Anyone know on average how many kgs or lbs of coal or coke they burn a day? I did a search for relevant posts but didn't spot any.

None.

 

That's just WAY to vague a question to expect a meaningful answer, it's like asking how much fuel does a truck use in a day. How much line goes on a fishing reel? And so on. My answer is perfectly accurate in spite of how vague your question is. It burns propane, how much depends on an assortment of factors but I CAN answer unequivocally it burns NO coal.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

How much have you been using ?   I can use a 5 gal bucket in an afternoon, other times that amount can last all weekend,  depends on too many factors to give a nice fast answer.

Too many variables to give any sort of accurate answer.  How many hours of forging in your day?  Are you working with small stock or large stock?  Are you just bending steel or forge welding?  How many breaks do you take?  Meaning are you working as a professional making a living or just playing around as a hobby?

Ken

I have one forge that can be used with just a couple double hand fulls of coal, The big forge requires a 5 gallon bucket (maybe 35 pounds) to get started and put some coal on the table for use. 

 

Small projects and small metal require small fires, One heat is hardly worth building a fire as it takes more fuel to build a fire than to heat the metal. Large projects and large metal require larger (much larger to huge) fires.  A 10 hour day at the forge (or more) can eat a lot of fuel, but does a lot of work.

 

Pound for pound coal and charcoal are similar in heat value. But that is like a pound of dirt and a pound of feathers in weight. The volume is greatly different. Reference '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>

 

As Frosty said, That's just WAY to vague a question. Please refine your question to get a better answer.

OK, fair dos, worth a shot. Reason I asked is because in the course of the last 2 days I've burnt about 25kg of coal (just under £12) using a hand cranked blower. I reckon over the last 2 days I've done about 16 hours of forging practicing sinking and raising bowls. Was just trying to see how my fuel consumption related to others.

So you used about half a 50lb bag of coal a day, That is not very much fuel really.  I can go through much more than that working down big stock under the air hammer, I do turn off the electric blower while

hammering.

What size bowls? Shape, thickness and diameter? All have relevance on fuel use.

Previously you said you were using coke with your hand cranked blower with no problems, now its coal. Your coal consumption should be less than coke, Fire management is a key in this area, generally with students using an electric fan I allocate a 20kg (approx 44lbs) bag of coke per day, 9.00am to 4.30pm, sometimes they use less, sometimes more.

On the other hand, at some of the show competitions, it is not unknown for a 20kg bag to be used in 2 hours, Having said that, a two hour competition piece may well take 2 two days for a less experienced 'smith like these examples of an infil piece



At the end of the day, fuel is a consumable, and it takes what it takes to complete the task in hand, it's not really surprising how people alter their fire management when they have to purchase their own fuel and realise how much excess they are using.

Ok, I didn't realise it was so variable, I mistakenly assumed that good fire management would kinda even out how much fuel you went through regardless of what you were doing. That makes me feel a bit better about how much I've been using.

 

Yep John I normally use coke, I just tried coal to see the difference and it's a few quid cheaper.

Just got back from a class at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. 11 students, identical forges, identical coal. Some folks burned a 50lb bag a day, some burned one bag all week.

 

Depends on how deep you pile it, how much blast you give it, how much forge welding you do, if you turn the air off while you are at the anvil, if you leave the ash dump jammed open with the fire coking the green coal while you are at meals or put it out, etc, etc.