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what is soft coal and is it better for blacksmithing? also i live in Swanzey, New Hampshire and i think i know a place to get coal but approximately how much will it cost? i got some old coal from my grandparents(they had a coal stove) but in 1 day i am almost out i will need to get more but i want to know how much i will need to bring to get the coal.
oh and how much coal should last a week or so if you work for about 3-4 hours a day and about 5 days a week? lol may be a bit much to get an estimate but any help will be great!

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How much you use is a function of the quality of the coal. In China I can get a couple of grades of coal. One is much cheaper than the other per Kg. but the expensive stuff is much cheaper in the long run as I use so much less. Forging can be done over almost any fuel but is easiest over good quality coal or coke if you are using solid fuel.

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'Soft' coal is bituminous. That means although it is largely carbon, there is a significant amount of tar in it too; bitumen. This makes it easier to break up (than 'hard' coal), and thus soft. The tars make it somewhat easier to light than certain other fuels, e.g. commercial coke, but they can very easily cause a lot of smoke (this is why it is not really used by smiths in my country any more; strict smoke control legislation). 'Hard' coal is called anthracite too. This is something like 96% carbon and has no tar. It has been in the ground longer and typically produces no visible smoke. It does though need a constant blast of air to keep it burning, and has certain other little niggles which make it different to use than soft coal. (Much of this applies to commercial coke too.)

To be ideal for smithing, soft coal must conform to certain guidelines; low clinker, low ash, high BTU, low sulphur, low phosphorus etc. There are more detailed criteria available if you search the internet for 'smithing coal'.

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Good coal for blacksmithing is low ash, low sulfur, high BTU coal of a usable size for the forge. Low ash means you not paying for rocks and clinker, high BTU means you are getting heat value, and usable size means you don't have to break up large lumps in order to use the coal.

Call one of the following and ask what coal they stock and the BTU value of that coal. Be sure and tell them you found their name on IForgeIron.com

New Hampshire
Allen Coal Company Route 28, Derry, NH. 03038 (603) 432-7200 Contact Bruce Allen

Michael Tuite 146 South Street, Littleton, NH. 03561 (603) 616-8815

Fireplace Depot,98 Route 101A, Amherst, NH. 03031 (603) 546-0087 Contact: Dan Pelletier

Woodman's Forge & Fireplace 587 Pine River Pond Road, East Wakefield, NH. 03830
(603) 522-3028 Contact: James Tully

West Lebanon Supply 12 Railroad Ave., West Lebanon, NH 03784 (603) 298-8600 Contact: Curt Jacques

Dodge Grain Co., Inc. 59 North Broadway, Salem, NH 03079 (603) 893-3739 Contact: Frank Burke


You may want to contact Merrimack power station in Merrimack county, or Schiller power station in Rockingham county and ask about their coal.

Use what you can find locally as shipping can get expensive. There is no "right". It is what works for you, in your location, and your situation.

Now you see why we ask for your location (grin).

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On the subject of 'soft coal', I have a question.......but first let me explain.

A neighbor gave me three 5 gal. buckets of coal sometime last summer........cleaning up his back yard I suppose.....

As far as I can tell, it's just run-of-the-mill furnace or house coal (not much clinker, but a lot of ash and some sulfur.

Anyway, I put the buckets of coal behind the shop and forgot about them until the other day. Since there were weeds growing out of the buckets, I decided it was high time to use the coal before the plastic buckets disentegrated.

I pulled the weeds out and discovered that the buckets were nearly full of water along the lumps of coal. I picked up a couple large lumps from the top of the bucket and they all but crumbled in my hand.........very soft!

Now, the question........did being emersed in water for a year soften the coal?
Did the cycle of freezing and thawing last winter do it?

Or, is it just my imagination........and the coal was already soft?

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