@@farminglifeaustralia6716 I have two 55 gallon drums. The tops were cut out to make trash burning cans. Think I will join them together to make your design longer. Trying to get by with what I have on hand.
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 You going to make a video of it. Love to see your handy work! Watched your rust removing. I use that trick. Adding the vinegar.
@@charlescoker7752 Yes I will make a video I have been collecting a big pile of wood to make the char just have to weld the new gadget up and I will be away. John
This has come at a right time as I was contemplating the approach to use (Pit, double barrels etc). This is relatively cheap and easier for a villager in Africa where I am. Thanks for this.
I like this idea and will use it in Tunisia where they have plenty of wood from olives and dates trees. Also plenty of unemployed people. I will make many drum burners, hire people to tend to the fires, also use the drums to innoculate the biochar..they have plenty of farm animal manure too. Instead of buying those expensive factory made burners, this method generates jobs. The biochar can be crushed (the same labor can do it while tending to the fires), and will be used on farms we plan acquire. A more ambitious idea is to use the biochar in combination with sawdust, rock dust, shredded leaves, etc. to convert sandy soil to fertile soil.
Yes I am trying to do the same thing but I have no labour other than my own so I have to rely on machinery up to a point. The other thing about expensive inorganic fertiliser is that eventually it ruins the natural microbes and make up of the soil. Biochar makes the soil better the longer it is in use. John
Idk. Yes it's great to create jobs and id imagine in africa you could hire a lot more people or pay less for labor. But machines are nice. I made charcoal and ran it over with a pickup and it was fine. But if i got into making a lot of it itd be WORTH it to buy a crusher or build even a knockoff gold crusher i saw. To get uniform quarter inch or smaller charcoal would help a ton in making it mix better with the soil quicker. And don't forget worms in your mix. One company in cali sells a charcoal in ton bags i believe and you can get 25% of it as worm castings mixed in so when it's spread on farms its ready to go since theres lot of veggie gardens there. The other thing is you need machines if you want to turn your charcoal into activated carbon. Cooking charcoal in a study i saw absorbed like 10 parts of iodine, charcoal made in high heat absorded like 30 but actived carbon was like 80 or something. Activated carbon has a super high absorption capacity, and might be economically worth it when you consider it'll be in the soil for well over a century.
What I like most about Australians is that they are always friendly, natural and uncomplicated, and find quick and easy solutions to all tasks. Too bad I’ve never been to Australia before. Thank you!
I echo John Dorian's comment. This is easily the best method I've seen on RUclips. Cheap, easy, effective and yields way more biochar or charcoal than anything else I've seen. I have an old charcoal grill I'm going to use and people pay you to haul away cut up oak and pecan trees around here. I might be starting another little side hustle selling biochar! Thanks mate.
Yeah Garry its an easy system I get good returns with it and its very cheap. I have tried other double drum systems and they work good and you can set them up and forget them until the next day but you don't get as much char out of them and they are a pain to unload, its really personal preference and I enjoy the process of having the fire going and pottering around while doing it. John
Fantastic! Thank you from Alaska. I made some accidentally last summer in a 4' concrete ring I decided to use as a fire pit. After watching this it makes sense why it happened. We have beetle kill spruce trees everywhere and now I know what to do with them.
I learn alot from your presentation, i would say its simple and completely doable . Your step to step instructions is precise and i could easily comprehend. I plan to use your method as compared to all the others that i have seen. Thank you very much for sharing. God Bless You.
G'day John Dorian Its simple alright because Im a bit of a mad scientist I tried all sorts of ways and this was by far the least hassle and I like doing it in between a few jobs in the yard. John
I did this just like you said, 304 cm (or whatever it was). It worked well! Thanks, I had fun. My neighbor was tearing down part of his cabin at the time so I had 2X6's 2x4's pine tongue and groove. Then smashed it with Sledge hammer. Inoculated it blah blah.
Hi from France - Very good and cheap way to make biochar. I feed the fire with small logs at the beginning to have a "hot bed". Then i put wood chips more or less dry if I want to increase or decrease temperature. Thanks again. Keep safe Stay Home
I have been making a batch each day its very easy I do it in between other jobs I have the wood all cut and start the fire at daylight and just add more stock as I go about my day by lunch time the drum is full. Sometimes I have a big morning and light up 4 drums at once. John
Yes its super easy and it works. You might enjoy looking at the upright drum method on my channel as well it makes more and quicker and is fairly simple as well. John
Using your simple method, we cut our drum today. Because we are in a sub division (homes close together) I'll be using heat shields and a left wings on the barrel to uplift the heat. first burn test coming. Yes, flammable solution was in barrel , wanted to keep my face and filled with water. Sawzall cut!
