geofthesmith Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 k ive been runnin my forge on charcoal for a wile but i got my hands on a small amount of coal, and tried it out and i was having problems with clinker getting cloged in my tuyere, i got it out but not without greatly desturbing the fire, how do you guys get it out without breaking up the fire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-hr Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Crank up the forge before you clean the windpipe, then push the hot mass to the rear. It will stay hot long enough for you to clean it out, and should take off again when you rake the hot pile back over the pipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayco Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Some times, if the clinker is not too large, you can turn the clinker breaker, if your forge is so equipped, and get the clinker to fall out the bottom. Larger clinkers are more difficult of course. You might insert a small poker with a hook on the end ,grab the clinker and pull it out sideways without disturbing the fire much. You can also use a 'slice'........think flat shovel or spatula,,,,,,use it to lift up the fire with one hand, while you use the poker to hook the clinker. It's easier than it sounds...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofthesmith Posted July 3, 2008 Author Share Posted July 3, 2008 thanks for the info, i was trying to get it out without moving the hot centre. and that just cooled everythign off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Give the fire some extra air for a couple of minutes then shut the air off solidifying the clinker. If you can not hook or shovel the clinker out, move the fire to the side and dig the clinker out. Then just move the fire back into the pot, add some air, add some additional fuel. Couple of minutes and your back up to heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 The trick is to shut off the air blast and leave the fire for a few minutes to allow the clinker to solidify into a solid lump, then lift it out with the rake or slice, this should not disrupt the fire too much, then bring hot embers back to fire pot hot spot and bring air back up. It is far easier to hook out in a solid lump, and patience is its own reward in this situation, the last thing you want is clinker dispersed through the fire, not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 (edited) I'm with John, thats exactly what I've been taught and its what I do as well. If your patient you can hook out some real 'cowpat' style lumps, like a flat donut, and have a really clean roaring fire five minutes later (instead of the shrapnel you get if you dive in too early after shutting off the air). Edited July 18, 2008 by Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civilwarblacksmith Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 If you are tending the fire, aerating it, just plain doing fire maintenance; you shouldn't have meteorite sized klinker. If you are working the fire, the klinker will stay small and be worked out through the klinker breaker. If you don't have a klinker breaker, such as my 2 portable re-enactment forges, by tending the fire you remove the klinker while they are still small and not robbing the heat from your fire. Also if you are getting really large klinker, you could have a coal quality problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyx32 Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hello everyone! We have just made our homemade forge! We are so excited to get started blacksmithing! I am really excited to find this great website with so much information. We look forward to making some great things. This is going to be FUN!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard clark Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 i am new to the forge, whats a clicker look like? does it cause heat loss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glyph250 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Clinkers are what's left over after you burn coke. Coke is what's left over after you drive out all the gases and vapors from coal. They're often reddish or metallic, with spiny protrusions. Sometime's they're shiny. Nearly always they're denser than the coke you're working with, as they tend to fuse together into a solid lump whenever they encounter each other in the hot spots of your fire. When they do this, yes, they do suck out heat from the fire--but just a little. A bigger problem is that they take up space that would have been occupied by coke. They don't burn, so they're not providing heat in places that need to have heat provided to them, making your fire colder than it would be otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I will say, in defense of clinkers (I don't get many), they can be great for preventing burnt steel... I pulled a couple out of my forge the other day and was soon burning steel right and left! Guess I shoulda left one of them in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 a clinker looks like an asteroidwhen it cools....as you are working your fire you may notice the temp going down or not being able to get the metal as hot as quick...u got clinker....stop working the metal and give the fire a little time to cool and them go in and pull the coals out to the side ...remove the clinker and return the hot pile back to the firepot some more coke and air and get at it again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 (edited) My Two cents....... I have no clinker breaker at the bottom of my forge. I have a 3" pipe that takes up almost the full bottom of my forge, there is a grate and that is it. In a 5 hour run I will clean the clinkers from my forge 2 times, or just before I try forge welds. I pull the coke off to the side, sorta like taking layers off. I remove 2/3 off to the side, the last 1/3 I shovel into a strainer pot, clinkers, coke, dust everything. I empty my air pipe give a fast blast of air then pile the still red coke back into the forge with a light air supply. Add the coal I need to replenish my fire and continue on my way. This process takes me about 90 sec or less. Keeps the clinkers in check and also allows for the fine dust to be removed also. But thats what I do. OOPS......Yes pkrankow, I sort the garbage after it cools, forgot to mention that part. Edited November 24, 2009 by DennisG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 DennisG, do you sort out what is good and garbage after it cools down? Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.