Fuel survey... Please participate.

[yesteryearforge]

I use coal / Im not so sure that it takes any less time for nature to make oil or natural gas/propane than it does to make coal and Im pretty sure that my burning coal doesnt pollute the atsmophere any more than a lot of other things that I do / mainly garbage in the landfill / emissions from my vehicles / electricity / welding gasses etc.
Besides I really like everything about coal.
To me its like the smell of a campfire or a woodstove and its a comforting and familiar smell that instantly produces pleasant memorries.

[Fionnbharr (finn:-)]

What I use and what I might prefer are two different things:-) I use propane, it is clean efficient (for most of the size work I do:-) I can do production runs with a pile of pieces in the fire. But I need a couple more gas forges, as well as a couple of solid fuel forges aswell:-)

A one burner gas forge, (unless it is a big burner) is only really suited for small stuff, and really can't be compared to a solid fuel forge of any variety. They are the tinners forges of gassers;-) For versitility a solid fuel forge can't be beat, need to work bigger stock, build a bigger fire, up to a certain point... For big stuff you a coke fire and an electric blower are the berries, or a BIG gasser. I used to work with a Johnson Gas Appliance trough forge, it was a big glutton, but you could stack it deep with pieces and work straight through (I wish I had it now, i have job it would be perfect for....:-)

I HATE BAD COAL!!! Good coal is hard on my breathing, but bad coal tears me up, cheap high sulfer stoker coal is the pitts... I do have a terrible nostalgia for coal smoke, and like working in coal, charcoal, and coke... especially forgewelding (I can weld in my gasser but not in the configurations that I normally have it set up in...)

[Rick Rowlands]

To Oakwoodforge. I read in a book on the history of mining in West Virginia that in all of recorded history about 13 million tons of coal has been mined from that state, and their estiamte of the coal in WV is something on the order of 112 million tons. So I don't think that the few pounds of coal used in a forge is going to hasten the day when we run out of coal, which will probably be hundreds of years from now.

If anyone is interested I have more metallurgical coke here than I will ever use, and if you're within driving distance of Youngstown, OH I will be more than happy to sell a barrel or two of it.

[elkdoc]

Hey Rick... What's yer source on the coke?

[Rick Rowlands]

Youngstown used to be a steelmaking area, and the industrial park that I rent a building in was a former coal and coke storage area for one of the mills.

So when I need coke I just drive out back, find a pile and fill up the pickup bed. There is enough here to last a lifetime, and I hate to see all this fuel go to waste as they slowly fill in the property.

[elkdoc]

Lucky so-and-so... :wink: :lol:

[Strine]

I can't believe coke is lagging behind. Is it because we coke users can't vote because we're spending all our time enjoying working at our forges?

[elkdoc]

I haven't run the numbers, but I doubt if there's much of a significant difference between coke and charcoal with a total of 35 votes.

8)

[Michael]

I use charcoal, neighbors within 30 feet on every side of the house, I can pass it off as a high powered grill. There's a neighbor who heats with wood and I can "hide" my smoke making under cover of his fireplace keeps the firemarshall off my back. I like coal, but restrict the use to the wintertime, when the wind is blowing off the bay and the neighbors windows are closed.

Michael-San Francisco

[blacksmithtech]

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