I’ve watched a lot of videos on this process…this is absolutely the easiest and best for the average Gardner who wants to up his game. Do you have video on inoculating?
Thanks for watching. I made a TLUD first and it worked good but to involved for medium amounts for home use. I might consider TLUD for big amounts only because I can light it and walk away no water but for a medium to large garden at home to hard. John
Thanks for watching and commenting I have been experimenting with biochar for a few years and like you have tried all sorts of ideas. I don't think it gets easier than this. John
U beat all other video to create biochar! Respect! Tks for sharing. I am wondering if there is anything more suitable for a home gardener. I am in melbourne.
I have looked at all the video's with anything to do with biochar and I think this is about as simple as it gets. I have seen other people make video's of my idea and even my actual video reuploaded as other peoples. So I guess they think it is good. John
G'day, Great setup! I'll join the rest of the mob in pointing out it that this is a super simple and effective method. It looks to me like the width on top of the kiln is the most critical part. Cheers for sharing!
I don't have a exact measurement how wide the opening is but I have made 6 and just cut what looks right and they all work. Whenever I need a fire I light up the bio Char drum and even if I just make a bit its ok. If I just made a fire on the ground Id just have a mess to get rid of. John
I’ve read somewhere that to make charcoal for artists (charcoal is used for drawing) during the Renaissance, they used to put weeping willow branches and sticks (willow gives the best charcoal for arts) in a container and put the container in a baker oven. The wood would turn into charcoal without even the need to burn it. Anyway great video, love the simplicity
Yes you are right I know a little bit about art and what you say I have heard or read before. There are a lot of ways to make charcoal but basically they amount to the same thing burning the stock in a low oxygen environment. John
Yes there are some really good video's out there. I watched everything I could on the subject. and realised that for some people it would be hard. So I experimented to find a simple method for the backyard gardener. John
Thanks pal..... I was going to build an elaborate set-up. This looks a lot easier than the hundred other videos I watched. Now I have a use for my old drum. Thumbs up from Nova Scotia..
Thanks for your brilliantly simple method. We were able to buy a 200 litre drum on Ebay for $30. We left a 300mm wide opening. We chucked in all our garden waste that was too big for the compost; spent a few hours and ended up with a lovely lot of biochar. We kept the offcuts to use as a lid when the wind came up to reduce the oxygen.
Sounds good. Never use a lid you do not want to reduce oxygen at the top of the burn where it is hotest. I know it sounds counter intuitive. This system relies on a hot burn not like the old way of a slow cold burn. John
Hello mate. I really like your simple method of accomplishing an important task. I have a question for you if you don’t mind. I’ve noted the sequence you’ve placed the various sizes of timber, but I don’t have access to the variety you have, all of my raw material is sawn plank offcuts. I have zero experience so how would you produce the charcoal if you only had access to plank offcuts? I’m in UK.
The main thing is to start with smaller wood and finish with smaller wood. Not knowing what size planks makes it a bit hard. The main thing is don't put big wood at the end the earlier wood will have turned to ash by the time the last big wood is burned. John
Simple and easy. Nice job. Quick question. I like to cook a spit over coals quite abit and charcoal is very expensive these days. If you used bigger timber can you make coal lumps or is that a different process completely. Thank you.
You always get some bigger pieces that you could cook with. On YT there are some video's about making charcoal brickets which is basically mixing the small char with a binder then using a press that is easy to make then press the mixture in a mold and wait for it to dry. John
just turn it over and drive the car acros it and rake it up.. great method i think going to adopt it..sipmle and i think fuel efficient.. thx for sharing have a great day downunder..
Easiest method I've seen so far. Great job and you got a lot of it. Question, what do you do to it or with it before it can be used in the garden? Thank you.
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 Have you tried the cone in the ground method? It would seem that one could dig quite a large cone and create a very big fire and produce heaps in one go. I have never tried so I am not sure. I am thinking to use this biochar for a humanure toilet seems the best thing to mix in to reduce smells and hold onto all the nutrient. CHeers
Thanks for sharing. I wonder if you are still doing this thing or have you made any improvements in it. Anyway, i see some videos where they use even chip woods, can you also use very small chip woods in your method? Or perhaps, have you tried using leaves?
