Fw: [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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