[TheForge] Making Charcoal

[Dave Smucker]

Charcoal, can be made with little trouble in a 55 gallon drum.  Drums with tops that can be removed are best but, you can still cut out an end and make them work.  One of our local smith makes all of the charcoal he needs that way.  He gets hardwood drops from a local cabinet shop and also from the John C. Campbell Folk School woodworking scrap.  He uses a controlled burn with air in at the bottom and exhaust out the top.  Makes all the fuel he needs  with a 2 drum set up and not too much labor.  I think the burn time is about 2 to 3 days.  Lots of on line info on making charcoal - just google.

Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: TheForge [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bruce .
Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2016 9:06 AM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Making Charcoal

Interesting.  Well, if Wally can make charcoal with a completely uncovered wood "pit" (i.e., pile), why not just a loose sheet-metal cover to reduce air exposure, and maybe "mud up" most of the openings between sheets?
Maybe wet, muddy cloth instead of just mud, to make it stick better to the hot metal?  Just thinking out loud here.

Bruce
NJ

On Sun, Feb 21, 2016 at 7:43 AM, Albin <dski1045 at qis.net> wrote:

> Here is another video of "primitive" charcoal making.  Wally does use 
> a blue tarp to keep the wood pile dry until the day of the firing.  
> Also, all of the plastic buckets of water when it comes time to douse the fire.
> Probably not the most efficient when it comes to the ratio of wood to 
> charcoal realized, but think of the labor it would have taken to cover 
> that size pile with mud.
>
> Wally is a very big advocate of using charcoal to forge.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-jz0C-OgZ4
>
>
> Respectfully,
> Albin
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Michael via TheForge" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2016 7:04 AM
> To: <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Cc: <newenglandforge at aol.com>
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Making Charcoal
>
>
>
>> Interesting.  They are currently exploring what appears to be a late 
>> 15th/early 16th Century iron foundry, about 20 miles southwest of Boston.
>> The abundance of charcoal in and around the stone buildings was the 
>> first tip off as to it's nature.  Apparently it was fairly common for 
>> smiths of the day to "illegally" make iron for their own use, due to 
>> high taxes imposed on iron being supplied by England, along with an irregular supply.
>> The site is/was well hidden a short distance from the Charles River.
>> Mike
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Bruce . <freemab222 at gmail.com>
>> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>> Sent: Sun, Feb 21, 2016 4:35 am
>> Subject: [TheForge] Making Charcoal
>>
>> A video on making charcoal with NO technology.  His only concessions 
>> to the modern world are a camera and a pair of pants (for which I am 
>> appreciative)!  A little extreme, perhaps, but it makes it clear that 
>> it CAN be done by anybody with the knowledge.  A 5-minute flick, the 
>> essence of which you can get in about 2 min by skipping ahead.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzLvqCTvOQY
>>
>> Bruce
>> NJ
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