Coal vs. Charcoal

[RichHallstrom]

I have used both...was wondering what people think about the pros and cons of each...

[JohnW]

I use charcoal, and I like making charcoal, which is a good thing because it's kind of time consuming.

[Doug C]

I have not used charcoal but I like the coal because I can build up the fire in different ways depending on the task at hand, bituminous coal stays lit while I take a break and I have learned with it.

John, Does charcoal burn cleaner, hotter? Is that what you learned with?

[JohnW]

Doug, I'd say charcoal burns cleaner. This is the popular belief, that's what most people say. And I'd say coal burns hotter, although others have pointed out that the max temperature achievable is the same for coal and charcoal. It just seem like, with typical forging practices, the steel get's hot faster with coal.

[Sabre]

yes thats true.. i will be getting coal soon but i have been using charcoal since...

i have a fairly big fire and that works but i find i get alot of clinker.... i pul it out and throw it into a cinder block to cool i find that charcoal works and needs about the same ammount of air as coal

[jayco]

I use both coal and charcoal.

One problem with coal is finding good metalurgical or shop coal to use.
I live in coal country, and I can find coal pretty easily........but 99% of it had sulfur and other nasty stuff in it. In other words, it will burn and get iron hot, but it is smoky,creates a lot of cinder, and it takes me some effort to weld with it.

Charcoal makes a cleaner fire, but is more bulky.......it takes a larger pile of charcoal to make a forge fire comparable to a coal fire.

A charcoal fire seems to put out a lot more radiant heat than a smaller sized coal fire does.
Radiant heat in your face in hot summer weather can be downright uncomfortable .
On the other hand, that extra heat often feels good in winter!

If I use charcoal in hot weather, I place a piece of scrap sheetmetal over the fire to deflect some of the heat.

One handy trick you can do with charcoal is that if your coal fire is getting low(almost all your coke is burned up.......and you want to do just one more heat), is to throw a couple shovels of charcoal right on top of the fire.
You don't have place it around the edges of the forge and gradually rake it into the center like you have to with coal.

James

[Doug C]

James,
Thanks for that bit of info. This will be my first winter forging. It is a 20 X 20 unheated shed so any way to get some extra radiant heat will be good I am sure. Probably will stick with coal because I do not have the time to make my own charcoal and the coal is more economical around here.