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I Forge Iron

Coal at local Tractor Supply


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Thomas: I believe about 2/3-3/4 of the party died in the pass. Some returned for help but they didn't make it back to the camp in time. I know California isn't too picky but I think you have to do more than die there to BE a Californian.

The fault wasn't just the guides, the party voted to attempt the pass after  everybody who knew the trail said it was too late. They got lost and headed up the wrong valley. IIRC they left for the last push without the one guide who was familiar with the trail. Most of that is from memory but I don't recall who's. I could be way off base.

How long are you guys going to stew on this?

Frosty The Lucky.

 

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As much as I would love to (b)eat a dead horse (which is not true because I too bow to horses) I ordered a ton of Kimmel's  nut from TSC Yesterday.  The fellow was very helpful and said that sometimes "they" turn the goods away at the border of California. So now I don't have to pay till it actually shows up. Talk about customer service! One day those of us who use and or experiment with carbon will be compelled to move to a third world country (Idaho, New Mexico?)  to continue our work. My carbon footprint is very small and I can't afford a scrubber.  I have been mixing charcoal with coke  and will do same with the anthracite.

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  • 1 month later...

I don't know if this helps or if anyone has mentioned it. I believe the bags of rice coal are wet inside is because they spray it with water to keep the dust down. That's what the Amish folks told my Pop. He uses it for heating his house. He purchased four pallets and I think it's  50 bags per pallet. So far everyone is wet. 

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19 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Have you worked with anthracite coal before?  Quite different from bituminous coal! 

Yes, I've been using the TSC nut coal. The rice coal seems to require somewhat different air management. 

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On ‎9‎/‎29‎/‎2015 at 9:28 AM, JHCC said:

best luck so far in getting it lit with a little newspaper, some slivers of pine

The first 5 day class I took the instructor watched us struggle try to start the forges, after a few minutes he  took us  next door to the boat building barn and he picked up shavings off the floor, stuck them in a coffee can and put paint thinner in the can and let them set  for 15 min. took  newspaper and the shavings stuck it in the forge covered lightly with coal and in no time they were going.  He said the boat instructor loved when he had a class as his shop was clean as a whistle when everyone went home we all left with bags of shaving we had swept up. 

My buddy who does wood working gave me a grain bag of shavings at Christmas, now if Santa had shown up with coal for my stocking I'd been all set.   

Previously I had struggled  to get it going for a long time with just paper and kindling.  Shavings Works for me.  I keep an old wooden plane in the shop for emergencies. 

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Ive just finished learning it somewhat difficult to start. The top parts of the bag were all dry.  So I was working on that.  I set some of the damp stuff to the sides of the barrel my brake drum is in to dry in the heat.  Which may have worked had I ever gotten any heat.

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I'm using this stuff and so far think its pretty good. I've a novice beginner so don't rely on my words pat say. I have been able to melt 2 out of the three projects I have started so far so I know it will get up to very hot temps. The price by me is 4.99 per 40 lb bag. Hopefully I'll get a better grasp on this soon and stop melting all my projects into clinker. 

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Has anyone gotten a bag that just won't burn? I got a couple bags lst fall that were great then got a couple more this spring, I'm still on the first bag but can't get anything done because it just will not catch. The only part of the process that's changed is the coal. 

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Is it out of warranty? Haven't we gone through lighting coal once already this week? What's it's size, how are you kindling it, etc. etc?

I don't burn coal but I can get black coal shale to burn well enough to work with. It just really REALLY sucks. I light it just like I light any coal in a forge.

Frosty The Lucky.

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