I still make char this way and I have tried a lot of other things but I come back to this it seems the easiest and simplest way. As far as using very small stock you can use a certain amount but you still need bigger pieces to keep a good fire going other wise the fires heat drops to low, and you get lots of smoke and not as good a product. John
You know another thought would be to you could make a double burner out of two big barrels you put that one like you have on the bottom and then you set another one on top that's whole but you would have to cut the top edges off of the sides of the bottom one. Just a thought. Really enjoyed the video
Its an interesting idea the amount of heat that the process creates would be enough to burn a second drum I think but I think you would have to have a way to contain the heat around the second drum on top. I think it has potential, though for the average bloke who wants a easy cheap way to make biochar maybe a step to far. John
My go to method after burning up barrels, bricks, etc. Is a pit dug in the ground, Light a campfire 🔥 in the pit, get red hot coals built up, then toss on the material to convert, cover it with a sheet of tin, I even used a thick steel door, wasn't quite big enough, and then put in a 3" pipe, tube, whatever, cover the tin, lid with soil. And a few times take my leaf blower to reignite it, as it's smothered, by blowing in the pipe, tube, and then let it cook about a hour, you will tell after a few batches when the smoke changes, not really smoke, but gases, then I put a garden hose in the pipe, drown it. Waalaa char when it's cooled and uncovered, I think you get the idea. Made cubic yards, meters of it, then toss it thru a chipper shredder, with water, as is dusty stuff. I do this every year instead of wasting my prunings.
Finally tried making biochar today. Used the cone pit method. It works but seems a bit more labor intensive than this method. My next try is going to be in a barrel such as this. Thanks for posting this series of videos.
Interesting, I was just trying to decide which of these two to try - I think I may try the two at the same time to get a comparison. I do think Richard Perkin's method of crushing is the best I've seen - putting it between two halves of a tarp and driving over it!
in the drum you have shown ,it looks like the drum is coated inside with cement plaster. have you done it. or picked up the drum with cement plaster. or no need of cement plaster .use drum as it is after cleaning oil acid etc??
Superb.. I am practicing a way to carbonize veneer wastes ( plywood ) materials the same way you are doing but am finding it difficult since the wood which are only 1 mm in diameter tends to turn to ashes mostly. Could you please advice me on this front. Thank you
Sometimes I start the kiln with grass and at the end of the process the grass is still recognizable as grass but carbonized I would like to know how you are going about doing your burn in exact detail it sounds like air is getting in the bottom? John
Hay Buddy, QUESTION Have you tested biochar in clay base soil? As that's what I'm gardening in USA Columbus Ohio. Looking like a very productive system. I was advised that a cone shaped pit ingrown is the only way but the barrel seems like has many advantages and seems to work great. Thanks for the teaching Sir
No we dont have any clay soil in our area. In south America the indians used char in very poor soils and by the look of the soil I would say it was clay based the soil was very yellow before they treated it. Have a look at (The secret of Eldorado _ TERRA PRETA)on RUclips. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716Clay holds water and has minerals but a smother problem for roots. I give bio char in a wok like cone I'm making from the bottom or top of a steel drum because I have it started already but your barrel system looks better. Thanks
I like that there isn't as much waste like there is with the double barrel retort method. I like the set and forget aspect of double barrel, but the cost to do it slightly higher, involves a bit of setup work/cost. I figure if i cant spare the time to tend to a system like this then maybe i should MAKE time, after all who doesn't like a campfire under the stars
Since doing that video I have tried a few other methods but I always come back to this method it gets good returns and is the easiest way I have found by a long way. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 I was wanting to try it today sooo bad ,but I ran outta time ..I got stuck roofing and insulating a well house instead ..yee haw ,not lol
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 I was wanting to try it today sooo bad ,but I ran outta time ..I got stuck roofing and insulating a well house instead ..yee haw ,not lol
I build one, used it, and it is so good, it turns everything you put in in to charcoal, no ash. Great way to get writ of hard dry weeds, twigs, prickly things etc. I vind no need for big timber. I virtually make 180 liters of great charcoal for the garden, halve of it sifts fine enough to go in my compost bin to inoculate, the other halve needs stomping on. Best and cheep way to make biochar. And yes, drown your charcoal, make sure it is out. Take note The water after is quite Alkaline.
I line the bottom of my compost enclosure with biochar. The nutrients & organisms filter into it. When the compost is fully broken down, the biochar is also well inoculated.
For farm use I used a hammer mill but lately I have been using the cows to do the work I have other video's about crushing and at the moment I am doing biochar growing trials and there is video's about that. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. John
No I have stayed away from inorganic additives but I am sure that Urea would bind to the char if you put water in with it and I think it would work well. I have often wondered about it but I am trying to make fertilizer with on farm inputs only. John
John, Morning where I am. Morning, Got the drums put together. And the opening in the side done. and bolted together. When I replace my camera , will post a picture,or short video. .
