1.How do you make charcoal? (The kind used in forges)
2.Will a forge sunk into the ground and partially built with firebricks work? And will it be legal or its it consitered a open fire?

I've written the backyard charcoaling technique thing a number of times, I think a simple search of the site will turn it up. Search "Charcoal Making." If not, let me know and I'll write it again. Heck, maybe I'll even get smart enough to save a copy. . .

Sure, all kinds of ways to make a forge and ground forges are fast, easy and adaptable. Legal?

It is in my neighborhood so long as there isn't a burn ban on. Your neighborhood? I have no idea, you'll have to ask your insurance Co. Fire marshal, police dept, maybe the town elders. That's entirely a local matter.

Frosty

Does BBQ charcoal work?

Those compressed beads kind of work but you had better have a good supply handy. You go through them at a VERY rapid rate.

Cheers

Just how many bags should i buy at a time :P

Totally depends on how much you are forging. (the how much question) Buy some, try it out, and then go from there. As to the forge, you might be better off stacking the firebricks like a japanese charcoal forge, so you can adjust the size of your forge. It's also specifically designed for using charcoal and is ridiculously simple to build (stack some bricks, stick in a blower). Or you can just dig a hole in the ground, stick a pipe in it and forge from there. The laws depend on where you are.

Barbeque briquettes don't really work. Well, they burn, but they cover your piece in icky clay stuff. Lump charcoal is what you want, you can probably buy it at you hardware store or your supermarket. It's wood with the smoke cooked off. twinoaksforge.com has a great tutorial on making charcoal.

be merry,
Archie

I have another question guys, how can you silence an anvil so the neighbors will not complain? Like make it so its does not make really much of a sound when you take a wack at it. Any is it the heavier the anvil the louder or the lighter?

Edited August 6, 200817 yr by AtomicForge

Making sure the anvil is tightly secured to the stump or anvil stand will help quiet some anvils. Taking a piece of chain and wrapping it 3 or 4 times around the waist or narrow part of the anvil really quiets mine down.

Some guys attach magnets to the sides or undersides of their anvil to absorb some of the vibration, making the anvil quieter.

My Peter Wright anvil is fairly quiet when I'm using the face.......a little louder on the heel........and much louder when I use the horn.

You might do some experiments and see what happens.........
Also, some anvils are just louder than others.

Can't you just use the anvil during the day or are there laws there about noise? Here we can do almost anything during the day, its just the night time that noise is monitored.

Here in the back country noise is not a problem as far as neighbors go. But think of your own hearing as well. Hearing aids are a pain in the back side. But I need em.
Finnr

If hearing aids are a pain in your REAR, you're putting them in WRONG!

Briquettes are "okay" for general forging but they're so densely compacted a lot of oxy gets past. If you break them into smaller pieces, say grape size you'll have much better results.

Lump charcoal is much better.

Some anvils are louder than others, especially the ones with narrow waists. While you can cut the ring down you won't get rid of it completely. James has covered most of the quieting techniques.

Frosty

Eh? Whatsay?
Finnr

If you are using a chunk or post-anvil, sinking it into a bucket of concrete totally deadens the sound.

also, make absolutely sure, whichever solid fuel you use, to bust it into pieces about the size of your thumbnail or thumb-digit. If you forge with big lumps of charcoal like it comes out of the bag, you won't get much heat at all. It also looks silly.

hey, guess what? I just found a company that makes briquettes out of real charcoal with a wheat binder, so no clay and limestone binders to stick to your metal. I tried'em and they seem to work really well when busted into thumbnail sized pieces. I learn something new everyday.

be merry,
Archie

I've found that natural wood charcoal works much better than briquets. The brand that I've used is called "Cowboy Charcoal." All natural, with no nasty fillers, and it's very easy to break into little pieces.

Good Luck,
-L

Archie: Tell me more about this charcoal I do dutchoven cooking and this sounds great with out all the crud. William

The design and construction of the anvil determines how loud it is.

American styled anvils with long horns and heels tend to be louder due to the tuning fork effect.

However anvils made with a tool steel face and cast iron body---like Fishers or Vulcans are very quiet, they don't ring so much as thud making them good choices for smithing in the burbs.

Most any anvil can be mounted so it doesn't ring as much.

Eh? Whatsay?
Finnr

I SAID YOUR H E A R I N G . . . STINKS!

Frosty

Triw, the briquettes I can get are called "Rancher Briquettes" and the bag says they're just charcoal squished with a wheat binder, so there's no crud. I can get'em in 20 lb bags from the local grocery store.

Actually all but the absolutely cheapest briquettes are nothing but powdered charcoal and a cellulose binder. Heck, even the super cheapo brands may have done away with clay binder by now.

The real problem with briquettes is they're too hard and too large. The hardness isn't nearly as much problem as the size. You either have to break them up or have a ridiculously deep fire.

I have seen guys routinely weld in briquette fires though.

Lump is still much better.

Frosty