JABOD with coke?

[The Norwegian]

I suddenly got an urge to try if blacksmithing is something for me. After seeing some youtube videos and reading, especially in your forum here, I saw that I could build a simple forge JABOD style to test out the craft. I got a decent amount of coke for practically free, so I was wondering, is coke a good fuel for these JABOD forges? I think I read somewhere that coke works better with air blowing from under than from the side. Any other advice for building JABOD for coke?

[JHCC]

Welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!!

What kind of coke do you have: the blacksmith's kind, or the kind used in blast furnaces? The former will be just fine; the latter isn't the greatest forging fuel anyway.

[The Norwegian]

Thanks! 

Ahh, I didn’t realize it was such a difference. Just bought from a seller who said he moved into an old house that had been using it for heating. Should have done more research but I only bought two packs of 20 kg for $4 each, so no big loss. Maybe it still performs the same or better for forging than the normal charcoal we use for barbecue even if its not blacksmith’s coke? Not easy or cheap to get coal here in Norway. There are no coal deposits in mainland Norway, so most of it is imported from abroad...

[pnut]

People have been using charcoal since the beginning of blacksmithing. It's what I use and prefer currently. You got a good deal even if it isn't the best fuel, but you won't know until you try it. If it works well will you be able to get more?

Pnut

[The Norwegian]

Yeah, I know. Just read that for weld forging it is more difficult to get right temperature with charcoal. Do you guys have links to any information about different kinds of coke? Just couldn’t find any reading material about different kind of coke for blacksmithing, .

Anyways, yeah, I could get more from same guy. He had three more 20 kg bags and 10 cubic meter of loose coke. Have to drive an hour to get there though, but not bad.

 

[JHCC]

If it was in someone's house, you're probably okay. The stuff for smelting comes by the railroad car.

[Anachronist58]

I use wood that turns to charcoal, then I add coke and coal at times. Coke on bottom with wood on top, otherwise coke must have continuous airflow to stay lit. More or less.

Kind of like lava rocks in the barbecue grill. A well focused photograph of what you have would perhaps be quite helpful. Some are said to forge weld all day with charcoal. someone chime in on this?

Robert Taylor

Edited July 1, 2019 by Anachronist58
Addendum

[Frosty]

It's a good price give it a try and see. It's no problem getting a charcoal fire to welding heat you just need to know how. It's EASY. Don't worry about what kind of coke it is, the only thing you care about is how it works. One of the beauties of a JABOD is how easy they are to adjust for different conditions. I'd be surprised if it isn't good in a JABOD but if it isn't either sell the bags or crush it up and sprinkle it on icy walks and driveway. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[SLAG]

Mr. Norwegian,

Coke is an excellent forge fuel. Although using it is a little trickier than soft,  (bituminous),  coal.

Mainly, the  burning fuel will go out if the blower is not continuous. So do not turn off the air blast.  (sorry Mr. Anachronist, I just noticed your post above mine). Starting the initial fire is, also, a little harder.  But  combining the coke with some lump charcoal*  (or soft coal),  will make fire starting easier. Once the fire starts you need only add  coke to the fire.

There are some benefits to using coke.  It generally runs very hot, but it does not smoke much and produces less smoke or gasses, that neighbors could find offensive.

A more sturdy fire pot is best, but is not really necessary for a long time. Use the one you have, to hand, for now. (a year or more).

Where in Norway are you located?  

The distance between Oslo and Bergen is 307 kilometers. 302 k.m. to Stavanger. And 837 to the Feroe Islands. 

Regards, and have fun forging.

SLAG.

* charcoal briquettes are not good.

 

[DennisCA]

Most people I have talked to, including my friend who has done some bit of blacksmithing says charcoal is not economical. But they all run bottom blast forges. I have read they go through charcoal so fast compared to a side blast. I do not understand why this is, the shape of the bowl perhaps, too large, or that the air stream goes directly through the whole pile from bottom up whereas in a side blast it only directly passes through part of it.

I too want to try coke, I have ordered a 25kg back of coke, it wasn't very cheap, 48 euros with shipping. But it was labeled pajakoksi or "smithing coke". I plan to go buy two 55 gallon drums today, one to make a JABOD, one to keep the coke in.

[Glenn]

Try it in your present forge and see how it works. This may take a bit of experimenting to figure things out.  If it works, you have a fuel source.

 

 

[Kal]

Coke and charcoal are 2 different things.  Coke is cooked coal, meaning after you have burned off all the gases from the coal you end up with coke,  Coke is what you are burning in a coal forge after the 'green smoke' quits.  Charcoal on the other hand is cooked wood.  You can make charcoal from scarp hardwood by burning off the gases in an enclosed container or gather it up from a fireplace or campfire.  I'm pretty sure there are instructions online.  Both coke and charcoal give off very little smoke.  Coke will last longer but is harder to light.  If you leave the blower on between heats you will go through a lot of charcoal.

[ThomasPowers]

Funny thing: charcoal and bituminous coal have reasonable close number of BTUs *per* *pound*; but of course the *density* of charcoal is much lighter so you have to burn a lot of it to get those BTUs.   Having a forge designed for charcoal makes it a lot more fuel efficient.  Many folks burn charcoal in coal forges with continuous blast and then don't understand why they are going through it so fast.  I've even had folks that tell me you can't forge weld with charcoal---even though people have been doing it for over 3000 years!

Trying to use coke in a forge designed for charcoal doesn't work well either---however it goes out a lot rather than uses excessive fuel...