Frosty Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 3 hours ago, JHCC said: Unless you're curling, in which case, you're okay. I've given it a try but curling isn't my kind of sport, shuffle board is warmer and you can have a beer delivered at the bowling alley. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 27, 2017 Author Share Posted August 27, 2017 Ok update everyone Truck: put new fuel pump on and got to get a steel line to go to the carbarator my money didn't come in this week don't know why but it should be in Monday had to borrow some from my grandpa to get the pump. Got to pay him back and get line and some fittings To frosty I found that the bed of my truck is a perfect height for the anvil but I have to re do my forge it's just not working like I planned Attempted some blacksmithing this weekend but no luck Got one question for you who use coal where do you get it from. Also didn't know about a .22 bullet in the yard when I got the torch out and cut my pipe and man that went off in my ear and I'm taking a few days off cause my ears are ringing like crazy. Talk to y'all sunday after church. And thank you @littleblacksmith for you generous contourbution which I can't spell it will be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 9 hours ago, ryancrowe92 said: Got one question for you who use coal where do you get it from. I'm one of those people who uses rice coal from Tractors Supply Company, which is cheap and widely available. However, it is anthracite (hard coal) rather than the bituminous (soft coal) most blacksmiths prefer, so you have to make some adjustments to how you manage your fire. There are a lot of good threads in the solid fuel forges section of the forum that discuss fuel types and sources in much greater detail, and I'd recommend you look those over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 23 hours ago, JHCC said: I'm one of those people who uses rice coal from Tractors Supply Company, which is cheap and widely available. However, it is anthracite (hard coal) rather than the bituminous (soft coal) most blacksmiths prefer I heard Trent talking about this but I need to watch the video again and how much is this coal at TSC and is it next to the charcoal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 10 minutes ago, ryancrowe92 said: I heard Trent talking about this but I need to watch the video again and how much is this coal at TSC and is it next to the charcoal About six bucks for a forty pound bag. If you go online, the TSC website will let you know if it's in stock at your local store, although since it's a seasonal item, its location (even whether or not it's on display) will probably change. The thing about anthracite is that it needs pretty constant air. If you shut the blast off with charcoal or bituminous, it will keep going on its own, but anthracite will go out fairly quickly. Thus, a mechanical blower will generally work better than a manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 8 minutes ago, JHCC said: About six bucks for a forty pound bag. If you go online, the TSC website will let you know if it's in stock at your local store, although since it's a seasonal item, its location (even whether or not it's on display) will probably change. The thing about anthracite is that it needs pretty constant air. If you shut the blast off with charcoal or bituminous, it will keep going on its own, but anthracite will go out fairly quickly. Thus, a mechanical blower will generally work better than a manual. I'll check tsc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 It's always good to check in the spring; sometimes an individual store with put the winter merchandise on sale if they've overstocked and need the warehouse space. I got a few bags a couple of years ago for about 1/2 off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 They got it they also have Nut coal whatever that is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 2 minutes ago, ryancrowe92 said: They got it they also have Nut coal whatever that is Same stuff, but bigger. I've used that in the past, but I like the rice coal a lot better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 Well I'm gonna build a dirtbox forge like Trent showed and use this coal and I heard through the grapevine that coal is harder to start than charcoal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Yes, it is. The trick is to get a good hot fire going of something else first, and then add the coal. I start with a ball of newspaper, use that to light a pile of kindling, and when that's going, dribble in the rice coal from the side. If you're using bituminous, you can use some coke saved from your previous session. Whatever kind of coal you use, keep a hole open at the top; otherwise it smothers itself and puts out a ton of smoke. Have you read the threads here about making a JABOD forge or about using anthracite? Check out Charles R. Stevens's original thread and my own for some insight and inspiration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 I'll check this a little later. My money came in today so I'm gonna go to nappa and order me some coal so how long does one bag last Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Depends entirely on how big your fire is and how long you are forging. It has a pretty high energy density, so it takes a lot longer to go through than, say, an equal volume of charcoal. I'm an occasional hobbyist, so I tend to go through the stuff fairly slowly. Your mileage may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Ok, not sure when I'll get it shipped. We are currently