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Here is a special tool I made to help me with managing my charcoal forge.
This tool is called a swab.
When using solid fuels like coal, coke, charcoal, and anthracite it is important to maintain the fire, keeping it nice and hot, but also in check. What is wanted is a mound of fuel the size of of a watermelon or cantaloupe (depending on size of stock you're heating up) and the inner portion the size of two fists or a soft ball.
The goal is to keep the whole outer mound wet and cooler than the inside. It will act like an insulator that will keep the heat in while the inner hearth is hot and bright, but confined.
As the fuel is heated up and used it will dry out the outer mound and potentially leave you with an entire mass of fuel that is burning up and being wasted. This swab is meant to keep that mound in check so you don't waste your fuel that you spent time making or money buying.
This tool is called a swab.
When using solid fuels like coal, coke, charcoal, and anthracite it is important to maintain the fire, keeping it nice and hot, but also in check. What is wanted is a mound of fuel the size of of a watermelon or cantaloupe (depending on size of stock you're heating up) and the inner portion the size of two fists or a soft ball.
The goal is to keep the whole outer mound wet and cooler than the inside. It will act like an insulator that will keep the heat in while the inner hearth is hot and bright, but confined.
As the fuel is heated up and used it will dry out the outer mound and potentially leave you with an entire mass of fuel that is burning up and being wasted. This swab is meant to keep that mound in check so you don't waste your fuel that you spent time making or money buying.
Category Crafting / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1800 x 1150px
File Size 2.64 MB
I've seen smiths put a ring of thin steel over their air grate that's the size of the fire they intend to keep and then pour small amounts of water on the fuel outside the ring to keep it wet and halt any burning that may have starte. This allowed them to fill the whole forge with fuel to rake in as needed without having everything burn away. Granted, this works for smaller pieces and the ring can be removed or replaced as needed while firing using tongs. The steel ring is thin, typically 1/16" to 1/8", and eventually burns away but it is made from cheap metal so replacing it is not expensive. It also tends to convert the fuel immediately outside the ring to coke if coal is used as a fuel, which is great for lighting the next fire.
I've never heard of this before. Usually when you work with coal you wet the coal and its fine particulates until it's a sloppy wet slurry and you mound that up around and put already burnt coal or coke in the center for the main fuel and then rake in as you go with it slowly coking up.
I use charcoal and I might not want to use coal anymore because I have had a better time with it. Especially not having to deal with clinker.
I use charcoal and I might not want to use coal anymore because I have had a better time with it. Especially not having to deal with clinker.
Clinker, the bane of smiths everywhere. Even the little ones are annoying. The coal I have doesn't turn into a slurry in water and doesn't have very many fine particulates in it. I was told that it was high quality and I believe it so maybe the steel ring works better with certain fuels than others.
Speaking of fuels, do you know how much more fuel you use with charcoal than you had with coal? I know that, properly made, charcoal burns hot and clean, and you can always grow more.
Speaking of fuels, do you know how much more fuel you use with charcoal than you had with coal? I know that, properly made, charcoal burns hot and clean, and you can always grow more.
Oh, you heard correctly. You have to almost constantly tend to the fire. Once it does get hot, you get periods of time when you can leave it be for several heats, but then it will need a bit of tending. You keep doing this until you either run out of coal or run out of stock metal.
I first got started as a teenager, somewhat by accident, when I was using a steel rod as a fire poker with a wood bonfire and got it about cherry red. Using a block of wood as an anvil and the back of a hatchet, I was able to bend a hook into the end of the rod and a bit of a handle at the other end to make my fire tending duties a bit easier. I practiced on and off for several years. I have nothing to show for it these past several years, but I always enjoy seeing the work of other smiths.
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