[TheForge] Fire pot depth - opinions wanted

Sat Feb 9 15:06:01 2002

Adam, I never put water on the fire to control it or to extinguish it.  The
coal used has very little fines.  It is my understanding that if there are a
lot of fines, then, they do need to be mixed with water to make them stick
together and coke up rather than blow around etc.  In this area of the world
most of the coal used is washed and screened (large size screen is 1 1/8" if
I remember right) so very little fines.  It is supposedly Pocahontas #3 and
comes from West Virginia.  In this area we have had Peter Ross, Tom Ryan,
Bob Patrick, and others great smiths demonstrate.  They liked the coal and
none of them used water to control the fire or put it out.  To put the fire
out, the coke and coal is just scraped out on to the forge table and in 15
to 30 minutes, the fires are out.  Many years ago the smiths in this area
got their coal from Colorado.  It was mostly fines and was mixed with water
to keep it all together.  That coal is no longer available and the area
smiths have switched to the current coal for which water is a nuisance and
has been known to crack a fire pot or two.  The only certain thing about
blacksmithing is that no two smiths do smithing the same way, yet they can
both attain good results.  When another smith is using my forge, I do
appreciate it if he asks if I mind if he uses water to control the fire.

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Adam Whiteson" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2002 10:55 AM
Subject: Re: Re: [TheForge] Fire pot depth - opinions wanted

> How does one manage a coal fire without wetting the coal?
>
> Thanks, Adam
>
> At 01:36 PM 2/8/2002 -0600, you wrote:
> >Phil, you have one of the old ones and they must be better.  Old is
always
> >better, you know!  My experience comes from the one I burned out which
took
> >about 3 years and from a friends who's also took about 3 years.  I still
> >like the firepot well enough that I keep a spare on hand.  We do not put
> >water on our coal, so that is not the cause of the burn out.  I've heard
> >smiths at the Ozark Conference say that they quit using water on their
coal
> >due to the frequency of burnouts or cracking with the Centaur pot.  Now
that
> >is not a lot of experience on my part with them, but it is my experience
of
> >2 burnouts for 2 pots.  I could publish a picture of the last one that
> >burned out if you want.  It burned a silver $ sized hole in the center of
> >one of the big flat sides.
> >
> >Dick
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Phil Rosche" <[email protected]>
> >To: <[email protected]>
> >Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 5:42 AM
> >Subject: Re: Re: [TheForge] Fire pot depth - opinions wanted - YAK
> >
> >
> > > Dick:
> > >
> > > My Centaur Vulcan is about 20 years old.  When can I expect for it to
burn
> >out?  I'd like to have another one on hand.
> > >
> > > Phil
> > >
> > > > Deep pots are, for the long term, overcome with a more powerful fan
> >rather
> > > > than putting the iron down in the pot.  For the relatively small
items I
> > > > make, I like a 4 1/2" deep pot.  Great for burning the oxygen out of
the
> > > > fire and for forge welding.  I like the Centaur high powered blower
and
> > > > wouldn't use anything less, unless I didn't have one.  I also like
the
> >depth
> > > > and size of the standard Centaur fire pot.  They are about 4 1/2 "
deep
> >if
> > > > you plug up the end depressions which I do.  The big problem with
the
> > > > Centaur fire pot is that they are thin, approx. 3/8" and burn out
much
> > > > quicker than some of the 3/4" thick ones.  The last firepot I made
to
> >the
> > > > size of the Centaur and made it out of mild steel  5/8" for the big
flat
> > > > sides and 3/8" for the bottom and ends.  Again, here is my 2 cents
> >worth.
> > > >
> > > > Dick
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "wmullett" <[email protected]>
> > > > To: <[email protected]>
> > > > Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2002 6:50 PM
> > > > Subject: RE: [TheForge] Fire pot depth - opinions wanted
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > Actually, I think too deep is a problem.  If the pot is deep you
end
> >up
> > > > with
> > > > > your stock at an angle and one end is always in a bad area.  If
the
> >sides
> > > > > aren't cut down already, you'll end up doing it.
> > > > >
> > > > > On the other hand, if the pot is shallow and as Bruce says, you
can
> >always
> > > > > make it deeper by adding brick around the sides or just mounding
up
> >your
> > > > > coal.
> > > > >
> > > > > Walt
> > > > >
> > > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > > From: [email protected]
> > > > > > [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Bruce
Freeman
> > > > > > Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2002 8:56 AM
> > > > > > To: [email protected]
> > > > > > Subject: Re: [TheForge] Fire pot depth - opinions wanted
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I've successfully worked small stock (not over 3/4" thick)
> > > > > > over pots ranging from 2" to 6" deep.  It's not the depth of
> > > > > > the pot but the depth of the coal.  A flat table with a
> > > > > > tuyere pipe would do fine if you piled the coal up high
> > > > > > enough for the work at hand.  Put a few firebricks around the
> > > > > > coal to keep it from spreading across the table and you don't
> > > > > > need a pot at all.
> > > > > > Bruce Freeman
> > > > > >
> > > > > > >>> Frederick Faller <[email protected]> 02/06/02 05:43PM >>>
> > > > > > OK folks, what is the best depth for a forge firepot.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Please support your opinions with reasons :-)
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Frederick Faller
> > > > > >
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