Making Charcoal for the forge (video)

Discussion in 'Blades' started by Tango3, May 19, 2010.


  1. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

  2. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    I make charcoal in a much different manner. I use gallon paint buckets (available at the hardware store). I stack the buckets completely full of hardwood, packed as tight as I can get them inside the bucket. The top is then sealed and a single hole punched into the top with an ice-pick. The buckets are then place directly into the fire ( I use my fireplace in the winter). The wood is 100% turned into charcoal after the gasses stop burning from the vent hole in the top. Looks like that fellow got about three or four paint-buckets full of charcoal from a 55 gallon barrel and a lot more trouble.
     
  3. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

    Looks like it: Well if I hadn't posted that you woulda never shared your secret...I was impressed with the BTU output of charcoal vs mineral coal , Ii wrongly though there was a major difference in heat output.
     
  4. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Sea, I like the way you do it.

    Here's another way.
    Charcoal making - log and results
    As soon as I can move out of the city, I plan on trying to make my own charcoal. Heck I may go to the in-laws and see if I can do it there :) They love my BBQ so I'll just tell them I need to make the fuel so I can make them some ribs :)
     
  5. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    This is essentially the same method that I use only on a larger scale. He stopped his fire way too soon.
     
  6. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    There has to be a way to recover that lost heat. Maybe make the charcoal in the winter and somehow get the heat into the house?
     
  7. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Ghrit,
    If you notice he had 2 attempts on that page. The first one, his first attempt, and below that a successful 2nd attempt (along with modifications to his hardware)
     
  8. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Yup, saw that. Both times he burned fuel to make a different fuel suitable for a different purpose. That fuel was not wasted, per se, but it wasn't recovered either. I'm all about heat recovery if it can be done.

    Now I wonder, what changes might be made to outdoor wood furnaces that would allow charcoal generation in the winter? There are a lot of them in this area burning up sawmill waste and the like.
     
  9. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    That is precisely why I usually make charcoal in my fireplace. If I feel the need to make some when I don't need the heat, I'll do it on the pit and smoke a couple of shoulders (never a waste).
    btw: I never thought of charcoal as fuel per say, I use it to make gunpowder.
     
  10. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

    [applaud]
    I never thought of that thanks! I 'm not a knifemaker or' smith but I was thinking if we are gonna ride the roller coaster into the toilet, there will be plenty of steel stock laying about in the form of abandoned vehicles...wouldn't hurt to be able to turn it into useful (pointy?) things.
     
  11. pcc

    pcc Monkey+

    Thanks for posting the info,

    I've got a hickory tree that was blown down in a storm two years ago that I'll try seacowboys method on. I've just been using it for firewood and paying for charcoal.
     
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