I use Australian hardwood any type just whatever I have on the property. I know of people in America that use old pallets cut up and that works. I dont think it matters much. Hard woods are better but just about any wood will work. I have even heard of animal dung being used. John
I have tried all sorts of things like driving over it with a vehicle, I made a crusher and have a movie about it. The easiest way for me is to put it in with the cows and their feet crush it I have a movie about that as well. John
That very creative! Having just learned about BioChar, and living in a farming community myself, I’m seeing a business opportunity here if the process from branches to bagged product can be streamlined 😊👍
@@steveb7714 I am sure it can be. The reason I got into it was to try to figure out how to eliminate as much reliance on inorganic fertilizers as possible because of the cost. John
Farming Life Australia Absolutely, keep it natural and low cost wherever possible. I was watching the documentary film “Need to Grow”, which just came out and the Biochar maker in Montana got my interest going.
Steve B I have done trials and read everything I can about biochar it’s fairly labour intensive but it lasts in South America there is places there that was made with char a long longtime ago and it’s still fertile. John
the best method i have seen , Thanks for sharing...i do it in my shop heater in winter and by the loader bucket on the ground in summer...Creator bless...doug
It might be better to not use the cap on the barrel. Cut a hole and weld in a threaded pipe with a cap or something so it doesn't need the seal. That way if you have a one inch pipe sticking out when you go to drain your water you can then put over it with a super fine mesh to keep back your fines because you will have quite a bit of fine charcoal over time and it adds up.
Love the simplicity! Don't need a BMW, or a Lexus. When a used 1965 VW will do the JOB!!!
Its not the perfect solution but for the average bloke its ideal easy cheap good returns and fun if you like fires. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 I have two 55 gallon drums. The tops were cut out to make trash burning cans. Think I will join them together to make your design longer. Trying to get by with what I have on hand.
@@charlescoker7752 Sounds good I am still making my bigger one. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 You going to make a video of it. Love to see your handy work! Watched your rust removing. I use that trick. Adding the vinegar.
@@charlescoker7752 Yes I will make a video I have been collecting a big pile of wood to make the char just have to weld the new gadget up and I will be away. John
This has come at a right time as I was contemplating the approach to use (Pit, double barrels etc). This is relatively cheap and easier for a villager in Africa where I am. Thanks for this.
Very glad if it comes in useful for you. Thanks for watching and commenting. John
I like this one but the pit method is pretty good too.
I like this idea and will use it in Tunisia where they have plenty of wood from olives and dates trees. Also plenty of unemployed people. I will make many drum burners, hire people to tend to the fires, also use the drums to innoculate the biochar..they have plenty of farm animal manure too. Instead of buying those expensive factory made burners, this method generates jobs.
The biochar can be crushed (the same labor can do it while tending to the fires), and will be used on farms we plan acquire.
A more ambitious idea is to use the biochar in combination with sawdust, rock dust, shredded leaves, etc. to convert sandy soil to fertile soil.
Yes I am trying to do the same thing but I have no labour other than my own so I have to rely on machinery up to a point. The other thing about expensive inorganic fertiliser is that eventually it ruins the natural microbes and make up of the soil. Biochar makes the soil better the longer it is in use. John
Idk. Yes it's great to create jobs and id imagine in africa you could hire a lot more people or pay less for labor. But machines are nice. I made charcoal and ran it over with a pickup and it was fine. But if i got into making a lot of it itd be WORTH it to buy a crusher or build even a knockoff gold crusher i saw. To get uniform quarter inch or smaller charcoal would help a ton in making it mix better with the soil quicker. And don't forget worms in your mix. One company in cali sells a charcoal in ton bags i believe and you can get 25% of it as worm castings mixed in so when it's spread on farms its ready to go since theres lot of veggie gardens there.
The other thing is you need machines if you want to turn your charcoal into activated carbon. Cooking charcoal in a study i saw absorbed like 10 parts of iodine, charcoal made in high heat absorded like 30 but actived carbon was like 80 or something. Activated carbon has a super high absorption capacity, and might be economically worth it when you consider it'll be in the soil for well over a century.
What I like most about Australians is that they are always friendly, natural and uncomplicated, and find quick and easy solutions to all tasks. Too bad I’ve never been to Australia before. Thank you!
Thanks for your kind words. Yes Australians like simple answers to things. John
By far the best and easiest way to do this thanks for showing how you do it.
