Hey everybody.

Yesterday I ordered a bag of coal from Penn Keystone Coal Company (Penn Keystone Coal Company) and I was wondering if anyone on here has used that coal before and what their thoughts are on it. I am used to powder like coal that easily mixed with water to make a slurry and since this comes in "rock" form I'd like pointers and or ideas. I live way up in western Canada and this 50lb bag delivered is gonna cost me $79 USD so I don't want to waste it by using it wrong. I will add, I use industrial type coke a lot after I get my fire going so that helps cut down on the coal usage.

We would need to know the coal analysis, coal seam, etc to answer your question. West Virginia is the state just south of Pennsylvania. There are 117 named coal seams in West Virginia. Sixty-five seams are considered mixable. In the year 2000, coal was produced from 50 different coal seams.

The web site lists the following analysis for their coal.

From the Pocahontas #3 seam, mined in SE West Virginia.
As Received Specs:

Size: Pea 1 x 3/8 or Nut 3 x 1 1/2"
Moisture: 1.48%
Ash: 7.12%
Sulfur: .75%
BTU/lb: 14,373
BTU/lb: 15,724 (dry, ash-free)
Volatile Matter: 18.63%
Fixed Carbon: 79.62% (dry ash-free)
Free Swelling Index (Coke Button): 9
Lbs sulfur per million BTU: 0.52

You purchased the coal for the heat value it contains. Use enough air to release the heat you need for the work you are doing. When finished, scoop the fire, coal, coke out of the forge and put it in a 5 gallon bucket of water. That way you will know the fire is OUT. The water will wash out the ash and you can reclaim the coal, and coke, let it dry, and use it again.

If you need smaller pieces of coal, break the lump apart with a hammer or just place the lump on the top of the fire. When it gets hot, whack it with a shovel or poker and it should break apart.

yeah i use alot of sheet coal and pretty much nothing else, better to have small pieces so crack it up before you burn it. its good that your using coke as well because the green stuff burns up fast in on its self , i have an electric blower and i find unless i turn it off the fuel burns to fast but with coke that should't be a problem.

See what kind of price Thak in Ontario could give you,excellent coal by the way.

Thanks for the replies guys.

I visited Thak Ironworks and it turns out they supply bagged coal to a local home hardware. Now I know of the HH having coal but they don't bring it in very often. Last I heard was maybe end of Aug.. Well I got a call last night from a local artisan blacksmith who told me HH was getting some coal in next week. This coal is $55/ 50lbs CND compared to $79USD/ 50lbs.

Some say when you finally find your first anvil you then start tripping over all the ones that show up. For me it must be with coal.;)

I remember when I could get Pittsburgh #8 for $22.00 a ton. I reckoned it cost me about 4 cents a day.

THE COAL IS HERE! THE COAL IS HERE!

took a week for fed-ex ground to get it to me but it is here. Gonna use it this weekend.....ok maybe gonna go out and use it now ;)

Edited August 22, 200916 yr by DennisG

Used the coal yesterday. started a fire, added coal the BANG had me a nice fire going. and it was a great fire, coked up nice and everything. you guys who live near pennsivania or w Virginia, or any of those other coal areas and get to use this coal all the time.....LUCKY Xxxxxxxx......!!!!!

Dennis

Yes, we are lucky xxxxxxxx, aren't we?....LOL (Insert evil laugh here)

I have a few pounds laying around out back myself.(Evil laugh again!)

Boy, that's a LOT of money for coal. My last lot was $129 a tonne!

rmcpb, the coal was $15USD for the 50lbs the rest was for shipping from Pennsylvania on the east coast USA all the way to northern Alberta in western Canada. But it is soooo good to work with.

A lot of the stuff you find at hardware stores and the like is anthricite, it is coal but is mainly used for heating not smithing...just something to whatch for.

welder19

I remember when I could get Pittsburgh #8 for $22.00 a ton. I reckoned it cost me about 4 cents a day.

Is Pittsburgh #8 good?
Gobbler

DennisG....that shipping seams exspensive,have you tried any of that Sparwood coal,its not to far from where you live.Best Regards Dave

Gobbler, I have no idea, but it would be good if others let us know what they use in coal and where it came from.

Kasper, I am not familiar with Sparwood, do you have any info on them?

Is Pittsburgh #8 good?

BP0051 Good Coal
Pocahontas Coal is broken down into 10 seams of Pocahontas coals, numbered #1 - #9 and Poca #3 rider. Pocahontas 3,5,6,9, and 3 Rider are the seams that have listed coal production.

It would depend on the analysis of the coal.

Map Showing Areal Extent of the Pittsburgh Coal Bed

DennisG.......I believe Sparwood is on the B.C Alberta border Kicking horse Hwy.I drove by the mine on a road trip to Drumheller.Steveh and i went halfers on a ton of coal from thak in Ontario and i believe its the pocahontis coal ,their 70# bags deliverd to Vancouver island just under fifty dollars Can ,very good coal and i bought anther ton of coal from our local mine over a ton as much as i could put in my truck $161. taxes in,that coal i burn in my forge daily and save the expensive coal for the special projects.Regards Dave

Sparwood is down by Crowsnest Pass and Fernie.

The IFI member Daryl uses metallurgic coal. I think he buys it bulk from B.C.

This is a good publication also. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs013-02/fs013-02.pdf