[TheForge] Coal fire blues

[Andy Vida]

TOOL GYPSY wrote:
> 
> Hello Mr Smith
> I would like to know how one should go about lighting a coal fire in
> a forge with no tuyere pot
> and the air coming up from below, with green coal

	If I read you correctly you have a forge that is flat-
	bottomed with a tuyere, presumably in the middle, like
	a rivet forge.  I'm not a big fam of this configuration
	as the fires seem, at least to me, to be harder to
	manage, but it may be my lack of experience.

	Anyhow, green coal is easier to start than coke, so you
	should have less trouble in that respect.  The procedure
	that works well for me it to take perhaps half dozen
	full sheets of newspaper and make a ball about 6 inches
	in diameter.  Place over tuyere, light, and provide very
	light blast to get it going.  Once the ball is buring
	alright, pile green coal all around and over the ball.
	Be gentle so as not to snuff the fire.  At this stage
	I would not put more than a 2" layer of green coal over	
	the top of the burning ball.  This will ensure that the
	coal cokes up nicely.  You will see a greenish yellow
	gas emanation from the coal as the various volatile
	components escape.  If those gases don't burn as they
	escape, you may have too little blast.  Use just enough
	to keep those volatiles combusting. 
	
	As the coal cokes up, the individual pieces will knit
	together.  You will almost certianly need to poke a hole 
	in the top of the heap with a poker so that the fire
	can "breathe".  Reduce your blast before doing this as
	the sudden clearing of a larger escape path for the blast
	could result in a sudden jet of VERY hot gasses that can
	burn the hell out your hands.  Such will NOT be fun even
	in the smallest measure.

	If you watch the green coal, you will see that it appears
	to melt and expand as it cokes up.  Once this largely stops
	and the heavy outgassing ceases, you are probably ready to
	rock and roll.

	As for size, this depends on what you will be forging,
	usually in terms of size.  Beginners often build their
	fires WAY too big.  If you're making nails, you don't
	need a red heat mass a foot in diameter, but perhaps
	five inches or even less.  You will learn to size your
	fires as you gain experience, probably sooner than later
	if you are paying attention.

> ,and also what depth to
> pile the coal for the best results(non oxidizing ).All the books i read seem
> to deal with a tuyere pot and everyone also seems to have a supply of coke
> on hand to start the fire.Not me i just got the green.
>                                                      Thanks  yall
>                                                                Paddy P the
> wannabe

	Best wishes!

	-Andy