Hey guys, I'm wondering exactly why it's a bad idea to use charcoal briquettes in my forge. I've heard that it puts off some harmful fumes but does it do anything detrimental to the steel itself.
I've used it before and it has some cons. It burns up super fast, and it's expensive. If anyone has any other points let me know. Thanks guys.

Hey guys, I'm wondering exactly why it's a bad idea to use charcoal briquettes in my forge. I've heard that it puts off some harmful fumes but does it do anything detrimental to the steel itself.
I've used it before and it has some cons. It burns up super fast, and it's expensive. If anyone has any other points let me know. Thanks guys.

I've never tried using them to forge, but from what I have been told is that they simply don't get hot enough.

When they make briquettes they grind up the charcoal, mix it with dirt and compress it into the briquettes. I believe this is to control ho fast they burn. So basically you are buying dirt. If you want to buy charcoal you need to get cowboy or lump charcoal.
I make my own but live in a rural area where the smoke doesnt bother my neighboors

It will get hot enough to forge in but the darn stuff burns up so quick it's not very efficient. Thanks 781, I've heard of cowboy being sold at Lowe's but does it come in a bag larger than seven pounds?

What's the process of making charcoal. I've heard of it being done but are there any blueprints on doing it or is it just trial and error? It seems to me that there would be a lot of variables in the process

walmart sells 10lb sacks of lump charcoal for 6-7dollars

What's the process of making charcoal. I've heard of it being done but are there any blueprints on doing it or is it just trial and error? It seems to me that there would be a lot of variables in the process

Have a look here this is the easy modern way http://www.twinoaksforge.com/BLADSMITHING/MAKING%20CHARCOAL.htm

another issue with briquettes is their size makes for lots of direct O2 access to the steel not so good if you want to weld or bladesmith.

Rehder mentions in "The Mastery and Uses of Fire in Antiquity" that in a bloomery furnace the reducing part is about 13 times the average fuel size above the tuyere; so if you want to be sure of having a reducing atmosphere for forging think of the pile of briquettes you would need.

The real lump charcoal may be found in larger bags in BBQ specialty stores. I have seen 20 lb bags for 12.99 at BBQ's Galore. But, at Smart and Final, they have the 40 lb bags for 14.99. I figured this out by seeing one of the bags at a restaurant grill and asking them where they bought it. Unfortunately, this charcoal has a lot of fleas.

Briquette charcoal works, but it is chunky (needs a lot of depth) and inconvenient. It has a lot of inactive junk and it smells funny. I did use it to anneal some railroad steel. It produces a lot of ash, so it is good for this purpose. It would be better if it were free. A lot of my friends don't like mesquite flavor, so they dislike food grilled over the lump charcoal, preferring the briquettes instead.

There are two or more ways to make charcoal
I just fill a 55 gal barrel with no top about 1 foot overflowing with 2X4 6 8 ect
I have four 2 inch holes in the barrel sides aboout 1 inch from the bottom. I have steel plugs that fit these holes.
I light the wood from the bottom and after it has burned for an hour or more depending on wind velocity I plug the bottom holes and cover the barrel. It is time to cover when you grab a piece of burning wood with tongs and it breaks. If it is still solid you need more burn time. If you have some of these pieces from one burn add them near the end of the next burn. When the fire is out and cool I break up the charcoal and start the next batch.

Another type burn is to capture the smoke route it to the flame to roast the wood. Probably called a retort (SP) burner.

A lot of the briquettes use sawdust as a filler and some have chemicles added to make them easier to start.

My biggest probelm with briquettes was the ash piled up so quickly it prevented good airflow. I use a brake drum forge, so a better forge design might not have as big a problem with them.

Mark