double_edge2 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 howdy all:rolleyes:.....how much do you pay for your fuel, and or how much time do you invest in making, ie, charcoal? and how much do you use in a day if time permits a day(for hobby), and commercial. just out of interest if its an interesting enough topic for the forum. here in brisbane, its costs me, $25-$30 a bag for charcoal. it costs about $100 for a 44 gal drum of coal if they con you to be a member of somewhere or something i got told. it costs about $25-$30 to fill a 9kg gas bottle. i use very little gas in the gassy but when the big ones finnished i will pass it on. i can use up to nearly a bag doing big steel all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Just bought a half a ton of soft coal yesterday, near Lancaster, PA, USA. It's running $225 per ton. About twice what it was two years ago. That price was loose, just dumped in your truck. They also had it in 50 pound bags for $8.00 per bag. So that would be $320 bagged or an aditional $95 for bagging. I bagged a half ton today in an hour and a half. Propane cost about $18 for a 20 pound tank to be refilled, not exchanging tanks. Ususally I use a 5 gallon buck of coal a day or if doing a lot of forge welding a bucket and a half. I have used charcoal, but don't like it much. Too much sparking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd&mlteach Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Randy, that sound a lot like Country Meadows or whatever they call it now. I get my coal there for the same price. They said the price will go up the next time they get it trucked in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlarkin Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Here in Calif., I pay $29.00 for a 50lb bag of Elkhorn coal. And I have to drive 50 miles one way to get it. Don't have a gasser, yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urnesBeast Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Pretty sure I was buying coal for $0.18 a pound, bag it yourself. I found a guy on Craig's list selling used 5 gallon buckets for $1 a piece with lids. That is cheaper that bagged coal on the first use! Easy to haul and store. This is for the good smithing coal, I forget the name of it. Get it from William's just south of Boston. (I think that is the name of it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 My two cents...... I now get mine from Home Hardware in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. It is from Thak in Ont and from what I have read they get it from Pennsylvania. It is a 70lb bag for 63$ + tax. Very nice to use. DennisG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pac Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Can't make charcoal at home, but the couple times I have made it at my wife's uncles lot it takes a few hours to fill three or four ten pound bags. Doesn't include the 90 minute drive there or cleaning the charcoal... 10lb bag of charwood or royal oak ~$5.50 each 50lb bag of coal $50-60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Russell Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 G'Day all , am gettin' 1/2 tonne / 500 kg's / 1200 ( approx ) lbs of coke for $ 200 AUD or $ 20 a 45 kg bag , is another place closer , but his cokes . 1 , too BIG , 2 , $ 30 a 45 kg bag & you ave ta bag your own .. Dale Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocko 58 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 I'M with Dale THE same price same supplier, the other bloke is $25 a 40 kg bag and says it's now smaller in size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecelticforge Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 I get mine from Bluefield WV. It is at $70 USD a ton now. There is a place in Jasper GA that is selling it at $28 USD per 50lb bag. That is $1128 UDS a ton. The WV coal is Poco # 3 and well worth the drive there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBrann Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 I am at 8.97+tax USD for 40 lb bag.. at Aubuchons Hardware store. This chain is limited to the Northeast I guess, it is labeled blacksmith coal... from the Blashak coal company. That works out to be around 450 USD per short ton .... cokes nice... not too many fines... me likey!! better than the heating anthracite I had before.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rokshasa Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 i pay an insane 700$ a tone , thats 40 50lbs bags of pocahontas # 3 + i have to pick it up but if i want it thats what i have to pay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 i pay around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratel10mm Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) Coke seems hard to get hold of in this part of Oz (So far, anyway). The nearest supplier I know of charges $200 for a 44gallon drum (Sacks just rot in no time here, so the extra cost of the drums is worth it.). As Double Edge2 says, you can get it cheaper by joining the local farriers association and chipping in for the shipment, although you then have to get it home yourself - i.e buy your own drums or whatever. Edited September 7, 2009 by Ratel10mm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I use coke. I get it in biggish lumps and crush it myself into about 15 to 20 mm pieces. It is free as the school furnaces use the same stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I buy coal direct from the mine and last time (6 months ago) it was $129 a tonne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Yup, it was Country Meadows. Used to be at Nolt's Mill, but they went out of business and Country Meadows bought them out. So now it's right on Rt. 340. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 This is really dated but I'll post it anyway for comparison...a friend and I bought 5 tons in 1986 (I gave him a ton and kept the rest) - I am still working off that with maybe 1000 lbs left. However, it's fortunate that I started using propane several years ago as that cut my coal usage considerably. Nobody probably wants to hear that it was $35 a ton at the mine back then. We drove to nearest town (Stigler), stayed the night then went to the mine early the next morning and had the coal bagged by lunch, then showered and drove home. With the gas, food and a night's stay on the 2-day round trip to Oklahoma, we got it back here for about $6 per 100 lbs. The prices people are posting here are pretty scary, hope I don't need any for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 here in fl it is avable $35.00 FOR A 100# BAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-ski Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 For some time now, the Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland has been buying bulk coal for the membership, the blacksmith school and for the Carroll County Farm Museum's Historic Forge. For the last couple of years we have been getting SEWAL VEIN coal from West Virginia. (Best coal I have ever used) The draw back is that they will only sell by the semi load. The last delivery was 26 tons and we had to bag it by hand. We are experimenting with MOSHANNON coal from Madera Enterprises in Clearfield PA. They are offering the coal at $180 a ton, loose at their location; $200 a ton, loose, delivered to Westminster, MD; $220 a ton, bagged, delivered to Westminster. We sell the bagged coal to Guild members for $7 per 50 pounds and $10 per 50 pounds to non-members. Initial tests of the MOSHANNON coal show it to be a very good blacksmithing coal, almost as good as SEWAL. The Guild has decided to go ahead with an initial purchase of 7 tons of bagged coal to do more extensive evaluation. Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double_edge2 Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 awesome response, thanks to all for the info. nice share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argetlam Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 I just looked on craigslist (Nashville TN.) and found some dude selling metallurgical coal in 100lb sacks for $20 a piece!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
781 Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 I make my own charcoal out of 2 X construction scrap. I make 3 55 gal barrels at a burn. takes 1/2 hour to fill the barrels 1 to 1 1/2 hour to burn but I can be doing other things than watch it. Yield is 40 to 50 % by volume Made 2 pick up loads last fall. I have to but a handfull or two every heat when forging but a 30 gal bag last a day or two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 G'Day, I get my coke from a coke works about an hours drive from home. They currently sell it for AU $255 plus GST (10% tax) per tonne, you can get a truck load, a ute load or even by the bag (fill your own). My ute was playing up last time so I took the family 4x4 and got about 250kgs for about $75 Ian Ross Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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