[TheForge] Merry Christmas everybody!

[Jerry Frost]

Yeah, coal is good. I didn't even get a lump this year! (gotta get badder I 
guess)

Last Christmas Deb gave me a goat carved out of coal. It didn't smell like a 
burning goat though. <grin>

I think I'm going to give up on burning coal, it's too expensive to ship in 
and the seam at the local mine is too weathered and clinkers right up. Ten 
years ago the Castle Mtn. coal was super, now I guess it's just absorbed too 
much dust and dirt. There's more to be had but I don't know how much 
overburden I'd have to go through to get at it and the energy co. that holds 
the lease wouldn't like me using an excavator.

I managed to scrounge up an old 500gl fuel tank I'm going to convert to a 
semi-direct, charcoal retort. If I can find a free 300gl tank I'll make an 
indirect retort and shop heater. We have 15 acres of forest I can woodlot 
for the rest of my life. Fuel prices being what they are we're burning wood 
in the house and I have a piece of 24" can pile for the shop stove.

Setting the retort up next to the shop or near it will mean I can use it for 
heat as well as making charcoal. Of course a 500 gl. shop stove might be a 
bit much so I'll adjust as necessary.

Gotta go.

Later,

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

Meadow Lakes, AK.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Childers" <munlaw2 at hcsmail.com>


Frosty,

Coal in ur stocking used to be considered a bad thing- Pa-in-law got me a
couple hundred #'s. S'posed to be good stuff..Any body know anything about
the coal around Ft. Scott Kansas?

Ron