How do you light coal?

T

TomW

Joined
Oct 7, 1998
Messages
1,128
Stupid question?
It might make me look a bit stupid to those that know but since I just don't know I have to ask.
I located a small coal forge in easily restorable condition. Small,
probably used for horseshoes. It has a hand crank squirrel cage blower'needs work and is kind of clam shaped about the size overall of a dinner platter.
I'd like to try a some small knife blades.
Discussing it with a friend he asked if I know how to light it and I have no idea nor does he.
OK gents what's the quickest or easiest way to get a small pile of coal like this up and cooking.
Any other tips on using a small forge like this would be appreciated.
We'd really like to try this little project. It looks like it could be a bit of fun. Definately an education.
Thanks
 
Er... same as a barbecue?
Lump of paper, alchool and match?
some small twigs may help, or using very fine pieces of coal.
The fastest way though is with the lighter tablets, those which stink of petroleum :)
 
Depends on the coal. Size of the chunks, hardness etc. makes a difference. Smaller bits -> greater surface area -> easier to burn, up to a point. Fines are a bit too fine, as they'll block the air getting in.

I can usually get coal up & running fairly easily with a couple of bits of screwed-up newspaper coupled with a good handful or two of kindling. Stuff the paper in the centre, stack the kindling around it & get that going. I know someone who is using charcoal to get coal lit to get coke burning.

LOX would work... :D ;)

Peter
 
I live on the edge of a pine forest, so guess what I have in abundance? Yep. I collect a couple huge metal trash cans full and keep them through the winter. Pine cones work great if you can get them because they have all that natural resin which starts flaming right away, and that added bonus is they smell fantastic!
 
Charcoal lighter fluid, kerosene, diesel, blow torch, flame thrower, napalm, Indian George's Heat Treat Relish.

Try it in that order and let us know which one works best...:D


Actually the first three should work fine, just don't add "fuel to the fire".

Craig
 
If the weather's dry I'll use dry leaves and twigs I pick up around the smithy. Just wad up a double handfull and set that on top of about 2" of either green coal or coke from the last fire. Of course you want it above the fire grate. I always save the coke from the last forging so I never run out. Just light the leaves at the bottom in front and supply a very gently stream of air from your blower until it gets going good. Then put some coke on top of the pile of leaves and crank like hell!

Another way that's very easy is to cut a strip of cardboard about 4" wide and at least a foot long. Make sure the channels in the cardboard are lined up across the width so the air will be able to blow through them. Anyway, roll the cardboard up real tight and then let it relax and unroll a bit. Then set that tube of cardboard (holding it together so it doesn't come uncurled) on top of that same 2" of coal or coke and pile coke or coal all around it as high as the top of the cardboard tube. Light the top of the cardboard tube and supply a very gentle stream of air from your blower. Just enough so it won't go out. The cardboard will burn slower and hotter than if you lit the bottom and by the time it burns up you'll have a good fire going. Works like a charm.
 
Is the coal used in a forge likely to soak up fuel if you keep a bucket of it in kerosene for starter chunks?
I guess I'm asking could you make it like the self starting charcoal they sell?
 
I don't know for sure Tom. But I'd guess the coal would absorb the kerosene pretty well. It would depend on the grade and type of coal I suppose. Most likely, any coal soaking in the kerosene would come apart so you'd prabably wind up with a bucket of coal sludge. That would still work fine though. I guess you'd want to keep a lid on that bucket and keep it away from the forge! :eek:
 
I heard of some folks using a propane torch to light their coal, but I never tried it. Seems like a wasteful thing IMO.
 
I use to burn coal to heat my house
I just started a wood fire in the middle of it and let the coal fall into it.
in other words start a wood fire and put coal up around it
and as the wood fire caves in on itself the coal falls in also,,,,

the wood coals will get it going good.:)
 
What is forge coal?
The guy that has the forge said I'd probably have trouble finding forge coal. All he can remember from 50 years ago is that his father didn't use the same coal as they did for the heating the house.
I was planing on having a friend that's a bioler man at a local factory bring me a couple bags from where he works. There are several tons still there since they converted to oil after WW2
Does it make much of a difference?
 
There are two types of coal, soft or bituminous , and hard or anthracite . Hard coal is cleaner burning used for heating the house . Soft contains volatile hydrocarbons thats what you use for the forge . Start it like Graymaker says.
 
Haven't used coal for a few years. A few times until I burnt the tip off my propane torch I used to stick it in the coal to get it lit. Worked good until I forgot I had done that. Only a $35.00 mistake. I do not miss my coal forge......
 
okay, tom,,,Im not a professional knife maker, nor do I say I know everything about a forge,,

However, for the last 2 years I have used a coal forge and I did have to learn how to start the coal on fire,,,sometimes in the rain,,,many times in a sub-zero blizzard.

the first trick I learned is the use of Barbeque fluid,,,,tons of it.....Next I learned to make a type of little silo for my coal to sit in while it catches fire....
http://eastof29.tripod.com/daqotahforge2/id4.html

In the end I learned to cut the bottom out of two coffee cans and stacked them. with a bit of paper under the lower can, (But not too much to block the air pipe)

Most of the time I would clean the fore of old coal and clinker, then set the first coffee can in place over the air pipe, I would add some newspaper, then a layer of coal,,,I would build the stack of coal untill I could add the 2nd coffee can on top, and add a bit more coal to that.

I would squirt in a bunch of BQ fluid, then slightly prop up the lower coffee can a 1/4 inch and use a hand torch to get the paper inside started on fire, then lower the can and turn on the air...

I usually got to welding heat within a couple of minutes....

Now you have to turn real lignite coal,,,,but thats another topic....
 
Caveat about diesel, naphta, paraffin and such.
They may contain fairly high amounts of sulphur. Make sure it has completely burned out or you risk poisoning your steel...
 
...or you could just switch to charcoal. Its cheap to make yourself, and probably the best forging fuel available. I used to work with coal all the time until I started fiddling around with charcoal just for kicks. Now when I don't use propane I use charcoal.
 
jhiggins
..."or you could just switch to charcoal"

yes,,,I had to for the last year before I went and got a gas forge.

For a while I had free unlimited amounts of real coal,,,then they caught me....

so I made the switch to charcoal...in some ways I found charcoal better to use,,,it was cleaner,,it started on fire faster,,,it did not need to be turned,,,there was very little smoke...

The down side was that you have to spend about $6 for a bag here in the winter,,and to forge one blade from 1&1/8 inch shaft took about 2 bags of Charcoal.(it adds up)

The other down side to useing charcoal that I ran into was all the little bits of red hot ash that are always in the air...the amount of sparks is huge, and this kept me from haveing the forge closer to the shop and out of the wind....I always had to keep the forge in the path of the wind so that I knew where the sparks were headed...(They would go up to 20 feet in the air at times)

Other than that, charcoal seemed to work fine for me
 
Best part about charcoal is that I can light it with my breath after a rough night of drinking. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top