Thanks Andrew Beardmore.
I echo John Dorian's comment. This is easily the best method I've seen on RUclips. Cheap, easy, effective and yields way more biochar or charcoal than anything else I've seen. I have an old charcoal grill I'm going to use and people pay you to haul away cut up oak and pecan trees around here. I might be starting another little side hustle selling biochar! Thanks mate.
Thanks for watching and commenting and thanks for the support. John
Yeah Garry its an easy system I get good returns with it and its very cheap. I have tried other double drum systems and they work good and you can set them up and forget them until the next day but you don't get as much char out of them and they are a pain to unload, its really personal preference and I enjoy the process of having the fire going and pottering around while doing it. John
Cheers for sharing John
@@someguy-ty1fg Thanks for watching and commenting. John
Fantastic! Thank you from Alaska. I made some accidentally last summer in a 4' concrete ring I decided to use as a fire pit. After watching this it makes sense why it happened. We have beetle kill spruce trees everywhere and now I know what to do with them.
The beetle kill spruce would be ideal good way to clean them up. John
I learn alot from your presentation, i would say its simple and completely doable . Your step to step instructions is precise and i could easily comprehend. I plan to use your method as compared to all the others that i have seen. Thank you very much for sharing. God Bless You.
Thanks for watching. It is simple and I am sure you will have no problems. John
Cheers from America-best method I’ve seen yet. Good on you!
G'day John Dorian Its simple alright because Im a bit of a mad scientist I tried all sorts of ways and this was by far the least hassle and I like doing it in between a few jobs in the yard. John
I did this just like you said, 304 cm (or whatever it was). It worked well! Thanks, I had fun. My neighbor was tearing down part of his cabin at the time so I had 2X6's 2x4's pine tongue and groove. Then smashed it with Sledge hammer. Inoculated it blah blah.
Good its pretty easy glad it all worked out. John
Hi from France - Very good and cheap way to make biochar. I feed the fire with small logs at the beginning to have a "hot bed". Then i put wood chips more or less dry if I want to increase or decrease temperature. Thanks again. Keep safe Stay Home
Great tip!
My Birthday is 23 December and this is a nice present.
Nice to hear a true blue Aussie accent.
From an Aussie in Israel.
ruclips.net/video/f2cZg8L1-wY/видео.html Have a look at my most successful experiment so far the link is at the start of this reply. John
I have watched a few different methods now.
This is the one im going to use.
Thanks mate
Its very simple and it works. Start and finish with smaller wood. John
looks like the best cheapest easiest method on youtube! cheers.
I have been making a batch each day its very easy I do it in between other jobs I have the wood all cut and start the fire at daylight and just add more stock as I go about my day by lunch time the drum is full. Sometimes I have a big morning and light up 4 drums at once. John
aussie bush ingenuity at its finest. love your work mate.
Thanks for watching. John
Simple. Cheap. Smart. And the amount is impressive. Thanks from Russia for sharing the whole process
Thanks for the comment Mathias Herzog I have tried a few ways and this works the best for me. John
Thanks for this video. Last one had expensive equipment.
This method makes plenty for a home garden. If you want to make industrial amounts you might want to get fancy and invest a lot of money. John
Well that's simple. I love it. Was thinking of buying fancy setup but this seems way easier and more importantly, cheaper
Yes its super easy and it works. You might enjoy looking at the upright drum method on my channel as well it makes more and quicker and is fairly simple as well. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 thanks mate, will check it out!
Thanks for sharing. Aussies are the kings of simple things that work - which is exactly what I need.
Thanks for watching and commenting. John
You’re the Charcoal King! Bravo.
Better than the Charcoal Queen. John
Using your simple method, we cut our drum today. Because we are in a sub division (homes close together) I'll be using heat shields and a left wings on the barrel to uplift the heat. first burn test coming. Yes, flammable solution was in barrel , wanted to keep my face and filled with water. Sawzall cut!
Thanks for the video John, never occurred to me to simplify it so much.
Its simple alright and it works good. I have tried a few other ways before and after I tried this but I still find this the best and easiest way. John
I’ve watched a lot of videos on this process…this is absolutely the easiest and best for the average Gardner who wants to up his game. Do you have video on inoculating?
Yes its very easy and it makes a good amount. I have a playlist of all my biochar video's. John
Fantastic John, you have just saved my hubby from having to make me a TLUD...can't wait to try it!
