Wetting your coal

[Archie Zietman]

Hello.
So, today my forge fire (coal) got smokey on me for the first time in about a month, and, being in a densely populated area, I can't really have that. This got me thinking about wetting my coal. I know it helps the coking process somehow (so says The Blacksmith's Craft manual from the English rural commission) but does that entail more smokiness? slower coke-age? Anyone wet their coal? How does wetted coal compare to dry in terms of smoke and yield of coke?

Thanks,
Archie

[ThomasPowers]

Totally depends on the coal. Coal I used to buy in OH I never used water on. Coal I get out here in NM I keep in a bucket full of water.

It does seem to help it coke better. I don't know about slower or less smoke but it does aggregate into coke chunks better when it's wet.

[Bentiron1946]

I used to soak my coal and I got billows of yellow/white that some folk objected to when adding it to the fire. However I think that most smiths do use water to control their fire. I used water to keep the fire from growing to large or to cool it down.:cool:

[Rob Browne]

Don't know if it makes it coke better but I always use wet coal so when it is added around the fire the fire does not spread so much and I end up with a good supply of coke ready to pull into the fire when needed. Saves me wetting down my fire so often.

[Doug C]

I keep a lot of coke from the prior fire so that when I get the new fire going it does not smoke as much. Add the green coal around the outside of the fire or at the bottom of the fire (I have seen a few smiths do this locally). Once I have a good fire going smoke never seems to be an issue.

[Glenn]

I use soft bituminous coal that can produce a good amount of smoke. If you punch a hole in the top of the fire, and add coal, wet or otherwise, to the fire slowly, the fire will consume most of the smoke. I use the Supercharged 55 Forge and this also dilutes any smoke coming from the fire. Between the two, there is very little smoke from my forge.

[Archie Zietman]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I think I will keep my coal dry for the moment to avoid yellow-white billowage. I will however put in a 55 style fire-hood-chamber thang. I now prefer cloudy days for forging: Nobody sees the smoke.

be merry,
Archie

[olcarguy]

What style of chimney are you using. There is an easy modification to a straight stack that can draw in more air and delute the smoke. If you are interested I can make up a drawing.

[Archie Zietman]

Right now I'm outside under a room with one wall. I really just need a way to keep the smoke around the flame until it is burned, as opposed to being blown away and buffeted by the wind.

I'd be very interested in pictures though, thank you.

[Ten Hammers]

Some coal will have immense amounts of fines (from the top of the bag down). Having a hopper to keep wet coal in is a good way to keep these fines from spreading when blast is applied (somewhat). Some will say that you need fines. Myself, I like to stay away from them. I won't just throw them away though.

[NeatGuy]

I have a similar situation ... mix some charcoal with you coal each time you light or stoke it will help reduce (not eliminate) the amount of smoke. In addition it will smell nicer for your neigbours who are not blacksmiths.

brad

[olcarguy]

Here you go, Archie it's a bit ruff but I think you can get the basic idea. the lifesaver looking thing in the corner is a top view. Any thing else just ask...

[Black Maple Forge]

I have soft coal, and I always wet it. I never really tried not wetting it, because I was always told to wet the coal to "help with the coking". I can easily get my coal up to welding heat this way, so I do not complain!:rolleyes:

[anvillain]

I always use water on my coal, but not directly into the top of the fire. You can reduce the smoke of any fire by adding fuel slowly and keeping enough air going through to have at least some flames coming through the top of the fire. If you obtain some dry wood,cut into small chunks to start your fire. Keep plenty of air going and you will have plenty of active flames to consume the smoke. Start adding some coal in a ring around the nucleus of wood flame. You can do this with coal that is less than ideal as long as you have it hot in the center. Start pushing the coal toward the center until it starts to smoke, add water, sprinkling in a ring around the hottest part. Keep the pumping air, keeping enough flame coming through to consume the smoke. Once you have a very hot fire put coke from previous fire in the center and it will burn without smoke. I also use coke from previous fires as insulation on top of larger pieces of iron to help hold in the heat. It is like consumable insulation that keeps your metal from being exposed to oxygen. But don't try to start out with coke. Only use it after you have active flames. It is a continuing process, adding coal, wetting coal, pumping air, making heat, poking air hole into the center, heating iron. Some coal will definitely burn cleaner than others, but the best of coal will smoke if added too quickly or in too large a quantity. Soon you will do it automatically, and your neighbors will love the perfume of your fire. Once more, forgive me for belaboring the point; if you cover up your fire completely you will have smoke until it gets hot enough to be consumed. So when smoke is a concern, and it is for me too, remember to start with clean dry fuel, add coal only as fast as your fire can consume it.

[David Einhorn]

What Doug said is extremely important. Proper fire management will keep smoke to a minimum. Putting the green coal at the outside of your fire and gradually working the coal towards the center is the key. By the time it reaches the center of the fire the volatiles have cooked off resulting in very little smoke!

I am concerned that proper coal fire management in a forge is becoming a lost art.

I keep a lot of coke from the prior fire so that when I get the new fire going it does not smoke as much. Add the green coal around the outside of the fire or at the bottom of the fire (I have seen a few smiths do this locally). Once I have a good fire going smoke never seems to be an issue.