Getting coal from a mine

[Pr3ssure]

So, I can't seem to find anywhere around me that sells bituminous coal anywhere. Anthracite was cheap at lowes and I can't see paying close to a dollar a pound buying it online. I tried lighting the anthracite in my forge and had no success, I know I could make it light but from what I've read I'm not trying to have to run my blower non stop to keep it going. I live in West Virginia right near the Pennsylvania boarder, so I have a coal mine on every side of me. One being like a mile and a half away. I'm going to try to call them tomorrow from the number I found on google but I highly doubt whoever answers will be able to help me. Should I just try and find someone who works there and see what they can find out? Should be so hard to find bituminous coal, it said on the WV Coal website that it's 50% of coal mined in America and anthracite is only 0.5%.

Basically I'm wondering how to go about getting coal from a local mine.

[Pr3ssure]

Maybe I'm thinking bituminous should be cheaper than it actually is. I just don't understand why anthracite being far less of the coal supply is $7 for 50 lbs but I can't find bituminous for less than $1.25 a lb

[Glenn]

Look up the blacksmiths and farriers in your area and ask where they get their coal. Go to the Pennsylvania blacksmith group or organization meetings. You will learn more in a few hours than you can imagine. They will know a source for good smithing coal. Pennsylvania Artist Blacksmiths Assoc. PABA

You can make anthracite coal work, just build a fire a boy scout would be proud of from sticks, add a little coal at a time until the coal catches, and keep a small amount of air to the fire at all times in order to keep the fire going. 

[Frosty]

Ditto Glenn, call a farrier supply and get hooked up with the local smithing organization.

However if all you can get is anthracite then that's what you use. PERIOD. Being successful at anything is about working with and mastering what you have until you reach a point in your skills or standing you can change local conditions. There are blacksmiths that use camel dung in their forges or sticks or feed corn, olive pits make a screaming hot fire. I'll bet a little tinkering and straw would work fine.

Anthracite is cheaper because there's more demand for large quantities. Bituminous is a niche market and takes more work to select and clean to be acceptable smithing fuel. If folk were buying a couple thousand tons a day it'd be cheaper.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

Bring a truck and a tarp. We'll get it filled for around $90. Well, I guess that depends on the size of the truck. Lol.

I need a load myself. I get it from Gillespie coal yard.

There is a place closer to you (actually right around Ed) that sells coal. I haven't checked them out yet. Stardust coal. Could give them a call. 

Should have asked Ed Claypoole when you were there.

There are some other places I've been meaning to check out. 

 

[Pr3ssure]

Yeah, didn’t think about it when I was there. Although Glenn messaged me with a bunch of places and phone numbers in Morgantown and Waynesburg, I’m probably gonna see about those first. If need be though I’ll come up that way. I’d have to borrow a truck, or get my cousin to take me in his dump truck. Lol

I’m gonna be going over to the neighbors here in a bit to get my table set up and I figure he has a tap so I can go ahead and fix the bottom of my tuyere. I don’t know why I never thought to ask him. Just not used to having a neighbor I guess, especially a nice one. 

[ThomasPowers]

Ask around *someone* in your area still probably heats with coal and so has a source.