in a storm, and I still got to get the anvil made. Or if you want to make one that requires no screws or nails, Littleblacksmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 On August 26, 2017 at 2:18 PM, Frosty said: Good Golly Mark you're going to put us curmudgeons to shame with that kind of help. I'm more articulate because I have about 4 decades of practice you don't, you do very well for your age. You're clear and concise where I'm long winded. Please feel free to PM me if you can't think of a word or term. Thank you for the offer, I may have to take you up on it some time. Littleblacksmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 i cant order the coal from the online site. its one of those in store only deals and its not in stock near me. but i will find some coal surely, might can rob a train (hint this is a joke). pickin up the new gas line for the Chevy today and the fittings. now for those that read the update post, here is the new update Forge: hopefully i can make a dirtbox forge from wood i can scrounge around the shop if i cant i will use metal or have to buy wood or make a pit. but im scrapping the current forge. Truck: if by some miracle that this new fuel line actually make it run then i will be dandy got to check my finances later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 It'll be my pleasure Mark, any time. I may not get right back but I will. Ryan, terms like Nut, pea, rice, lump, block, etc. refer to the average size of coal for sale. Clean is a good term to look for though it's usually a little more expensive. Powdered coal makes good forge fuel you dampen it so it'll stick together. It contains the heat and makes a dome naturally so you will have a cave that acts like furnace to work in. The water generates steam in the outside of the dome and speeds coking. Remember the larger the pieces the farther the air will travel into the coal before being consumed so the oxidizing zone is higher in the pile. Being less surface area to the weight of fuel means there is less fuel available for the oxy to work on so the fire isn't as hot. The smaller the particles the hotter, more contained, faster coking and more easily controlled the fire. However, if small sized coal is significantly more money buy the better bargain and crush it yourself. We collect our own coal from exposed seams so we have to crush everything, I use a baseball bat in a steel bucket with a hard brick in the bottom. It's a yard sale bat I picked up as part of another buy, IIRC I got 6 or 7 bats for a quarter because I was buying a coffee can of horse shoe nails and a couple other things. Old scuffed up bats still make terrific wood mallets, thwockers, hammer handles and the like. Always a good deal. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 1 hour ago, ryancrowe92 said: Forge: hopefully i can make a dirtbox forge from wood i can scrounge around the shop if i cant i will use metal or have to buy wood or make a pit. but im scrapping the current forge. My JABOD cost me about five bucks, and that's only because I had to buy some drywall screws. I probably could have done it for free, if I'd saved more nails from the pallet wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Yes Ryan, pick up a pallet or two. You can use scraps of it to light the forge, and you can use other boards from the pallet for your forge. Littleblacksmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 thank you little blacksmith for giving me the idea of using pallets i have plenty of them never though of it untill now and ill nail it together since i might not have screws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Naw, it was JHCC who made me think of it when he mentioned pallets. Littleblacksmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 really that is one of the most common things i have and not even thinking of using them because i have a lot of wood in the shop i still have to clean it later disscusion on another thread im gonna start doing those cooking trammels Trent did but im gonna use lawnmower blades for the body and make a drift pin to punch the holes out from a third peice of rebar i have thats bent so is their a place where i can get coal all year long at a place where it is not real expensive but a reliable source because im tired of making charcoal it's aggravating work and so time consuming to burn it down, and that is the longest part of the process, i want something i can put in the forge and start the fire. TSC near me dosent sell it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 at 3 going to napa to get fuel lines and coupplings for fuel pump and carbarator and will give an update tomorrow or before i go to bed either one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 If your using coal, use Adobe not clay, that is 10% clay and the rest sand. When the clay vitrifies clinker will stick to it like glue. When working with andricite it will crackle and break into small er pieces wile it burns, so adding it to the outside of your fire and dragging it in helps get the small pieces down buy the tuyere. This isn't rocket science, a washtub will work as well. All you are looking for is something to hold the fire that wound burn, in the case of a box of dirt, the dirt holds the fire and the box holds the dirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryancrowe92 Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 yes im just gonna use dirt out of my yard its free i dont live in the piedmont region of south carolina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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