Thanks for watching. I made a TLUD first and it worked good but to involved for medium amounts for home use. I might consider TLUD for big amounts only because I can light it and walk away no water but for a medium to large garden at home to hard. John
I have watched and tried many methods and by golly this is THE Easiest and best one. Thanks a bundle...
Thanks for watching and commenting I have been experimenting with biochar for a few years and like you have tried all sorts of ideas. I don't think it gets easier than this. John
U beat all other video to create biochar! Respect! Tks for sharing. I am wondering if there is anything more suitable for a home gardener. I am in melbourne.
I have looked at all the video's with anything to do with biochar and I think this is about as simple as it gets. I have seen other people make video's of my idea and even my actual video reuploaded as other peoples. So I guess they think it is good. John
Thanks for re-assuring me to do it this nonsense not fancy way!! God Bless!!
Not fancy but it works. John
love your videos!@@farminglifeaustralia6716
G'day,
Great setup! I'll join the rest of the mob in pointing out it that this is a super simple and effective method. It looks to me like the width on top of the kiln is the most critical part.
Cheers for sharing!
I don't have a exact measurement how wide the opening is but I have made 6 and just cut what looks right and they all work. Whenever I need a fire I light up the bio Char drum and even if I just make a bit its ok. If I just made a fire on the ground Id just have a mess to get rid of. John
I’ve read somewhere that to make charcoal for artists (charcoal is used for drawing) during the Renaissance, they used to put weeping willow branches and sticks (willow gives the best charcoal for arts) in a container and put the container in a baker oven. The wood would turn into charcoal without even the need to burn it.
Anyway great video, love the simplicity
Yes you are right I know a little bit about art and what you say I have heard or read before. There are a lot of ways to make charcoal but basically they amount to the same thing burning the stock in a low oxygen environment. John
Looked at several of the biiochar vids..they,re all good but this is a great vid on simplicity good onya mate .aussie in Canada
Yes there are some really good video's out there. I watched everything I could on the subject. and realised that for some people it would be hard. So I experimented to find a simple method for the backyard gardener. John
Great video and the title was spot on, the easiest and cheapest method of making biochar. Thanks
Thanks for watching and commenting. John
This is my favorite video on youtube!
I'm happy about that. Thanks for watching. John
Goodo, seems pretty straight forward. Thanks mattie
Yes its pretty easy. John
Thanks pal..... I was going to build an elaborate set-up. This looks a lot easier than the hundred other videos I watched. Now I have a use for my old drum. Thumbs up from Nova Scotia..
No worries ned crampon hope it goes ok for you. John
Thanks for your brilliantly simple method. We were able to buy a 200 litre drum on Ebay for $30. We left a 300mm wide opening. We chucked in all our garden waste that was too big for the compost; spent a few hours and ended up with a lovely lot of biochar. We kept the offcuts to use as a lid when the wind came up to reduce the oxygen.
Sounds good. Never use a lid you do not want to reduce oxygen at the top of the burn where it is hotest. I know it sounds counter intuitive. This system relies on a hot burn not like the old way of a slow cold burn. John
Just got mself a nice empty drum.
How about cleaning from the oil residues?
Or just start burning my wood?
Hello mate. I really like your simple method of accomplishing an important task. I have a question for you if you don’t mind. I’ve noted the sequence you’ve placed the various sizes of timber, but I don’t have access to the variety you have, all of my raw material is sawn plank offcuts. I have zero experience so how would you produce the charcoal if you only had access to plank offcuts? I’m in UK.
The main thing is to start with smaller wood and finish with smaller wood. Not knowing what size planks makes it a bit hard. The main thing is don't put big wood at the end the earlier wood will have turned to ash by the time the last big wood is burned. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716
Ta very much. It’s pallet wood. Mainly pine
Simple and easy. Nice job. Quick question. I like to cook a spit over coals quite abit and charcoal is very expensive these days. If you used bigger timber can you make coal lumps or is that a different process completely. Thank you.
You always get some bigger pieces that you could cook with. On YT there are some video's about making charcoal brickets which is basically mixing the small char with a binder then using a press that is easy to make then press the mixture in a mold and wait for it to dry. John
Great job explaining things. Thank you.
Thanks for watching and commenting. John
I've got a drum, I've got the wood, Let's make some biochar. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching and commenting. John
Made me so happy to watch you in your element, your a sweet heart, I will give this ago thank you :)
Thanks for watching and commenting I hope it goes well for you. John
Mate, so glad i happened upon your kiss system. This will save me so much mucking about. Love your style, subscribed!
Thanks for watching. John
Well done, thank you from New Brunswick Canada...
