Forging steel

[Cole]

Hello , I'm new here and I am interested in doing some forging at home. I have some steel and I have done some when I was a teenager in highschool, but I can't remember what to use for forging steel.
Can I use just plain old charcoal or do I have to find a source of coal ?

[John B]

Any fuel that will get the steel red hot will work

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Cole, glad to have ya.

If you'll do a little searching on IFI you'll find all kinds of threads about fuel: types, pros/cons, techniques, manufacture, where to get it, etc.

Brickettes aren't optimum but can be used. Lump charcoal is better, coal is good if it's good coal or the only coal you have, corn works well.

Then there are gas forges.

Frosty

[Steve Sells]

they both work, what kind of knives are you planning on making?

[kevin (the professor)]

Hello and Greetings,

from my understanding, the lump frrom briquetes is not good due to wax binders wanting to stick to and interact with steel.

Regular, plain charred wood is better.

I use gas forge, venturi style. Really simple and dependable, and friendly for the condo garage I work in.

If I was in other location, I would use charcoal made by me, or buy the stuff that is nothing but wood with extra's burned off. You can get small bags at megamarts, and large ones from restaurant supply places.

Welcome and happy forging,

Kevin

[Frosty]

There are a lot of myths about what is in briquettes but they're for cooking food for human consumptions so there are rules. There is no coal, no wax, no tar, no glue, etc. They are made from powdered charcoal (byproduct of wood alcohol production) with starch binders. The starch may be from various sources but most common is wheat starch.

Some briquettes used to be bound with kaolin clay and maybe some still are. The clay might, MIGHT interfere with a weld but seeing how many folk use dirt off the floor for flux I kind of doubt it's a problem.

The charcoal powder and starch binder is then compressed in molds under thousands of lbs/sq/in force.

The self lighting ones have a dose of accelerant but it too is "non-toxic" so long as you allow the briquettes to burn down properly. Seriously, who in their right mind is going to slap something on the grill while there is still flames and black smoke coming off the fire?

Okay, don't answer that.

Briquettes aren't the best but they work alright but you have to know a couple things about them and how they burn. First being very highly compressed they burn slowly, too slowly for most forge operations as they come from the bag. Especially if you want to weld.

To consume all the oxygen using whole briquettes you'd need a really deep fire, probably 6" or better. However, if you break them up into pea sized pieces this problem goes away because of the increased surface area.

They make a lot of flying ash because they're compressed powder so eye protection is a must if you're even close to the fire let alone forging.

The number one downside to using briquettes though is "real" smiths will laugh at you, even if you pull off perfect weld after perfect weld.

I'm not saying lump charcoal isn't a better fuel. I'm saying briquettes are NOT the horrible mistake to use urban legend makes them out to be.

Frosty

Edited February 17, 2009 by Frosty

[Rob Browne]

When I played with the BBQ charcoal lumps I found they burnt very quickly compared to the coal.

[Steve Sells]

tonight the History channel coverd Kingsford charcoal.


Burnt crushed wood scraps, powered Anthracite, corn starch,and clay.

[Frosty]

Anthracite, did Kingsford say so?

I'll have to see if it comes on again and watch.

Maybe I should E-mail Kingsford and some others. Forget what I said, if I find out different or when I get the straight skinny I'll post an update.

Frosty

[TASMITH]

Steve is right Frosty. They do add powdered coal to the mix when making briquet's.They also add a bit of limestone to the mix. That is what the white powder residue is that you see as they begin to burn and what is left over after the charcoal has burnt out.

Terry

[David Einhorn]

The bottom line is that most smithing is using what is called mild-steel or otherwise known as structural steel. It can be found in junk yards or local steel-yards. As for what type of steel to use for knives, I agree that the best thing to do is search for discussions of knife steel on this forum and educate yourself so that you can choose a steel that fits your needs. For fuel, your best bet is bituminous coal or a propane forge. Join your local blacksmithing guild and use their equipment to see what you like best, then you can make an educated decision. There is nothing more frustrating than spending a lot on a piece of equipment only to find out that you don't like using it!

[matt87]

Steve is right Frosty. They do add powdered coal to the mix when making briquet's.They also add a bit of limestone to the mix. That is what the white powder residue is that you see as they begin to burn and what is left over after the charcoal has burnt out.

Terry

Strange, the lumpwood I use must have limestone in it too! :p

[Steve Sells]

The briquettes we are talking about is not lump charcoal. but who knows maybe the UK has strange trees.

[Sask Mark]

I have been told that the coke produced by a local oil refinery is shipped to the U.S. for briquette production.

I have a pail of this coke that I am going to try in my forge this spring.