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I Forge Iron

Horse Manure as Fuel?


David Einhorn

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.....I would think a hog, dog, or re-tired out house dung would be hotter by quite a bit.


1. horse manure smells a lot better than your choice of poop.
2. horse manure tends to be a better fertilizer than hog, dog or human poop. So wouldn't that mean that it has better calorie content?

Wouldn't you prefer to use nice smelling poop rather than nasty smelling poop? I know I would. :D
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..However in a forge you are wanting the cellulose content *not* the nitrogen content and so you don't want the "hotter" fertilizers but the more grassy ones...


That makes sense, after all what we are burning is the carbon, so the higher the carbon and the lower the protein derived by-products the likely it is to be better for burning in a forge. :D

Do you have any thoughts about the likely main ingredient(s) in the binders they use to make pelletized fuel? It might be a good idea to try a binder to turn the dried poo into bricketts.
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Three sources that cite using corn starch as a binder for charcoal briquettes:

Charcoal - 100% Natural Hardwood brought to you by Laralee Distributors
Charcoal briquettes bound with an organic binder and a water-swellable clay and method - Patent 5221290
How to Make Charcoal Briquettes | eHow.com

Corn starch looks like it costs about two bucks for one container on froogle.com. I can't imagine it would be too much more expensive at a supermarket, but if you plan on making lots of this stuff, here's a site I found (through froogle as well) that will apparently sell you fifty pounds for $32.

Are you going to start with a small batch? And is there any way I could ask for pictures without sounding like a creep? ;)

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.......Are you going to start with a small batch? And is there any way I could ask for pictures without sounding like a creep? ;)


At the moment I am pretty much overwhelmed with other projects, such as building the reproduction traveling forge shown as my Avatar, fences that need repairs, work, etc. but when I get around to acquiring horse poo for my wife's garden, it is definitely something worth trying. After all, free fuel is free fuel, and around here people seem really anxious to give away their horse poo. When I do try it, I plan on posting photographs. :D
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Seriously, I'm going to try forging with hickory nuts soon. I've thrown a few into the mix with coal and they do burn... just not sure how they'll do on there own. The yard between my house and shop is like walking on golf balls. We usually just rake 'em up and dump them in the woods.

For those with a more exoctic preference in their animal dungs, I am willing to ship large loads of Scottish Highlander poo anywhere in the continental US for a modest collection fee plus shipping and handling.
We have plenty available, and they are making more as we speak.

Don

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Edited by Don A
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  • 3 weeks later...
Seriously, I'm going to try forging with hickory nuts soon. I've thrown a few into the mix with coal and they do burn... just not sure how they'll do on there own. The yard between my house and shop is like walking on golf balls. We usually just rake 'em up and dump them in the woods.

For those with a more exoctic preference in their animal dungs, I am willing to ship large loads of Scottish Highlander poo anywhere in the continental US for a modest collection fee plus shipping and handling.
We have plenty available, and they are making more as we speak.

Don


lol my folks raise scottish highlands i love those cows and good eatin too:D
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