Thanks for that and thanks for taking the time to comment. John
Hey neighbor!
just turn it over and drive the car acros it and rake it up.. great method i think going to adopt it..sipmle and i think fuel efficient.. thx for sharing have a great day downunder..
Great idea
Great vid, simplicity itself thanks fella
Thanks for watching and commenting. John
👍😉I'd like to try it out one day. It's an inexpensive setup yielding a large amount and relatively easy. Thanks for sharing.
Any time! Thanks for watching. John
Thanks for sharing such a simple and productive method.
Thanks Dale Smith hope you can use the information. John
Easiest method I've seen so far. Great job and you got a lot of it. Question, what do you do to it or with it before it can be used in the garden? Thank you.
I crush it and charge it with nutrient then add it to the soil. I have other video's on the subject including growing trials. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 Thanks. I will check out your other videos.
@@kansasgardener5844 Thanks Kansas Gardener hope you get something out of them. John
Thank you is this better than the ground cone method. Seems the yeild is less for more work thanks.
Thanks for watching. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 Have you tried the cone in the ground method? It would seem that one could dig quite a large cone and create a very big fire and produce heaps in one go. I have never tried so I am not sure. I am thinking to use this biochar for a humanure toilet seems the best thing to mix in to reduce smells and hold onto all the nutrient. CHeers
Thanks for sharing. I wonder if you are still doing this thing or have you made any improvements in it. Anyway, i see some videos where they use even chip woods, can you also use very small chip woods in your method? Or perhaps, have you tried using leaves?
I still make char this way and I have tried a lot of other things but I come back to this it seems the easiest and simplest way. As far as using very small stock you can use a certain amount but you still need bigger pieces to keep a good fire going other wise the fires heat drops to low, and you get lots of smoke and not as good a product. John
A great exercise in “keep it simple.” Soaking it saves you from all the dust too.
Wherever possible I like the KISS approach. John
You know another thought would be to you could make a double burner out of two big barrels you put that one like you have on the bottom and then you set another one on top that's whole but you would have to cut the top edges off of the sides of the bottom one. Just a thought. Really enjoyed the video
Its an interesting idea the amount of heat that the process creates would be enough to burn a second drum I think but I think you would have to have a way to contain the heat around the second drum on top. I think it has potential, though for the average bloke who wants a easy cheap way to make biochar maybe a step to far. John
Great video. One question: how many times would you say that barrel could be used like this before getting degraded?.
Thanks!
I have used the same drums for a couple of years. Leaving them outside rusts them quicker than using them. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 good point ;) thanks
@@pedrobagoduva1091 😄😄
My go to method after burning up barrels, bricks, etc. Is a pit dug in the ground,
Light a campfire 🔥 in the pit, get red hot coals built up, then toss on the material to convert, cover it with a sheet of tin, I even used a thick steel door, wasn't quite big enough, and then put in a 3" pipe, tube, whatever, cover the tin, lid with soil.
And a few times take my leaf blower to reignite it, as it's smothered, by blowing in the pipe, tube, and then let it cook about a hour, you will tell after a few batches when the smoke changes, not really smoke, but gases, then I put a garden hose in the pipe, drown it. Waalaa char when it's cooled and uncovered,
I think you get the idea.
Made cubic yards, meters of it, then toss it thru a chipper shredder, with water, as is dusty stuff.
I do this every year instead of wasting my prunings.
Sounds good. John
TOP STUFF JOHNNO!! YOU'RE A LEGEND MATE!💥👍💚
Thanks for that. John
nicely done,do you have a video for the next step? let it sit out for a couple weeks or does it go right into the garden, thanks
Yes I do. The next step is to charge the biochar before use. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 great ill look after work thanks
Finally tried making biochar today. Used the cone pit method. It works but seems a bit more labor intensive than this method. My next try is going to be in a barrel such as this. Thanks for posting this series of videos.
Good on you for giving it a go. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 thanks for the help.
@@ddd3240 A pleasure any time. John
Interesting, I was just trying to decide which of these two to try - I think I may try the two at the same time to get a comparison.
I do think Richard Perkin's method of crushing is the best I've seen - putting it between two halves of a tarp and driving over it!
Yank here. I will try this, simple as anything I have seen yet.
It works good and easy. John
Thank you for making your content - I enjoy spending time on your channel - you are a good man
I appreciate that! Thanks for watching. John
Magnificent!
I'll certainly see if I can try this here in Littlehampton in England.
Very simple and very effective!
Again,
Thank-you!
