[TheForge] Coal Forges - lets try this again

[Mike Linn]

I can only speak to the way I was taught.. and that is to keep the 
fire away from the pot wall. "Always feed the fire from the side"

The green coal acts as an insulator and protects and cools the 
pot..  as the coke is consumed you move the coal/coke to the center 
from the sides..

I learned from some who were around at ABANAs formation.. who have 
been smithing for nearly 40 years.. I figure they have picked up a 
thing or two..

mike




At 05:18 PM 7/4/2007, you wrote:
>Mike, I have never heard of "not letting the fire get into the pot", but
>then I have not seen everything.  Do you know of anyone else that attempts
>to do that?  I will have to say, I've never seen it done and I've watched
>hundreds of blacksmiths, some of them were the best in the country.
>
>I think it is standard practice to have only coke in and above the firepot
>except for the green coal being converted to coke as is being pushed toward
>the center trough ( above the firepot).
>
>I will agree that occasionally I push green coal down into a portion of the
>firepot to fill a void, but not close to any iron being heated.  And I agree
>a fire should be fed from the sides by pushing green coal toward the firepot
>as the coke is burned up in order to form new coke.
>
>If there is coke in the firepot, it will quickly catch fire.
>
>The air blast keeps the bottom of the firepot from burning out and sometimes
>there is unburned paper there if the fire is small and of short duration.
>If clinker falls to the bottom (typical) the paper burns.
>


            Mike Linn
      Artist Blacksmith
         McCalla, AL


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