Ron Hicks Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I was looking in BP's and seen a few on starting a Coal Fire but havent found anything on Tending a Coal Fire. Im learning on my own and finding out the hard way. I found some good info. about tending the fire at The Fire I know I have a lot to learn & Im not going to without a good fire. How about some pointers on Tending a Coal Fire I can get it burnin but keeping it clean, hot,& making coke with out a ton of fines in the bottom is another story. Thank You Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chainsaw Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Ron, this may not be what you had in mind but in my opinion one key to good fire tending is a very good set of fire tending tools. I recommend you make yourself a really good of fire tending tools: shovel, watering can, fire rake, poker, flux spoon.. Best of the Bits volume 4 ( I think) which is derived from the Bituminous Bits from Alabhama Forge COuncil had some real good ideas along those lines. In the process of making the tools, tending the fire will progress per your needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I find it best to work from the sides of the fire. As it burns down, I pack fresh material in from each side and pile fresh coal on the outside. That way, it will coke slowly and be ready when it gets to the interior. This also allows a long bar to be laid in the "trough". In addition, I keep some coke to the side so I can cover up parts to be heated if the fire is a little hollow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_sandy_creek_forge Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Ron: Probably not something you'll be thrilled to hear, but A LOT depends on the firepot also. What works on my homemade 1" plate pot might not work on a firepot from centaur, might not work on the 55 Forge, and DEFINITELY would not work on the steel tubing/firebrick creation(see monstrosity) I used before I built my firepot. That being said... --Definitely yes to working in from the sides. I rarely if ever need to pile green coal on top, I just scrape in the half coked stuff from the sides and then move more WET green coal to the edges. I usually shoot for the cave type fire and just poke the long piece through the back, so the thinking on this is a little different from a trough type fire. --Another thing I do is occasionally dribble some water on the top of the fire as well as the regular amount around the edges. I find that cooling the top helps to keep the heat in the heart of the fire somewhat. (When you do this, keep the blower running slightly to avoid the smoke condensing back down through the tuyere and backfiring, or if you wanna give the old ticker a good checkout let it backfire:) ) And don't be afraid to build a big hearty fire. My biggest problem starting out was trying to work in a fire made up of a scoop and a half of coal. Once I realized a big piled up fire of about 5 scoops or more produced more heat with less air (and sometimes ultimately a lower volume of coal burnt up) my per-piece time improved dramatically, and coals relatively cheap anyways. I also have the problem of fines settling to the bottom. Fortunately the way my firepot is designed, it helps to keep a cone shape to the bottom of the fire and to keep the sides and corners of the firepot relatively cool (less burnout), so it is really not a PROBLEM, per se, for me. Again, this is what works for my style of forging and my firepot. Your Mileage May Vary. -Aaron @ the SCF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 This is my forge at home shop. I will agree that the trough works well. I also normally have a mound with coal surrounding pot. This means that air must come out front. Keep green coal to the left and back, coked to the right. fire tools are yes a must. I also might add that I learned a lot with Junior in his shop ( fire tending ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcraigl Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Ron, All good advice so far, and similar to what I do. I agree that a bit depends on the type/shape of your fire pot. Mine is fairly deep, and the cave seems to work well. I too feed the fire from the sides. I also tend to make a "coke bank" so that I always have some good coke in reserve. One thing you didn't mention is what is the consistency of the coal you're starting from. Mike-hr has some Lazzari coal that is really small peices with a LOT of fines in it. We get the fire going with coke left over from last time, then spend a bit of time making a slurry out of the fine coal, then packing it onthe sides of the fire. It forms beautiful coke, but has to be a mushy/pasty slurry to get decent size pieces of coke which are then no problem to work with. I too had a problem with be "stingy" with my coal and have finally learned MY FORGE. It likes a 5 gallon bucket of coal. In the end I'm pretty sure I burn less coal because that extra amount banked around the sides keeps the heat in and I get a lot hotter fire with much less air. It was nearly impossible to weld succesfully before I figured that out. Now I can build a welding fire in my forge pretty easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Hicks Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 This is the Coal I have 1/2 ton of ithttp://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/attachments/f11/1856d1172685968-oklahoma-coal-ok_coal1.jpg This is my Fire Pot a Champion Whirlwind 9 X 11 I end up with loads a tiny coke in the bottom of the pot. I dont think Im being stingy with the coal and would say I use about a 5 gal. bucket full at a time. When it cokes its a mass that needs breaking up.Ive been shoving a slice down the sides of the pot and prying to coke over in to the fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 That Whirlwind pot was designed for coke but will work with coal. Make sure the pot is filled with coke and the fire is not hollow. Pile up the coke about 4-5 inches above the upper surface of the pot. Make sure fresh coal is around the periphery. When the fire is a white lemon yellow, the blast can be turned back to keep that temp or something close to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbeard Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Hiya Ron Thanks for posting this. Im new to blacksmithing so any info comes in handy. I can use all the help I can get! Thanks BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chainsaw Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Hey Ron, I had another thought I forgot to add: go on a clinker hunt on a regular basis, it's amazing how fast clinkers can build up and really make fire management a challenge..I like a straight poker with a pretty good taper but some folks recommend a hooked poker for finding clinkers..Interestingly enough, finding clinkers before they get massive, takes some practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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