How Hot is the FIRE?????

[SReynolds]

Folks visiting the (Historical) Society are asking me how hot the fire is. I suppose it is because I inform them the workpiece is about 1,800 °F 

 

So.......how hot is the FIRE???

 

I can see the coke at varying stages of heat/color depending upon the amount of air introduced and the location of the various colors;

Black

Red

Orange

Yellow

White

 

To look at the yellow and white coke, one must make a hole in the coke fire and literally look right down into the deeper portion. It glows so bright/white that I see spots for several minutes, so it ain't something I do often.

 

I was once informed that it is 3,500 to 4,000°F when it is at it's hottest.

 

At what heat is the various colors of the coke fire?????

[Maillemaker]

This should help immensely.

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/73380050/Tempil-Charts

[son_of_bluegrass]

Somewhere I ran across 4000 F as the theoretical upper limit for a solid fuel carbon based fire.  It's been so long I don't recall where I got that information, nor do I know if it's correct.

 

Of course the smart-alek answer it "Hot enough".

 

ron

[Glenn]

My forge can get hot enough for one ouchie, two ouchies, and all the way up to three ouchies.  After that you run out of ouchies and it becomes a whole world of hurt. (grin) 

[Richard Furrer]

I've gone from flowing locks of beard hair to "whatsthasmell?" in next to no time when the wind shifts direction when forging with charcoal at demonstrations.

 

I used to know numbers on hardwood charcoal and dung and coal for max temps.

 

Upwards of 3,000F on charcoal is not all that hard to hit with hand bellows. I see that 4892F is the max theoretical temp, but....

 

Coal would be less I would think and vary with impurities. Charts say 3,590F under ideal conditions.

 

Dung fires will burn at 1100F in ovens for cooking...no bellows, but natural draft of air. Add a bellows and you could forge with it.

 

Ric

[Nobody Special]

I used ta could tell you for metal colors when I used the color to tell temps for casting. I THINK it was around 450-500 dark red, 500 to 850 or so med red, around 900 for cherry. orange at around 1200, moving to yellow at around 17 or 1800, white hot at around 21, 2200 and up. Also, color interpretation varies alot from person to person and depending on background light/shade.

[Dale M.]

I think we are getting off base here with throwing in metal color for temperatures, think original question was  "how hot is the fire" (meaning most intense heat in actual fireball in forge)....

 

Dale

[SReynolds]

I know, but they mean well, so........

 

I guess I'll just inform them that is is approaching 4,000 degrees if anyone asks.

 

Amazing that black coke can turn brilliant white. I will take my digital thermo with me and take the fire's temp.

[Dale M.]

Umm... Another website give it a temperature of about 3,500°f.....

[SReynolds]

that is wicked cool.  Site saved!

[Grant]

This has been ask several times, however I don't recall a compelling answer.  How does a cast iron fire pot that melts 2150 - 2360 degrees F hold a 3,500 degree F fire. -tks grant

[SReynolds]

Don't know...mine is only 1/4" thick mild steel plate. The air flow through them holes, and the fact it sets at the bottom has quite a lot to do with that. Then add in all that techy jargon like carberizing fire and oxidizing fire yadda yadda and it gets really complicated in terms of the sience behind it. Mine WAS cast iron and  it has long broken apart.  Mild steel works wonderfully.

[Dale M.]

This has been ask several times, however I don't recall a compelling answer.  How does a cast iron fire pot that melts 2150 - 2360 degrees F hold a 3,500 degree F fire. -tks grant

 

"FIre ball" rests on air column and coal/coke bed, not directly on metal of fire-pot....

 

Dale