ATLPilgrim Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 So I've been registered here for a couple of days now, soaking up all the info I can on this amazing craft, and I think I'm ready to start asking some questions (after doing a search first, obviously). I think for my first forge I'm going to be going the "old grill" route (so if there are any good blueprints on one, if nothing else so I can see pictures, please let me know) but operating on a low budget right now I don't think I can really afford coal especially with the lack of experience I have. To me that sounds like burning away money. There are no associations around here (anymore ) and no colleges offer courses that I've found but I have an absolute abundance of oak and pine (though something tells me the pine pitch will be something to stay away from?). I know the basic deal is light fire, burn wood, and transfer to forge. What I don't understand are things like, do the chunks of wood need to be about a similar size to the charcoal I want going into the forge or bigger since some will be burned off? Dees it really matter if the wood is completely seasoned beforehand since it's getting burned anyway? Any help on the topic would be awesome guys, thanks so much for being such an awesome community. My blacksmithing questions begin :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Well, that's one way to make charcoal. Probably the simplest if you don't mind the smoke, the extra heat, the extra work of tending a second fire, etc. Charcoal breaks up pretty easily (and tends to fall apart on its own as it burns, thus the bed of coals at the bottom of a good campfire), so I wouldn't worry about making the wood chunks too small ahead of time. Of course smaller cross-sections burn/char faster, and you need to be able to char wood fast enough to keep your forge supplied with fresh charcoal. Charcoal burns pretty fast. But I'm afraid I can't offer you a good rule of thumb on starting size. Thomas probably can. By the same token, if the wood is dry enough to burn, that's all you absolutely need. But the wetter it is the more time and heat you'll have to waste getting it ready to go into the forge. So well seasoned wood would certainly be more efficient. The pine pitch will burn off during the charring process, so it shouldn't pose any problem in the forge (although the smoke from your feeder fire might be a different matter). Pine does tend to be less dense than hardwood, so it'll provide fewer BTUs per unit of volume of charcoal, compared to oak. But it'll work. I believe the Japanese traditionally use pine charcoal for swordsmithing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Anybody burn a slash pile near you that you could sieve the charcoal out of? Charcoal is pretty easy to break up after charred so I usually just burn the wood and transfer the coals "live"---I built a shovel from rock screen so I can sift out the ashes and small bits before moving the rest to the forge. I also sieve the ashes from my woodstove all winter to provide charcoal for use in the spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLPilgrim Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Ok, see I have a firepit very near where my forge will be and I burn slash and do bonfires quite often, but I've never really thought to just take them from under the ash because I was under the impression that when you let the fire die down all the charcoal simply burns away? Is there a way to stop this? Also, when starting up your forge every morning (or whenever) what's the best and most practical way to do so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 The charcoal at the bottom of the fire pit will tend to burn up if it's exposed to oxygen, but if it's covered by a layer of ash that can cut off the O2 and preserve some of it. One way to make your campfires much more productive, charcoal-wise, is to get a good bed of coals, then smother it with water or dirt. Of course then you need to dry and/or clean your charcoal. I tried this method when I started out. Didn't like it much. It was a lot of extra hassle. Dry charcoal lights pretty easily. A few sheets of newspaper and a charcoal starter chimney, like they sell for charcoal grills, is a great solution. Of course you can make your own chimney out of a couple metal coffee cans (if anyone is still packing coffee in metal cans). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 ide rethink the cost of a bag of coal... there has to be somwhere nearby to get coal after all i get my coke from L brand coal and coke out of Georgia...and ime in Arizona!i find it easyier to use than charcoal it lasts longer and dosnt burn the same ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLPilgrim Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 How much do you pay if you don't mind me asking and directing me there because...well...I live in Georgia so that may be a viable option lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elemental Metal Creations Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I make my own charcoal. I have a fire pit about a foot and a half deep that I build a good fire in and when it has been burning good for about an hour I fill the pit with chunks of wood and cover it with tin. Seal around the edges with dirt or mud until there is almost no smoke excaping. Open up in about 2 days and you should have a bunch of charcoal. Don't get in a hurry to open it up, one time I uncovered the pit the next day and was going to bag up the charcoal later, when I came back about 20 lb's of fuel for my forge had burned up.The top was cool but there was enough heat in the middle to burn when the air got to it.:-( I have also seen a good video on charcoal making on youtube, he used a 55gal. barrel with a removable lid . I haven't tried it yet, I need to find the right barrel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I make charcoal in a 55 gallon steel drum with a few holes poked in the sides at the bottom of the drum. (Again, though, the holes aren't in the bottom of the drum -- they're in the sides of the drum at the bottom.) I use scrap pallets as feedstock, cut up so that they'll pack nicely. Fill the drum with wood (with a little room for air and heat to circulate among the pieces), light a fire on top of the wood, let it burn down toward the bottom of the drum, and add more wood as the contents settle. When the air holes at the bottom of the drum start to glow orange -- meaning the fire has gotten near the bottom of the drum -- top off the drum with fresh wood, put the lid on, weigh it down with a couple firebricks, and plug the air holes with mud/clay. Wait 24 hours or so. Remove charcoal. Some experimentation is required. Note: when I say "a few holes" around the bottom of the drum, I mean a few decent sized holes -- 1" or so in diameter. They have to admit enough air to feed a decent sized fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pike3e Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I have seen a bladesmith, Tia Goo, use charcoal with a hand blower and add fist sized cunks of wood, I believe construction scrap, around the edge of the fire. The heat from the burning charcoal starts turning the wood to charcoal as it is moved closer to the center and new wood is added to the edges. Very similar to how coal is turned to coke in a forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Hello There are still some guilds in GA Here is a great one I was part of for a long time http://www.alexbealer.org/index.php They meet the 17 of this month. Here is a second guild that is also in Ga http://www.ocmulgeeblacksmiths.org/index.shtml They had there monthly meeting the first Saturday of the month. I would guess they will have one next month just like always. And as for class I highly recommend traveling to John C Campbell folk school. They have many blacksmithing class's, pretty much every week and weekend. They are located just across the GA NC border. I believe a good beginners class there will do better for anyone than just messing around by yourself for a month or two while just starting out. Here is a link there https://www.folkschool.org/ And if you are really serious about taking college class's I attend The American College of the Building Arts. My major is blacksmithing. http://www.buildingartscollege.us/ Ill be back in Ga for the holidays. If your not to far away send me a message. Maybe I can have you out to my shop Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 How much do you pay if you don't mind me asking and directing me there because...well...I live in Georgia so that may be a viable option lol last time it was around 700$ for a ton delevered to my shop bagged and paletized ... it lasts me around 2 years .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
781 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I also make my own in 55 gal barrals. I have 4 1 1/2" holes in the side of the barrel near the bottom. I use 2 X ? scrap wood. If I have 4 X I dont put 1" and 4" thick material in the same barrel as the thin stuff will burn up before the larger is done in the middle. I do use 2 X 4 and 2X 10 in the same barrel.. fill the barrel with wood, I like to have a foot or so sticking out, light it from the bottom holes let burn for an hour to hour and half till the burning coals break if you grab them with tongs.plug the bottom holes cover the top and wait till the next day to dump out The yeild is about 40 to 60% of what you put in by volume. I dont care if it is soft or hard wood If I used pallets after the charcoal is done and cold I use a large magnet to take out the nails this breaks the coal into smaller pieces. The problem with charcoal is you use a lot. At least a handfull or more every heat. It is BTUs per # so basically 100#s of coal takes 100#s of charcoal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.