Coal, Coke Pros and Cons

[dickb]

I'm lucky enough to live in an area whre I can buy Anthracite, Bituminous or Coke within about an hour's drive, near Spring Valley, NY.

I'm pretty new to blacksmithing and from my limited experience I learned that bituminous smokes and smells and anthracite doesn't. That wasn't hard to figure out.

I'm using pea size anthracite now.

I'm interested in learning about the pros and cons of anthracite, bituminous and/or coke in pea and/or nut size.

I'd like to mention that following instructions posted here on Iforgeiron, I have never had a single problem starting a coal fire in the forge. I did have to use two matches once, but that was because a draft blew the first one out.

Thanks

[Mark Aspery]

I like to use coke as my fuel source as it requires very little fire management and burns smokeless. It is hard to start without wood kindling. It will also go out quite quickly if not tended. But clean and hot......

As far as coal goes.
There are grades to each type of coal, anthracite and bituminous.
I find that the anthracite doesn't coke very well and burns with a hot flame - out of the fire. By that I mean there tends to be a large flame above the fire.
That said, I have used Anthracite in a rice size and had very little flame.

Bituminous will form coke and you should ask for the 'coke button index' or the 'free swelling index' - (two names for the same thing). This will tell you the ability of the coal to form coke.

Whichever fuel source you select, it needs to be a 'metallurgical' grade with low Sulphur and phosphorous. Both of these chemicals affect the steel adversely.

[ThomasPowers]

A lot of it tends to do with what you are trying to do, perhaps you forgot to mention that?