rapidpounding Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Im new trying to get into blacksmithing and im trying to choose what fuel to use? please leave your opinion, and can you use charcoal? and also what is a cheap way to substitute for a anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Welcome to the site - first of all - you've found a site full of information.....for your answers, look in the forums under Forges, and Anvils - these questions have been covered many times, and only you can choose what's best for you, with your resources. - JK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 What fuel do you have available that is free or at little cost? Build a forge to use that fuel. Anything with a mass of 50-70 pounds or more will serve as an anvil. The heavier the better. Follow Jeremy's advice and spend some time reading the site. It is broken down by subject so it is easier to find the answers. We do suggest you pack a lunch and a cold drink before you go into the IForgeIron archive. (grin) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Welcome to IFI. Put in your profile a general location of where you are. This will/may direct other smiths in your area to help you. Enjoy your newest obsession, addiction, hobby, habit, passion. Mark <>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 To answer the OPs question, yes charcoal is a good forge fuel. Not charcoal briquets, however, they are a very poor forge fuel. Real charcoal made from wood, hard or soft is a great forge fuel and can be made at home with very simple equipment, or even no equipment at all, though production is less effecient that way. Use the search feature to find specific answers, then if the answers are unclear to you, start a thread. Specific queastions get better answers than general ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 GFS has lump charcoal year round, and corn burns very similar to coal. If you can get the wood for free or very little making charcoal is not very hard. You can even utilize construction waste. I find starting a handful of lump charcoal easier than anything else, then adding whatever fuel I am using (corn lately, although I have some coal) Phil Stu, interesting bit of history! You are full of interesting some days. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old N Rusty Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Corn? Would someone please explain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Corn kernels can be used as fuel for a forge. Lowe's has 3 different brands of lump charcoal in stock locally today starting at $1.00 per pound. The 10 pound sledge hammer was $2.00 per pound. The 3 pound cross peen hand hammer was so far out of balance, it was not something you would want to use to forge with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Shell corn, whole dry kernels used for animal feed and stove fuel, coke up rather similar to coal. It does have 1/2 the heat value pound for pound as coal or charcoal. It also does not produce green smoke, instead it smells like burnt popcorn. It does occasionally pop, which provides some amusement (it doesn't fly anywhere) Charcoal seems like you use a lot, because it is very light in density. Pound for pound coal and charcoal have similar heating values. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 I'm cheap! So when I want to use charcoal I generally build a scrap wood fire in a raised firepit and then transfer out the coals with a shovel I made of gravel screen so that I can give it a shake and all the ash drops out leaving only the hot coals to transfer to the forge. Remember that charcoal was the only fuel used for the first thousand years or so, coal only starting to be used by smiths in the late high middle ages (Gies & Gies, "Cathedral Forge and Waterwheel") Propane is a clean fuel easily found but the forge is more expensive to build and most are not designed to weld in---those that are are welding hogs and will easily do massive amounts of welding. Coal is what most folks consider the "classical forge fuel". It varies HUGELY in quality and ease of use and I have had a student come over to forge who spent his entire time just trying to get a good fire going. (of course if he would listen to what I told him it would have been much faster and easier...!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rapidpounding Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 thankyou everyone for responding and for all the information i am excited for this hobbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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