Ozbow

A mate of mine wants coke (thats for his forge, not his nose ) up near Cairns way, any ideas of suppliers/source?

Mate I have a link somewhere on how to make it and its real easy if you want me to try and find it.
Its charcoal but works just as well or so the experts say.
Cheers KIM

Yes please. I will give it a go myself for the fun of it (not during fire season though). I have tried to make charcoal like they used to with an earth clamp back in the UK years ago but most just burned! Its hard to control the heat and know the timing without years of experience so any links that may help would be welcome.

It was on utube under making charcoal and was very simple just filling a 44 full of wood and when it was well alight put a tight lid on it and come back the next day I think and it was all charcoal.I will try to find it for you.
Cheers KIM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzMdHB7Q ... 56&index=6

Is this what your after?

I have made many batches of charcoal in a 44. I remember my first experience as I was admiring the huge quantities of smoke generated when the wind changed direction and filled the house with smoke through nooks and crannies I never knew existed. I really do mean filled the house with smoke. On this day I was reminded of what a great wife I have as she took it well and laughed about another one of my crazy projects.

Due to the smoke factor, I would not recommend a charcoal burn in the suburbs. I even felt a bit conspicuous on a 40 acre block.

One drum full of timber makes about 1/2 a drum of charcoal.

The plus side to charcoal is that it burns really hot, lights up easier than coke and gives clean welds.

The down side is that what I can do with a handful of coke is done with a bucket of charcoal.

For general foging, I usually work with a mixture of coke and charcoal. The slow burning coke keeps a good structure in the fire.

Steve

What might coke be while on this subject ?

Its a type of coal mate.
Cheers KIM

When you heat wood and drive off the volatile/flammable gases you make charcoal.

When you heat coal and drive of the volatile/flammable gases you make coke

Coal is to wood, as Coke is to charcoal.

A blacksmith using coal is actually converting that coal into coke in the edges of the working fire. The actual fire is burning coke. Adding water to the hot burning coal assists in driving of the volatiles and converts it to coke more readily as well as preventing the fire from growing to large and consuming valuable fuel. As you sprinkle your coal or coke fire with water, you can smell varying degrees of sulfur gases being driven off depending on the quality/source of your fuel.

Have a look at this website http://www.twinoaksforge.com and have a look at how you can cleverly use the volatile gases to make the process more efficient. Let if be known also that cars have been modified to run of wood gas also.

Steve

Understood

Ok, pardon my ignorance, but I don't get it. How is it that wood already burnt into charcoal (carbon?), burns hotter? I know the question is stupid as these products are used everyday and obviously work, but I really don't understand how this can work, and how it was discovered?

It was probably discovered a long time ago by chance and observation as fire is a basic human tool. Charcoal burns hotter than wood as the tars and other substances in wood including water are already driven off and the resultant combustion of the carbon in oxygen is purera nd produces more heat. So with an oxygen forced (air) draft from bellows the carbon burns hotter still for heating the iron to a workable state. Charcoal is also a reducing agent and draws oxygen from impurities in the iron which would then make it less likely to corrode. But that is the limit of my school-day memories Craig, it was forty plus years ago I learnt all that and I was surely day-dreaming instead of concentrating anyway!