[TheForge] coal or charcoal

[Peter Hirst]

2 times the charcoal?  By volume, maybe, not by weight.  Same is true for 
coke:  its less dense.  But weight --i.e., mass -- is the critical 
comparison.

A couple of other things to condier about charcoal.  Think of it as 
bio-fuel. It outs to use energy that would otherwise be wasted in the 
natural process of decomposition.  And it returns carbon to the atmosphere 
that (1) was rcently captured, and (2) would also have gone back in 
decomposition, largely as CO2.  By virtue of these facts, its carbon impact 
on the environment is zero.  Add to that the fact that every joule of energy 
used from charcoal displaces one from a fossil fuel, and you have a net 
negative carbon impact.  The more efficiently the charcoal is produced (i.e. 
by retort rather than coal mound) the greater this gain.  Add to THAT, if 
your wood source is a properly managed wood lot, you are increasing the 
health, vigor and growth rate of the lot, sucking still MORE carbon out of 
the atmosphere.

In restoring the historic shop I am working on, I am including a proposal 
for woodlot management as the sole source of fuel (aside from the frying oil 
for the lamps).  With a system that includes a properly managed retort, I 
can heat the shop, light the fires, brew the coffee, and enjoy an unlimited 
supply of free fuel.  While flipping  Exxon-Mobil and Nstar the bird.

I plan to be selling carbon credits from free charcoal to anyone who needs 
them to burn five-hundred-dollar coal.

Keziah

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Allen Ortery" <bluestoneforge at gmail.com>
To: <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 10:21 AM
Subject: [TheForge] coal or charcoal


> Elmer roush uses charcoal for everything,also uses gas. I have seen
> him forge broad axes in charcoal so if you have a sorce for the wood
> to make your own it will work well. i think you will use 2x the
> charcoal as you would use coal
> Allen
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