[TheForge] question regarding depth of charcoal forge

[Washington, Aubrey O.]

I'm not criticizing the use of charcoal for forging.  I'm just suggesting awareness of where yours comes from and at what price.  Same awareness is appropriate with coal and propane.  All human activity has a price.
 
Aubrey

________________________________

From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net on behalf of Saint Phlip
Sent: Wed 7/11/2007 6:38 PM
To: Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] question regarding depth of charcoal forge



Umm, my charcoal isn't made from mesquite plants. Generally it's from
northern hardwoods.

On 7/11/07, Grant Marcoux <gblacksmith at alamedanet.net> wrote:
> 4" deep is good....you need to be able to maintain a proper neutral layer
> for good welding.  I have found that a 4" deep firepot is fine for charcoal
> fires in this regard as the air blast, properly managed, is far enough from
> the work piece to prevent oxidation.  Tis a great fuel for welding...I have
> gotten good results in shallow pots with it.
>
> I have also been told that charcoal is not an eco-friendly fuel; not because
> of the way it burns, but that the Mexican mesquite/chaparral plant community
> it is made from is basically forcibly uprooted in the desert environments it
> grows in by vehicles towing big plows/rakes of a sort.  It is said that many
> animals are displaced and killed by this harvest method.  I have not seen
> this first hand, but have been told of it by folks in a position to know.
>
> Maybe someone out there knows more about this than I do.  I would like to
> know the truth of the issue, as I have minimized my purchases of charcoal
> for this reason.
>
> Grant
>

--
Saint Phlip

Heat it up
Hit it hard
Repent as necessary.

Priorities:

It's the smith who makes the tools, not the tools which make the smith.

Blessed be the self-righteous, for they shall inherit themselves.
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