[TheForge] Pet Colk

[Bruce .]

(I've decided to revert to archaic spelling rather than invent a new one.
See previous thread "coak" if you don't know what I'm taking about )

​Mike:

NJBA has been using some colk we purchased (cheap) from the Pine Creek RR
(q.v.) because it burned too hot for their steam boilers (so I heard).  I
have long suspected that it's pet colk, but don't know.  It comes as
large-fist​-sized chunks that must be broken up before use (tho some lazy
smiths try to get away without doing so).  It burns hot and clean, but is
rather more trouble to get started than is coal.

We break up the chunks of this colk with a quick blow with a hammer.  It's
fairly brittle so breaks easily.  The main problem is it scatters 360* when
it does.  I once rigged a cardboard box with a steel plate in the bottom
which I put on the Grasshopper Treadle Hammer.  Properly configured, a
fuller tool would crack the colk chunk nicely.  The box retained the small
chunks and crumbs.

I always figured that what was needed was a steel box with a chute below to
feed the small stuff to a bin, and a hopper above to feed chunks to the
hammer -- tho the latter would be optional.

Marshall (who owns the shop) thought we should put a piece of heavy bar
grate (https://img3.fastenal.com/productimages/0952541_hr4c.jpg)
over a bin, spread the colk on top, and stomp it with (
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-raVX61aZypuCsBBG2ceMh7F1kJqNjx999ftEflLh-98J0t5P
).
No doubt that would have been faster, but we never even tried it, whereas I
did try the treadle hammer approach.  I just never built a permanent device.

It's rather moot for us because we're giving away this fuel to those who
attend our open forge meet.  THEY're the ones who have to break it up for
use.

Never got around to building such a thing

Bruce
NJ

I have this vague recollection that there is an abundant and
> superfluous supply of pet coke in certain places that the owners are
> eager to get rid of.  And a similar recollection that it tends to come
> in suitcase-sized chunks and be very hard -- much harder than lumpy
> bituminous coal -- to break up and is much harder to get burning well.
>
> So is pet coke something that might be had for the cost of fetching it
> and finding a way to crush it into pea size?   Would it be worth the
> trouble?  This:
>
>     http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/temp/crusher.html
>
> was not adequate for production crushing. :-)
>
>
> - Mike
>
> --
> Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~.
>                                                            /V\
> mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
> http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^
>
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