Evan Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I went to walmart and bought a 7lb bag of kingsford charcoal. however on said bag it says 'charcoal briquets'. i also saw ceramic briquettes, but i wasn't sure if i got the right stuff. it was only five bucks, so worse comes to worse i'll just have a xxxx bbq it looks and feels like charcoal, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Murch Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Lump charcoal, real charcoal, natural charcoal is what the stuff you want is called. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmonds Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I am not sure of the brand you bought but the stuff you want looks like whats left in the bottom of campfire after it burns out. It will be hardwood chunks in their charred remains. It will not be uniform in shape and appear pressed. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchmancreek Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Charcoal "briquets" are made of crushed charcoal, starch, petroleum distillates, sawdust, coal dust, and many other things. They aren't really suitable for forging, and a lot of people don't think much of them for BBQ either. "Natural/lump" charcoal is what you want (for forging and cooking). The ceramic briquets are made for the bottom of gas grills to absorb and radiate heat...they don't burn. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted August 3, 2007 Author Share Posted August 3, 2007 okay so, can i get this at hardware outlets or something the like?? i live on long island, NY.. i don't know what the common availability of charcoal is. i got the briquets at walmart.. someone told me i could find natural charcoal there but perhaps its varies from place to place. any tips or ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Royal Oak makes lump and in this ares Cowboy lump is common. The better of the two is by all means Cowboy. Royal Oak has LOTS more fleas and fireflies. Finnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchmancreek Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 WalMart usually sells Royal Oak. Lowes handles Royal Oak and Cowboy. Home Depot often has Rancher charcoal. Some restaurant supply stores and chain grocery stores also sell it. Lump/natural charcoal isn't hard to find in most areas...most people just buy briquets for their grill but lump is becoming a lot more popular. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Zietman Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 It's good that lump is becoming more popular, means it's easier for us to find forging charcoal! I was in France all over the place for 2 months this summer, and never once saw briquettes, only lump charcoal, I was itching to forge whenever I went to the grocery store. If worst comes to worst you can just have a really deep firepot and use wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 thanks guys i really appreciate it. how feasible is wood for forging, just for conjecture's sake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchmancreek Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 I've never used wood as a fuel for forging. I would think that just the volume needed to attain the required temperatures would be prohibitive, in addition to the smoke and ash that would be generated. If all I had was wood, I'd make my own charcoal out of it, and then use the charcoal in the forge. Cook with charcoal, forge with coal or a gas forge. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronPuppet Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 I use wood in my forge, also some charcoal briskets. The thing about wood is that you need a bigger fire pot than one intended for coal use. Irnsrgn pointed me in the right direction as my fire pot was too small at first. Wood is working fine for me, although there is lots needed, but I got my supply for free. Christopher check out the thread here.air in the fire thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Today I lit my new forge for the first time and used Pine charcoal that I made myself. It did about everything that I wanted it to and what it didn't do was probably my own fault as I am just learning to use it. But I can say this, the forge flees (sparks) were terrible and they bite hard when they land on a bare neck. But charcoal is easy enough to make if you have a supply of wood and the area to do it, a place where the neighbors aren't going to accost you for burning it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted August 5, 2007 Author Share Posted August 5, 2007 thanks guys, i got natural lump charcoal from home depot today. i appreciate all your help. and i also got my 6 bucks back from the walmart monster. yay reciept. i'm looking forward to trying coal instead of gas. thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted August 5, 2007 Author Share Posted August 5, 2007 maybe i'll have to try the wood deal if i have some free time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 Wood will work, but I'm not sure if you'd get it up to welding temperatures. I'm a sad enough to have used a decent sized camp fire to get steel up to a decent orange which means it'll move, but for the extra effort I reckon charcoal is better by a mile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmonds Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 Just go with coal. A far superior heat source! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted August 5, 2007 Author Share Posted August 5, 2007 point taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 Coke is an even better heat source than coal :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 Certainly not as dirty as coal either since the impurities are already burned out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Zietman Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Steve, aprepo of wood forging, I've been forging with wood for a while now, and basically what you need is a tall firepot, like a japanese forge. Always have wood on top charcoaling, and you have a thick layer of charcoal at the bottom burning. With a normal air supply for any forge, you can get the woodsmoke to burn, just like any coal gasses, in fact it lights easier than coal gasses. As to ash, if you don't blast your fire with air, the ash doesn't come flying out all over the place and just settles below the tuyere, like any other forge. My firepot is about 7 inches tall, 5 inches wide and 8 inches long, and I can work 1 inch bar in there fine, wood forging can be done, and is good if it's hard to find charcoal in your area. also, Ian, I burnt steel (white hot and sparkin') today using wood, it's just charcoal, and you get less fleas than when you buy it. All the best, Archie P.S. If you can find coal or coke, use it. edited for forge and stock dimensions, went outside to check :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchmancreek Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 I'm lucky in that I have a coal supplier in Murphysboro, Illinois, about 30 miles away. Just drive over, weigh the truck, fill my containers, and re-weigh. If you buy a ton or so they'll probably put it in the truck with the end loader but I only buy about 200 pounds at a time so I shovel it myself. Good coal. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 Saturday I picked up 8 55# bags of smithing coal from Rob Gunter at the SWABA meeting---saved us an extra couple of hours over going to his place. Guy I rode with bought 25 55# sacks as he has about an 8 hour round trip to get it at the source. We cleared him out and I have 35 cents to my name till next allowance day. Good coal is a whole lot better than bad coal! Like charcoal is to briquettes! Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucerdn Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 A question for you gentlesmith's. A major forest fire went through here last year would the burned out trees (pine) make charcoal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Sure. Softwood charcoal burns hotter but faster than hardwood charcoal. The best way to make charcoal is in a retort. Basically it's a sealed (with a vent) fireproof container like a 55gl drum. You pack it full of wood. It can be full length but more than about 3" thick will mean incomplete carbonization. Once the drum if filled, close it up leaving a small opening for a vent, the 2" bung is perfect. Place the drum on a fire till it stops smoking and take it off the fire. Block the bung with something that prevents oxy from entering but won't create a vacuum, fiberglass insulation works very well. Once the drum is cool you can open it up and remove the charcoal. This is the Indirect method. There are other interesting and useful tips for charcoaling: First, the smoke coming out of the vent is flammable so if you plumb it back under the drum you can burn it to continue the charcoaling process without additional fuel. Second, putting the drum in an enclosure traps heat and makes it much more efficient. There are other methods as well: The Direct method is just picking the charcoal out of a fire and either using it or putting it out for later. The Semi-direct method means you load your container and light it on fire. Once it's going good you put the cover on and wait till it stops smoking, block and let cool. The direct method is the least efficient, semi-direct is better and indirect is the best. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucerdn Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Ok, but with the fire would I have to make the charcoal, or would the heat of the fire have done the work for me so that all I have to do is cut it in to chunks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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