent sources of carbon, they both make excellent solid fuels for forging.

So if you have a source for coke that isn't excessively more expensive that the coal, I say got straight for the coke and cut out the first step cooking out your coal. No sense pumping more sulfur and other nasty junk into the atmosphere if you don't have to.

Cheers - Welcome to IFI.
Aeneas

BTW, enter your location in the User control panel (User CP) so we can see where you're posting from. There may be someone local who can help you out.

[fishdaddy]

i live in southern w.va lots of coal and coke here i can pick it up on the rail road tracks ..and thx for the welcome ive never forged anything in my life im just wanting to try it so i got to make a forge.

[ThomasPowers]

Coke is a harder fuel to learn on. Industrial coke is quite hard to start and must have an electric blower as it can go out on you during the time spent at the anvil and so a hand crank blower doesn't work very well. Coke doesn't coke up and so hard to make a cave fire for welding---easier to learn welding when you can see the pieces heating rather than in an open fire.

Once you get good coke will be a great fuel for you.

Note there is no guarentee that the coal you are picking up is *good* coal for *smithing* lots of varieties and qualities of Bitumenous coal. You have to try it and see!

[fishdaddy]

this coal is used in power plants i pick it up along the rail road tracks.i picked up about a100 lbs in 20 minutes.i know another place where a couple train cars rolled over and the coke is still laying there.i was gonna try a hair dryer for a blower.