[TheForge] Frustratin first attempt

[GHS]

Try smaller pieces, forget about doing it neatly.
I use soft coal myself. Can't tell you about anthracite.
Otherwise sounds about right. My fire is usually in the 8 to 10 inch
around and deep area. Sometimes a bit longer than wide. Depending on
what I'm making.

My work is usually about 2/3 the way up from the bottom.

Mike Graf

WinnonaD wrote:

> I hate ta break up this fist fight over $%&$%#%@
> swearin with smithin talk, but I'z gonna anyway.....
>
> Whal, I guess I gotta find me a local smith who knows
> what he's doin �n' learn how ta build �n' manage a
> coal fire!
>
> Had a chance taday ta try out me new/old rivet forge
> �n' it didn't go so good :-(
>
> I posted up here awhile back that I knew how to LIGHT
> a coal fire but didn't know how to BUILD a smithin
> fire - hell, I been runnin steam engines since I waz a
> wee slip of a girl �n' kin light up a steamer with one
> paper match, a bit of kindlin, �n' have a 4x8 foot
> fire 6" deep in an hour!
>
> Anyway, I waz hopin some folks'd give me some pointers
> on how to start with an empty rivet forge, a pail full
> of 3/4" to 2" hard coal �n' end up with a useable
> smithin fire. (In all fairness, I did get one PM where
> the feller understood the difference between "lighting
> a fire" and "building a fire".) On the Mailing List,
> there waz a gadzillion posts about how to START a fire
> �n' not a single one on how to "lay-up" or construct a
> fire when you're startin with a empty pan.
>
> Anyhow, since it cooled off a bit taday �n' the lathe
> waz doin 45 minute passes on the cannon barrel, I
> figgered it waz time Calamity Jane tried �er hand at
> blacksmithin. I dug out me last washtub full o'
> "Pennsylvania Hard"'n' laid in about 4" in the pan,
> made a little hole over the tuyere �n' lit �er up
> (paper �n' a couppla sticks).
>
> It started out not too bad - nice little round fire
> �round the tuyere. Kind o' dug a trench inta the fire
> �cause the first task waz ta put a little spiral on
> the end of a piece of 1/2" square. Didn't take long ta
> get ta dull red but there weren't much coke yet, so it
> didn't get much hotter. Wazn't much I could do to pack
> (or tighten up) the fire �cause all I got is larger
> chunks.
>
> Then I notice the fire's tryin ta spread out along the
> bottom of the pan. Don't need a whole pan full o'
> fire, burnin up me nice coal to make waste heat, so I
> take me little squirt bottle (like fer waterin plants)
> �n' rein it in.
>
> Now every time I try movin coal toward the tuyere ta
> keep me fire tight, the whole blessed thang falls
> apart! Chunks of green coal fall in �n' the good stuff
> at the bottom gets buried - GRRRRRR!
>
> Guess maybe I gonna haffta get meself some fire bricks
> �n' make a fire pot with �em ta stop the fire from
> spreading out under the coal bed - watering seemed to
> cool the whole fire too much. Maybe I waz tryin ta run
> too small a fire (about 8" diameter).
>
> Figger I probably also need ta break up me coal into
> smaller chunks - gotta find a way ta do that without
> makin a holy mess!
>
> What else am I doin wrong (other than using coal
> instead of gas) ????
>
> OK, ya kin go back ta talkin 'bout "BS" agin....
>
> Calamity (who's too damned stubborn ta give up) Jane
>
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