Glenn Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 From wikepedia: Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat content. It has a carbon content around 20-35% percent. It is mined all around the world, is used almost exclusively as a fuel for steam-electric power generation. Lignite is brownish-black in color and has a carbon content from as low as 20-25 percent up to 60–70 percent, a high inherent moisture content sometimes as high as 75 percent, and an ash content ranging from 6–19 percent, compared with 6–12 percent for bituminous coal. The energy content of lignite ranges from 10 to 20 MJ/kg (9–17 million BTU per short ton) on a moist, mineral-matter-free basis. The energy content of lignite consumed in the United States averages 15 MJ/kg (13 million BTU/ton). Its high moisture content and susceptibility to spontaneous combustion can cause problems in transportation and storage. To give you an idea of the heat value of lignite at 10 to 20 MJ/kg (9–17 million BTU per short ton) The energy content of lignite consumed in the United States averages 15 MJ/kg (13 million BTU/ton). The bituminous coal for blacksmithing in the US is in the 14 million BTU/ton range with good coal in the high 14 to mid 15 million BTU/ton range. You can easily tell the difference in heat in the fire with a change of 1/4 to 1/2 million BTU/ton. My experience is when you drop down to the 13 million BTU/ton range it starts to be a problem with lack of heat. Here below 13 million BTU/ton does not do well as a fuel. If you have experience using lignite or brown coal, please add to this information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted November 16, 2020 Share Posted November 16, 2020 It’s a shame there are so few people who have even tried it. Seems most people just look at the stats and call it horrible without even trying it. Same thing with corn but when I tried corn I found it to be fairly nice to use. I’m sure bituminous is much better than lignite but I should think lignite would work. Might not be real fantastic for forge welding and probably fairly dirty. But for the price it would be interesting to try. Being in North Dakota it’s 39$ per ton for lignite. where it costs about 800$ a ton to have bituminous shipped to me. So even if it’s a sub par fuel it’s probably worth it. I need to make the drive to go get some to do some testing with. I wonder if I could run it through a retort like with charcoal to burn some of the volatiles off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 You can find lignite washed out of hillsides here in Ky pretty easily. I've heard it called cannal coal, sub bituminous,shale coal, and oil coal also. Whether those are technically correct terms I don't know. Back in the glory days of coal mining here in KY it was considered overburden. I think as profit margins have gotten smaller they no longer think of it as waste. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 Sub bituminous is its own type of coal. But those other names sound fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Found a source of stoker sized lignite for 110$ a ton. Expensive but it’s the right size to burn in a forge and is only an hour away instead of several hours like it would be to get from the mines. I’m thinking I’ll get some to try out. If I like it I’ll make the longer drive and buy in bulk for 39$ A ton from the mines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Get a guaranteed analysis with the sample. I think it's pretty high in sulfur etc. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 That would be interesting to see. I found a old analysis that’s probably too outdated to matter. But it’s of lignite from the same area. not sure how accurate this is now but here’s some numbers Carbon 65.56 Hydrogen 5.23 Sulphur .91 Nitrogen .87 Oxygen 21.08 Ash. 6.35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 Here the lignite I purchased. It’s fairly hard. Very black. Dry non oiled lignite from western North Dakota. The guy I purchased it from said there is little to no clinkers in his stove and not a lot of ash when burning it. I will test it and leave my opinion later on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 I wouldn’t advise using it. Only for one reason. Once its heated the coal crumbles into dust which is easily airborne and rather annoying. This was fixed when I added a stove pipe to the side. Almost like a side draft hood. If you had a proper side draft hood it would probably be useable. But I’m still not going to keep using it. But as a whole it got metal plenty hot. I was able to melt/burn and also forge weld some wrought iron in it. Without flux. So it’s plenty warm. It doesn’t burn terribly fast. A lot slower than charcoal but faster than other coals. I had no smoke. Other than a tiny bit when I first light it. A wood fire produces more often. There was no clinker. It does not convert to coke like bituminous would. overall the notion it doesn’t produce enough heat isn’t true in my experience. It’s pretty clean burning. More so than most of the bituminous I see people using in their forges. It’s perfectly useable but the flying chunks of coal are unpleasant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 I tried to forge with lignite, you can vut you need wood to to combine. That thing is like stone, it get hardly ignited and it hardly can get steel to yellow color, I can get it to red Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 With my lignite I could get it hot enough to burn steel on its own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 I don't know what is wrong with mine . It's like stone, you need a lot's of air blowing in fuel, and again you need to blow it in small pieces. It is realy hard to heat steel. On my picture i heated using lignite some 10 mm rod before, now it is harder i don't know why could be moisture.. And you have a lot's of smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Natkova: Where did you get your fuel? Was it sold as stove fuel? This sounds very unusual to me and I am wondering if you got a load of bad fuel. Lignite should be about as hard as a soft, non-resistant rock. It should not be like gravel. It should also burn fairly easily and get good and hot with an air blast to it. What you describe sounds almost like carbonaceous shale which is sometimes interbedded with coal and lignite in the ground. If it burns in a stove with just a natural draft it should get hot enough in a forge with a forced air blast to it. Keep experimenting and I hope you are successful. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 I agree. It doesn’t sound like lignite. The stuff I got was about as hard as sandstone. I can hit it with a propane torch and it will smolder in the open like a chunk of charcoal does Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Yes it.is for.wood stove. WE buy this coal for our stoves i can picture big chunk of it right now in my room As i remember lignite is realy old rotten wood mixed with soil Ita realy hard to forge with it I can get steel temperature get to red heat. But mode is harder. I sont know how much role chimney play. Mine chimney is just wood stove pipe that is 90angle knee than pipe three feet ling and again knee. I use leftovers from this chunk to forge. And this stiff make alots of clinkers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Yea that’s lignite alright. I must have higher quality lignite. I had very little smoke, enough heat to forge weld, and I get no clinkers. Weird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 15 hours ago, Justin Topp said: Yea that’s lignite alright. I must have higher quality lignite. I had very little smoke, enough heat to forge weld, and I get no clinkers. Weird I 15 hours ago, Justin Topp said: Yea that’s lignite alright. I must have higher quality lignite. I had very little smoke, enough heat to forge weld, and I get no clinkers. Weird Here is mine with lignite that I heated in summer https://www.iforgeiron.com/uploads/monthly_2020_05/zutaboja.mp4.648a08210497f86092acbe1355e9c7ff.mp4 VID_20201006_173345.mp4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Well hou can forge but it nees to be as Frosty said smaller than fingernail pieces of lignite. It looks frustrating to forge with but it tolerate air more than charcoal because coal lignite is heavier On 1/4/2021 at 4:47 AM, Justin Topp said: With my lignite I could get it hot enough to burn steel on its own. Is your forge bottom blast? Is there some deprh in your firepot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Topp Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 Yes my forge is bottom blast. My forge is about 4” deep. Coal was about 3/4” round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 On 2/13/2021 at 1:17 AM, Justin Topp said: Yes my forge is bottom blast. My forge is about 4” deep. Coal was about 3/4” round. Maybe bottom blast give better results with lignitr? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted November 2, 2021 Share Posted November 2, 2021 I might try bottom blast but need some "acrobacy" to make it. Maybe bend one pipe 90 degres but I will have problem with clinkerw and ash going in tube.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I will once again try with lignite i have it in tons. I buy charcoal but if i could use lignite too it will be exelent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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