WWII Home Furnace Coal Identification ??

[outlawvagabond]

Last month I was picking something up from a craigslist post for free in Belmont, MA. Along with it they had four huge crates filled with coal so I took it all. The guy who lived there told me that the house had a coal furnace up until just after WWII.

I have no idea what type of coal it is, but I'm curious. Anyone have any idea?

 

[Charlotte]

When I lived in Pennsylvania as a child the coal I saw shoveled was what would be identified as steam coal.   The only sure way to tell is to break some up into nut sized lumps and light it in a coal forge.  I picked up some coal from a barge  accident on the Mississippi River that had been intended for a Power plant.   It was the most miserable stuff to try to forge with but I didn't know any better at the time.  Just looking at the color and texture  I doubt that it would be very pleasant to try to use in a coal forge.  

[DSW]

From the shiny look of that coal I'd guess it's anthracite, similar to the heating coal I've gotten from an old home in the past. You can forge with anthracite, but it needs a lot of air to stay lit and burning. It is also harder to light than soft forging coal. When I was using anthracite, I had to build a good sized charcoal fire and then start adding the coal to get it to light well. Also the chunks you have are way too big to forge with. You'll need to smash it up into smaller chunks, say 3/4" and down.

[outlawvagabond]

Thanks for the replies. I still haven't forged anything yet, so every bit of information is helpful.

Now I have just have to wait for a day where it isn't 97 degrees or raining and I can try to light some of it up.

 

[DSW]

Do yourself a favor and take a minute to add your location to your profile so we always know where you are at. You may be surprised at how many members are within shouting distance of you. They can also point you in the right direction of local groups to join or where to find scrap and so on if they know you are local.

[Michael Cochran]

The first coal I ever used was from a pile left over from when a house I was remodeling used to have a coal stove. It looked similar to what you show in your pictures. It was really hard to break up and it burned really hot. Like DSW mentions, you'll need to keep air on it to keep the fire going and it definitely takes some effort to get it started. I used a 16oz ballpien to bust up mine. I held the big chucks in my hand and hit it with the ball end breaking it up. I would suggest not using your hand, instead place it on a workbench or some other more solid surface so you don't beat your hand senseless for no good reason (not that I can actually think of a good reason).