[TheForge] Non-Spontanious Ignition. Lighting your forge on purpose.

[dan at irontreeworks.com]

you and me both Phlip  :)  Charcoal also doesn't piss off the merchant nextdoor

Katriona, my wife prefers it too so we can grill on the forge.

Danr
Quoting Saint Phlip <phlip at 99main.com>:

> Well, being a PROPERLY lazy blacksmith, back when I was lighting coal
> fires, I'd fire up some charcoal (a few briquets) and lay the coal on
> that. A bit of judicious air blasting, and I had a fire. However,
> remembering PROPERLY lazy ;-) it occered to me that coal was just too
> much work, so I switched to charcoal, and have been (mostly) using it
> ever since.
>
> It doesn't smell bad, it's easy to teach beginners on, and forge
> welding's a dream- and all it takes to light it is a light dousing
> with "boy scout water" and I'm not only up and running, but I can
> actually cook lunch over the fire, or brew coffee, or watever, without
> having it taste bad.
>
> On 9/8/06, Jerry Frost <frosty at customcpu.com> wrote:
> > It's been quite a while since a thread about lighting
> > your coal forge ran on the list. I'll kick it off with
> > my favorite method.
> >
> > I cut or tear a strip of cardboard about 1 1/2-2" wide
> > a foot or so long and roll it tightly. Then I place it
> > over the center of my air grate and allow it to spring
> > open a little. Ideally the gaps and cardboard are about
> > the same. I make a crater shaped mound of coal around
> > the coil to hold it in place then pile smallish chunks
> > on the coil. These need to be coarse enough air can
> > pass through them but I pile fines on the outside of
> > the mound to contain the air.
> >
> > Once I have it laid I drop 2-3 lit wooden matches into
> > the coil while giving it a real gentle blast, just
> > enough to keep the matches going but not blow them out.
> > This is, believe it or not, the trickiest part of the
> > whole process and a few drops of lighter fluid (scout
> > water <grin>) are an easy cure. As the cardboard coil
> > starts to burn I cover it completely in coarse 3/4" +/-
> > coal and increase the blast. Once the coal starts to
> > take I cover it with fines and give it the air.
> >
> > It takes longer to describe the technique than it takes
> > to start the fire.
> >
> > To get the fire ready for forging is a different matter
> > of course and depends entirely on personal preference
> > and what you're going to be doing.
> >
> > My like to coke up the day's coal in the morning rather
> > than have the smoke and flame with me all day.
> >
> > Frosty
> > -------------------------------
> > If it ain't forged
> > it ain't real.
> > Wrought iron is.
> > The FrostWorks
> >
> > Meadow Lakes, AK.
> >
> > http://www.artmetalradio.com/
> >
> > Wrom: HYUCDDJBLVLMHAALPT
> >
> >
> >
> > >
> > > Bob,
> > >
> > > Sounds fishy to me.  Wet coal, or dry coal, it is
> > > takes both heat and air
> > > to get it to burn.  That is the most frustrating part
> > > of working a coal
> > > forge.   My hats off to those who usually get the
> > > forge fire started with
> > > a single sheet of crumpled newspaper.  More than
> > > once, I resorted to a
> > > handful of match light brick-ets nested in forge
> > > when I needed the coal
> > > forge working without a big loss of time or
> > > embarassment.
> > >
> > > Wet hay can spontaneously combust because it gets a
> > > mold kind of reaction
> > > going that eventually heats the and dries the core
> > > enough to ignite.  I
> > > wouldn't be surprised to learn that the mold decomp
> > > process might even
> > > produce some combustable gasses.
> > >
> > > With coal,  the cellulose -  to - carbon change
> > > occured millions of years
> > > ago.
> > >
> > > Dann
> > >
> >
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>
> --
> Saint Phlip
>
> Heat it up
> Hit it hard
> Repent as necessary.
>
> Has anyone seen my temper?
> I seem to have misplaced it at Stalag XXXV....
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