glilley Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 I only fire my forge up 1-2 time a week for a couple of hours. When done each session I pull everything out of the firepot except for small amount of coal dust/fines. Every 2 weeks or so I find myself with a large amount of dust and fines (under 1/4" in diameter) built up on the hearth around the perimeter of the firepot that I shovel it out and dump it while trying to pull out the larger pieces of coal/coke from each shovel full. Most books/articles I have read usually generically state "clean out your firepot" or "keep your forge clean" or "after cleaning out your firepot", but are rather short on specifics? Am I being over zealous in my clean up and wasting fuel or is this about right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Keeping your firepot clean also means that it will not rust out as soon. Leaving coal and/or coal-dust in your iron firepot or iron/steel forge can result in it rusting out. I sort of remember something about moisture on the coal and/or coal dust forming an acid that can eat your firepot and whatever parts of the forge it contacts. I am sure the experts on this will clarify whether this is a myth or reality. Whenever I use my portable equipment I thoroughly clean out the coal and coal dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 My two cents....... I also only get a couple three days a week on my forge. When I am done each day I scoop out the coal/coke starting with the larger pieces on the top then I "shave" off layers as I work down to the bottom where I will find the clinker(s). This is the time I pull the clinker(s) out and put in a separate pile to cool leaving the remains to be pushed down the opening to be dropped into metal holder. The next time I am at my forge I sweep any left over dust and very small pieces out and start a new fire. Now, my fire pot is made from 3/8" plate steel, and I use coal pieces not a coal slurry for my fire. My forge is also only a few months old, the one thing I have noticed is that it is getting a layer "baked" on the inside and if I want it off I have to give it a good scrape to remove it. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 I too empty my fire pot at the end of the day. Keeping your fire clean refers to clinkers seeing that they robb heat from your fire. my oldest fire pot is 10 years old I welded it together form 1/4" plate. It still works well with very little rust. The forge is a tool and I take care of my tools and they will take care of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glilley Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 Thanks to all for your responses! I guess I did not ask my question correctly: I too clean my firepot out completely at the end of every session but because I haul everything out at once and spread it out to cool I end up with a large pile of coal/coke/fines around the firepot on the hearth. I try and save/reuse all the stuff bigger than 1/4" but its the pile of fines on the hearth that's the issue. Do all of you clean up so that you start with a clean hearth too or do you just ensure that the firepot is clean and house-keep the hearth when it is in danger of burying you (har har!). Which sort of begs another question: what can one do with fines? Would be nice if you could mix them up in a slurry and pour into a mold and - presto! - coal briquettes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 As for sifting the "fines" out of the coal, I have to do this pretty frequently. The coal that I buy has a lot of dust and fines in it. I use a peice of 3/8" hardware cloth about 3' by 3'. I just go out in the driveway, (Gravel Drive), and lay the hardware cloth out. Then, the coal that I have scooped out of the fire pot is poured onto the hardware cloth. I pick it up, shake it around a little and pour the remains in another bucket. That part goes back in the forge. The dust and real small fines are cinders in the driveway. That works pretty well for me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thingmaker3 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 If anyone near Potland Oregon follows this same procedure, plase contact me. I'll be happy to take those nasty fines off your hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glilley Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 If anyone near Potland Oregon follows this same procedure, plase contact me. I'll be happy to take those nasty fines off your hands. ----- What do you do with them?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 I have read numerous times to take the fines and moisten/wet them then pack on top of the fire forming a beehive shell. Will the fines clump and stay clumped after wetting if not heated? If heated do the fines turn into a larger piece of coke than the fines you started with (clumping)? What other uses are there for fines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blakksmyth Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 When I do my daily clean and get down to the fines I use an industrial size pasta sieve with 2mm wide mesh. Scoop all the fines in and give it a shake, pick out small clinker and tip the remaining fine coke onto a piece of newspaper, roll it into a ball and place it on the next days fire with a bit of wood to get it up and running. Works a treat. Our coke prices have gone from $25 a bag to $34 in one hit so you can't waist the small stuff. Cheers, Rob K Secretary Artist Blacksmiths Association South Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glilley Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 That's what I'm gonna start doing. Have a 1/4" sheller screen up in the barn and I'll pour my load of fines through that, keep in a pile good stuff that sticks and put the dust into newspaper to start next fire with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Never had to worry about that, but I always kept my coal wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Clad Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 This all seems like a lot of fuss to me. I clean out my fire pot after every use, but I shovel everything to the side of the firepot resting on the forge. Before I build the next fire I pick out the clinker and everything else goes back into the firepot. Never had a problem and I weld a lot. I built my forge about 10 years ago using a Centaur forge fire pot and it's holding up well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I don't sift the fines out every time that I forge. It's just that after awhile I really build up a large pile of them. I sft that and start over. The fines build up rather quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I spreaad my fire at the end and sprinkle with water to put it out. It dries in no time. Before starting next time I dig around in the fire pot and dump the fine ash then start the fire. My coal has lots of fines in it but I use it moist and they just burn off causing no problems. Every now and then I empty the water out of the coal bucket and make lumps/cakes of fines which I stack around the fire so they just burn away. It may depend on your type of coal though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avadon Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I dose a good bit of my coal forge with the shower setting on the hose, then let the residual heat dry it out. I don't know if it's because the way I made my brake drum forge, but I hardly ever clean it out and it hardly ever gets clogged. Though I only use wood and blacksmithing coal from Aubuchon hardware (yah it's dirt cheap). My brake drum has a plate in the bottom of it with about 8 holes in it and then I welded up a thick grate that sits ontop of the plate. The grate has some feet so it actually allows all the air coming up through the plate to circulate under all the coals. I never really find the need to clean it out much unless i'm burning up some pallettes that have nails in them or some such thing. Now yall made me worried about cleaning it out more. But in the past cleaning and not cleaning seemed to produce the same result lol :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Thanks to all for your responses! I guess I did not ask my question correctly: .................... but its the pile of fines on the hearth that's the issue. Do all of you clean up so that you start with a clean hearth too or do you just ensure that the firepot is clean and house-keep the hearth when it is in danger of burying you (har har!)......................... Which sort of begs another question: what can one do with fines? Would be nice if you could mix them up in a slurry and pour into a mold and - presto! - coal briquettes! yes I do sweep off my forge of any fines / dust / dirt ect. but that is after I stack the coke I made the day before. as for the fines that are "clean" and any that are sifted from my ture bottom I keep in a 5gal pail along with any coal dust and coke dust ( from breaking up my industrial coke ), I have about 2 gal worth, and one day I will mix with water and add on my fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 My 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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