[TheForge] water on the fire and how much fuel?

[Mike Linn]

I use water also, (most of the time). But what it does is help the coke 
stick together. I prefer fines and thumb nail sized coal, the water helps 
all this stick together. I use the finer coal because the coke is not a 
hard and can be busted up easier when placing work in the fire.

The key to firepot protection (and general fire tending) is to keep green 
coal on the sides of the pot. You should feed new coal from the sides and 
in to the center. I use a poker to keep green coal pushed down along the 
sides and that pushes the newly made coke to the center of the fire.

With proper fire maintenance a firepot should last many lifetimes. I've 
even found unburned newspaper in the corner of my firepot after an all day 
forging marathon.

mike

At 09:40 PM 7/7/02 -0400, you wrote:
>I do use water... and have been told I was wrong for doing so. I have also
>used wet coal and been told that was wrong. At times I am unsure of what is
>right or wrong. I like to use a tin can on a metal handle and a Tennessee
>Valve (a couple of holes half way up in an upside down triangle I think) to
>put water around the coal on the outside. I was told by a friend it protects
>the firepot from burning...but then it also produces a few steam burns to the
>hand :>)
>
>             Ted Jones
>

         Michael Linn
       Artist Blacksmith
      McCalla, Alabama
       AFC Webmaster
http://afc.abana-chapter.com