[TheForge] Coal fire blues

Thu Dec 4 04:24:09 2003

I built and use a forge without a firepot. I like "duck's nest" forges as I
can place fire brick around the fire grate to form a "firepot" of the size
and shape I want.

Here's how I start a coal fire.

I break up my coal (I mine it myself) and screen out perhaps half a coffee
can's worth of pieces about 3/4" to start the fire with.

I cut a strip of cardboard about 1-11/2" wide and a foot or so long. I roll
it into a coil and let it spring open a little so there're perhaps 1/8" gaps
in the coil. (It isn't a precice thing, it just needs to let air through.)

I place the coil over the clean air grate and pile coal around it to a
height of an inch or two above it forming a crater. Around the outside of
this mound I pack the wetted fines and hold back a few handsfull of the 3/4"
pieces.

I light 2-3 stick matches and drop them into the cardboard coil and give it
a gentle blast till the coil lights. Once it lights I increase the blast and
cover it with the 3/4" pieces and cover this with wetted fines, leaving a
small opening at the top.

I use clean 3/4" coal on and next to the coil to allow air to pass freely
through it. It's not really necessary but it does speed the process up
considerably.

The cardboard burns hotter than paper and being in a coil makes it behave
like a torch. This is the fastest and easiest method I've ever tried.

Frosty
------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

----- Original Message -----
From: "TOOL GYPSY" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 1:57 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Coal fire blues

> 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 ,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
>
>
> I am the eggman I am the walrus coo coo cachoo
>
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