Forge lighting

[lakeside forge]

Well got out to the forge last night to make some hooks and things to sell. I tried a new technique for lighting my forge. I have about 100lbs of coke and it is a pain to light. So here is what I did. I got my news paper and light it on fire, then put about 6 5"X5" cardboard squares and put them on top. Then I got REAL lump charcoal and put it on the cardboard and got that light. Let the charcoal get burnin' well and add the coke on top. Wait about 2min and it should be ready. This technique was taught to me by stuartsmith right here in IFI.
If any other people have ways of lighting coke please tell all of us, so we can learn for the better!
Thanks,
Steven

[Alec.S]

paper and kindling. simple as that. works every time if you do it right.

[pkrankow]

I like lump charcoal and a plumber's torch. Then add whatever fuel you plan on using.

Phil

[freeman]

Pine cones are also brilliant for kindling. Found that out after someone on here mentioned using them and I figured what they hey, and gave it a shot. Doesn't hurt that I've got several massive pine trees in front of the shop.

[pike3e]

30 seconds with a weed burning torch works well too.

[Larry H]

I use only coke , I start with cardboard, then small wood that will light 1" to 1 1/2" x 3" wood chunks, dump a 5 gal pail of coke on top of it crank up the air and leave it alone 5-15 mins,...depending on the size of the coke,.....I'm going to try the charcoal, it seems easier than all that wood chopping, thanks Stu

[Francis Trez Cole]

news paper pine cone and a weed burner. That is the method I use.

[Frosty]

I usually cut a strip of cardboard around 2" wide and a couple feet long. I coil it up, place it over the air grate and let it spring open a little, then I pile coal around it to hold it in position and get fancy. By fancy I mean pickier about how I place the coal, I put 3/4"- around the coil and on it leaving an inch or so open at the center. Then I pile the majority of a 5gl bucket around the lil' pile. This makes a good sized volcano like cone over the air grate which I seal off with wetted fines packed around the coarser coal.

Then I drop one or two lit wood matches into the coil and give the blower a gentle turn to keep them going, when the coil starts burning I cover it completely with the 3/4"- and crank a little harder to get exposed flame in the center of the crater to eat the smoke. Once it flames up I fill the crater with the 3/4- and keep up with the blower till the entire pile is done smoking and gets soft. Then I turn the pile over to finish.

When done I rake most away from the grate and extinguish, leaving the size fire I need over the grate.

This takes a lot longer to write than do. The cardboard coil makes like a blow torch shooting fire into and through the 3/4- and gets things moving darned quickly. The fire is typically ready to go to work in about 15 mins, 20 for it to clean up for welding.

That's just me though, we don't have decent sized pine cones here abouts.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Rich Hale]

Not to get in the way of this thread. Frosty this will not let me send you a msg..Can you send me and email at rjhale@ix.netcom.com ? Thanks!

[David Einhorn]

Another way to light coal or coke is a charcoal chimney from barbeque section of your local big box store. You can even make one yourself. It is basically a metal tube with holes on the sides. You put newspaper in the bottom, and your coke, coal and or charcoal on top, then light the newspaper.

[archiphile]

I use the shavings from my hand planes. It just works...every time with out fail for me.

[SReynolds]

I use the coke, it is there from the last fire and light that with one of them fire starters (compressed saw dust and candel wax)and then a few pieces of scrap wood. I never had the patience to wadd up news print and hope that catches the coke on fire. That was how I was tought by a master blacksmith. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Old news print is free, but time is money and I don't enjoy wadding that up when I can strike a match to the fire starter.


There are some ideas on Youtube that are entertaining if nothing more. One method involes the news print and kindling, then adding clinkers. Yeah, clinkers. I guess they are supposed to light easier than coke or coal.

[JamesG]

I use charcoal and wood chucks, I take three pieces of full sheets of news papers and roll the edges into a circle. Then light the bottom then place it the forge. Add charcoal and wood. Then some air until it going good then i pile the wood and charcoal on. ,If the charcaol damp I drizzle a little used vegtable oil on the paper for a little extra help.

[forgemaster]

Cotton waste with oil, or newspaper and the dead twigs from an aniseed bush, which we have stacks of growing out the back of our workshop. Or newspaper and chop up some kindling, but it pays to light it then leave it alone. If you stuff with it it will normally all collapse and go out.

[rockstar.esq]

This weekend I was very fortunate to have a neighbor who welded up some plates for me to make a fire pot. My previous pot was a brake drum and the difference is impressive. My new fire pot is square around the edge tapering like a pyramid pointed down. The center has a 1-1/2" black pipe nipple that's has a pipe cap on it with a 1-1/8" hole in the middle. I laid out the pot so there would be a 6" deep bed of coals to the rim. Yesterday was my first fire in the new pot and even lighting it went better! I think the funnel shape of the pot helps tremendously because the fire "self consolidates" as the kindling burns up, the tapered sides bring the coal into the heart of the fire. With the square bottom of a brake drum, I found that my fire was more pancake shaped. Once the kindling burned up, the fire would sometimes collapse and choke itself. It took much longer to get it started and it took a lot more effort to get it shaped so I could actually get the metal hot.

I will say in hindsight that cutting and welding the 1/2" plate that I had scrounged was very likely more expensive than buying a new made fire pot. Again, I'm very grateful to my neighbor for all of his help.