I recently visited a NATIONAL Historic Site which contained coke ovens and iron production (blast furnace and roller mill) I read up on this site prior to my visit.

http://www.leetonia.org/cokeovens.asp

I was suprised to read that they mined hard coal and converted this to coke. It is advertised they do this in a similar manner employed by a blacksmith converting coal to coke. Upon reaching the site, it too advertises they mined hard coal and converted this to coke. It was very high quality hard coal (in Ohio!!!??) and made the most excellent quality coke at 95% purity. (As you all know, Ohio has some of the WORST quality coal)

At any rate, I asked the "guy" there at thos site about how they transformes hard coal to coke and he explained it to me.........which I already knew, then asked him "how" they get coke from HARD coal??? He just works there and insited he isn't a chemist.

They also refer to the mined coal as "ore" They dump the "ore" into the top of the ovens. Ore?

I informed him that I have used hard coal and it does not transform into coke. Also explaining that I am a blacksmith and blacksmith do not transform hard coal into coke.

What the heck give here, guys??? Can they be THAT wrong, or am I off my rocker here? This ranks right up there with John Deere (John Deere for Pete's sake) selling a hammer to the public as a commemorative blacksmith hammer to honor the company's 150th anniversary. But it wasn't a blacksmith hammer at all!!!! (you all know John Deere was a blacksmith, right?)

Anyone out there using hard coal on a regular basis and converting it to coke??

As a blacksmithing making Coke we top or bank our fires with green coal to burn off the impurities (that brown or green smoke) and what you are left with is a simple form of coke. I do not just burn to make coke. In ovens they burn off the impurities as well and what you are left with coke free from impurities tars, sulfur and such. As for the quality of coal in Ohio I can not speak of I read that they blend the types of coal to get a good burn. Maybe all the good coal in Ohio was converted to coke and why they are no longer making it.

Might be a disconnect in "hard" bituminous coal rather than earthy or friable bituminous coal vs "hard Coal" which is Anthracite.

Just like in smelting with charcoal where you needed a charcoal that would resist crushing under the weight of the charge.

As to calling it "ore" perhaps a local usage that they are propagating?

I agree that at best it's misleading though.