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I Forge Iron

Getting Bulk order of charcoal or coal?


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Hello all I'm in Northern Mn and I am wondering where I could get like 100 or more lbs of charcoal (not a semi-trailer) full though haha,
either that or does someone have quite a bit of coal or charcoal they would be willing to part with for reasonable prices? and if anyone knows off hand what would the Min. order be, the price of the orders and also delivery?

Juris Zelenko.

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In a rather odd discovery I once found out that the local roofing supply company stocked real charcoal for the oldtimers who used a charcoal fueled heater for their soldering coppers when doing high end copper work on roofs (had a friend who was such an old timer").

When we were smelting ore into wrought iron we used to buy it directly from the manufacturer in 40# sacks---but that was back in PA.

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I actually have been making my own charcoal but I am runnin out of fuel wood.. will it work with starting a fire inside of the drum, letting it get up to a nice heat/burn and then cap it off with the lid and a small hole in it? I have been letting it sit on top of a fire with the lid on it and a hole in the top to let the "coal gasses" to escape.. i go through a lot of burning scrap wood to make one barrel of decent maple charcoal.. I was just thinking if I could get like a whole bunch at once for a reasonable price it may out weigh the hassle of rounding up fallen trees and brush from the woods, although it is free haha

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You can burn the coal gases to heat further. This has the advantage of going out when no more gases are being generated. Flip your system over so the holes are on the bottom.

Google "charcoal retort" and you can see various methods that are used to yield higher returns.

If you happen to be in an area that has construction, you can ask job sites for 2x cutoffs.

Phil

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Yes the direct method will work; though you will need experience to get a good burn/char ratio.

The indirect method has the advantage is that you can burn up wood that won't make good charcoal to make the good charcoal and have a 100% conversion for the good stuff.

Nowadays I tend to just build a fire in my raised firepit and transfer over the hot coals as needed to the forge.

I alos sift the ashes from our wood stove to have a supply of pre-made stuff for special needs.

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You can burn the coal gases to heat further. This has the advantage of going out when no more gases are being generated. Flip your system over so the holes are on the bottom.

Google "charcoal retort" and you can see various methods that are used to yield higher returns.

If you happen to be in an area that has construction, you can ask job sites for 2x cutoffs.

Phil

Ok I'll try flipping the drum over and have a nice fire ha I thought about trying my hand at pipe bending and rigging up the pipes to direct the coal gasses back under the drum, I think just flipping the whole drum over would be a bit easier though..
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Yes the direct method will work; though you will need experience to get a good burn/char ratio.

The indirect method has the advantage is that you can burn up wood that won't make good charcoal to make the good charcoal and have a 100% conversion for the good stuff.

Nowadays I tend to just build a fire in my raised firepit and transfer over the hot coals as needed to the forge.

I alos sift the ashes from our wood stove to have a supply of pre-made stuff for special needs.

I myself have sifted my father's wood stove for charcoal as well, although it seems like it burns up faster than the stuff I make in the drum, is there a reason for this or am I just thinking it burns up faster?
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  • 3 weeks later...

A friend from Wisconsin years ago could buy bagged charcoal ( cooking charcoal) in that state. I do know that bagged 20 lb charcoal is available in Missouri. Here in Iowa you can buy small bags
( Cowboy, Kingsford or Royal Oak at mass stores ( Menards or Wal Mart ). I need several bags for Threshers coming up at the end of the month.

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I myself have sifted my father's wood stove for charcoal as well, although it seems like it burns up faster than the stuff I make in the drum, is there a reason for this or am I just thinking it burns up faster?


The stuff from the stove is likely over-charred, i.e., a substantial amount of the carbon has been burnt out. Direct charring in a fire is less controlled than a retort. The quality of charcoal that I used to get from just building a fire in my charcoal grill, then dousing it with water when I thought it was ready, was nowhere near as good as what I get from a top-lit drum, which probably isn't as good as what I'd get from a real retort.

Used pallets are an almost inexhaustible supply of wood and can usually be had for free, at least where I am.
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