pnut

I would imagine you could pyrolize it in the same fashion as charcoal. I would find a smallish metal container with airtight lid and poke a few holes in the lid, then after filling it with peat and putting the lid on I'd build a fire around the outside of the container. When white smoke stops coming out of the holes plug them with dirt or whatever is convenient. Keep the fire burning for a bit longer and when it's gone out and the can is cool open it up and see what you have. It will take some experimenting with how long to keep feeding the fire etc but that's why I would start small. Good luck. Pnut

As far as I can tell it's more efficient using sideblast. A bottom blast burns the charcoal up at a startling speed. As for the why Frosty and CCS pretty much typed close to what I've witnessed. The only thing I might add is that a side blast lets the air flow linger just enough due to having to change direction from horizontal to vertical that the oxygen is more completely consumed. Pnut

I know it's not really pertinent to the thread but I've forgotten to ask any former contestants when I've had the chance. I've noticed some folks on forged in fire working in what doesn't seem to be the most comfortable position. I wonder if they set the anvil height per the contestant's instructions or if it's one size fits all. I haven't seen an episode in over two years so I can't remember their anvil stands. Pnut

The lining material will vitrify. It took a sledgehammer to break my last jabod apart. You could tap the fire trench and it tinked like glass. I was astonished at how hard the lining was. I even tried adding water to make it easier to break up but essentially it was fired clay so it didn't help until the layer that was fired hard was removed. Don't over think it. As Frosty said the clay is only to hold the fire and keep the box from burning. Good luck. Pnut

Claying a forge or making a ducks nest would be the terms I'd search. If you're using coal you want a ducks nest. If you settle on charcoal it does better in a trench shaped firepot. You can find ample info on trenches in the jabod threads. You're hand cranked blower will save you plenty of fuel just starting out as Thomas mentioned. You'll have your hands full without having to remember to turn the air off every time you take the steel out of the fire. If you happen to be using anthracite you'll want an electric blower to keep it lit but Bituminous, charcoal,or wood you only need air going to the fire while you have your stock heating. Glad to have you, be safe and remember it's supposed to be fun. Pnut

It appears you may be able to take the "lid" over the firepot/hearth" off but the side walls may still be in the way depending on the type of smithing you do. As Lattacino said, "Be kind of a shame to cut a hole in it, but to each his own." Pnut

I know the place. I had some family members tell me horror stories from OSP. I think they still do tours at the old Ohio Reformatory. There's lots of correctional institutions around Columbus. Some are pretty old and still being used. Old prisons are creepy places. Pnut

It does look like a cap. I was thinking end cap on a bannister or handrail for steps. Pnut

Charcoal ash is light enough that if I want to clear it out I just turn the air up a little and blow it out. It's a delicate balance between blowing the ash out and blowing the whole fire ash charcoal and all out of the trench or firepot. If I crank the blower too fast or open the valve too much when using the electric blower it'll blow everything out of the forge hahaha. Pnut

I can't find it either. It's the firepot that you diagonally cut a square piece of plate to make the ends. If I find it I'll link it here. Pnut

If you weld plate into the dimensions of a trench style jabod I think you'd have a top of the line charcoal firepot. I believe Charles has a thread of the side blast firepot he made somewhere. Iirc it's a flat bottomed slope sided configuration. Exactly what you want for charcoal. I've been using a jabod or MarkIII jabod for the last year and a half or so and they've done everything I've asked of them. I've been sick for the last month and haven't gotten a chance to really do much but I think I might try to light it up today if it doesn't rain. Good luck and welcome aboard. Pnut

I had a friend who was a welder that worked for a company in Cincinnati that fabricated components for pre fabbed modular jail cells. He told me about jacketed bars I don't think they're the same as the bars mentioned above but I can't see the picture. They're designed so if you get through the jacket the inner bar will roll instead of letting the tool get a bite besides being hard. Pnut

It's been almost ten years since I did any post processing for a paying customer but there was a pretty big problem with photographic prints coming out of the printer much darker than they would appear on the monitor at default settings. I'm glad the folks manufacturing the monitors have finally taken care of it. Back then you had to spend extra money on calibration programs and devices to fix it. I had to buy a product called spider color calibration suite and it set me back about four hundred dollars. Pnut

Everyone else summed up pretty much what it could be with the exception of silica from the charcoal itself but more than likely it's just dirt. Pnut

My condolences to you and yours Thomas. Pnut

Doesn't salt become molten right around the critical temperature? Pnut

I don't know how much you will be needing but you can PM Glenn and get it here. Pnut

I used similar things for casting shadows in the photography studio but they were called scrims or less commonly gobo's for go betweens. They attached to the front of the speedlights between the light source and subject, hence go between. The proper term in photography though is scrim. Pnut

I angled the tuyere down a few degrees and experimented with fire depth until I figured it out. The angled tuyere made a big difference. Pnut

Did anyone mention the time to forge the tools you'll need to forge the bottle opener?

An auto parts store burned down about six months ago and I was looking at all of the charcoal with visions of glowing steel dancing in my head but I didn't want to ask someone who just lost their business if I could have any. I've gotten scrap auto parts from the garage they own behind the parts store but they were never overly friendly in the best of times so I didn't want to bother them in a time of stress. Pnut

Truly sorry to hear that Thomas. Hopefully you'll be able to visit with her soon. My sister just had a mass removed from her lung Friday and I was concerned about her being in the hospital during this outbreak. Mythoughts are with you and your family. Pnut

Condolences. You're family will be in my thoughts. Pnut

I'm pretty sure that's what the doctor said I wss experiencing as a side effect of antibiotics destroying the flora in my digestive tract. . It was some sort of psedo colitis. I Icouldn't remember for the life of me what type of colitis though. I was glad to know it wasn't gall bladder issues but it's still unpleasant. Pnut

I have one that looks like a reincarnated Carol Channing. I might send it your way so you can collaborate on a duet if it doesn't start pulling it's weight around here. Pnut