[TheForge] Water on your coal forge fire?

[gblacksmith]

Dave/Interested parties:  The use of water, in my experience, is limited to
the coal around the fire, rather than directly in it.  This is used to slow
the ignition of the reserve coal surrounding your fire.  It is also done by
some when they want a closed fire. They heap wet coal on the fire to form a
roof.

I use a paste of coal and water to form the roof of my closed fire, as the
presence of steam from excessive water tends to scale and pit tool steels,
in my experience.

It is said by some that introducing water into the area too near the fire
risks cracking your firepot, though I have not seen this first hand.

I prefer the slurry/paste technique.


Grant


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David E. Smucker" <davesmucker at hotmail.com>
To: "AAA TheForge AAA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2004 2:19 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Water on your coal forge fire?


> I am looking for information on the subject of using water on your coal
> forge fire for a future article for the AACB Newsletter.
>
>
>
> Many folks do not use water or at most just a little bit - while others
use
> quite a bit.  Why?  In our part of the country smiths who spent time with
> Francis during their formative years seem to use quite a bit of water to
> control their fire while many others I have watch do not.
>
>
>
> I have read statements by some self-appointed blacksmith experts that
> putting water on your fire is stupid because it just wastes BTUs.  Is this
> really the case?  I don't think it is a waste of BTUs because I feel it
aids
> in the production of coke.  Coke is what we really want to burn in our
forge
> because of its high local BTU output and clean fire.  (If forming coke
were
> just a waste of BTUs the steel industry would not go to all of the trouble
> of making coke - they would just use coal.)
>
>
>
> I am also interested in the chemical reaction of water on hot / burning
> coal.  It generates CO as a gas (blue flame) and at one time was used as a
> production method for "town gas" before the wide spread availability of
> natural gas (methane).
>
>
>
> How many of you use water on your fire and how much.  Why?
>
>
>
> And I all ready know that most of you don't use much water in your propane
> forges.
>
>
>
> Dave Smucker
>
> Editor, AACB newsletter
>
>
>
>
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