It will work just stick to how I did it in the video. Thanks for commenting John
Great video with excellent knowledge mate
Thanks for taking the time to comment all the best Huss El
Can I use fresh wet wood (black wattle) just sfter the fire gets going with the dry wood? Thanks
I have not tried that I think dry wood would be better. John
down to earth, love it cheers from NZ
Thanks for taking the time to comment. John
Can I make it from iron bark bark, I cut wood for sale and have huge loads of bark left over that I just burn for ash
I think it would work. John
No fuss method,excellent,thanks
Thanks Graham Cass its pretty easy and don't need much equipment. John
in the drum you have shown ,it looks like the drum is coated inside with cement plaster. have you done it. or picked up the drum with cement plaster. or no need of cement plaster .use drum as it is after cleaning oil acid etc??
No plaster just a bit of ash. John
Superb..
I am practicing a way to carbonize veneer wastes ( plywood ) materials the same way you are doing but am finding it difficult since the wood which are only 1 mm in diameter tends to turn to ashes mostly.
Could you please advice me on this front.
Thank you
Sometimes I start the kiln with grass and at the end of the process the grass is still recognizable as grass but carbonized I would like to know how you are going about doing your burn in exact detail it sounds like air is getting in the bottom? John
I found this so interesting and fascinating John 👍
I have to make more I make it ahead of time to have on hand. I intend to make it in big quantities and use it for fertilizer. John
Hay Buddy,
QUESTION Have you tested biochar in clay base soil? As that's what I'm gardening in USA Columbus Ohio.
Looking like a very productive system.
I was advised that a cone shaped pit ingrown is the only way but the barrel seems like has many advantages and seems to work great.
Thanks for the teaching Sir
No we dont have any clay soil in our area. In south America the indians used char in very poor soils and by the look of the soil I would say it was clay based the soil was very yellow before they treated it. Have a look at (The secret of Eldorado _ TERRA PRETA)on RUclips. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716Clay holds water and has minerals but a smother problem for roots.
I give bio char in a wok like cone I'm making from the bottom or top of a steel drum because I have it started already but your barrel system looks better.
Thanks
@@johnjude2685 Thanks for that its pretty simple and it works. John
I like that there isn't as much waste like there is with the double barrel retort method. I like the set and forget aspect of double barrel, but the cost to do it slightly higher, involves a bit of setup work/cost. I figure if i cant spare the time to tend to a system like this then maybe i should MAKE time, after all who doesn't like a campfire under the stars
I have a big BBQ on the same lines and I always collect the char from it. John
Hey mate. Will this method create bbq grade charcoal?
Yes it will. Thanks for watching. John
Thanks for sharing. Very inspiring. Greetings from Denmark 👍
G'day Runen Thanks for taking the time to comment. John
Great job so simple. how long does the whole job take?
About 4 hours but you don't have to watch it the whole time. John
Do you think this would work on a smaller scale in a metal bucket?
Yes I think you could scale it down. John
Wow! Simplest way I've seen, Thanks!
Since doing that video I have tried a few other methods but I always come back to this method it gets good returns and is the easiest way I have found by a long way. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 I was wanting to try it today sooo bad ,but I ran outta time ..I got stuck roofing and insulating a well house instead ..yee haw ,not lol
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 I was wanting to try it today sooo bad ,but I ran outta time ..I got stuck roofing and insulating a well house instead ..yee haw ,not lol
@@badassbees3680 Its a bugger when work gets in the road of important stuff. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 it's really a booger when work gets in the way of fun stuff lol
Thank u easy way of making biochar God bless
Most welcome 😊John
I build one, used it, and it is so good, it turns everything you put in in to charcoal, no ash. Great way to get writ of hard dry weeds, twigs, prickly things etc. I vind no need for big timber.
I virtually make 180 liters of great charcoal for the garden, halve of it sifts fine enough to go in my compost bin to inoculate, the other halve needs stomping on. Best and cheep way to make biochar. And yes, drown your charcoal, make sure it is out. Take note The water after is quite Alkaline.
I am glad it worked for you. Its pretty easy isn't it? I like that you get a good amount out of each burn. John
Mix water with chicken manure before wetting the charcoal. It will load the charcoal with nutritiens and speed up the forming of biochar.
Thanks for that. John
I line the bottom of my compost enclosure with biochar. The nutrients & organisms filter into it. When the compost is fully broken down, the biochar is also well inoculated.
@@jacqdanieles That sounds like a good idea. John
Nice vid. I am giving it a go in South Africa 🇿🇦🤙
Thats good check out my upright self feeding method. Its the best I have found. John
Do you have a video to show the next steps please?
Oh, I found your videos & there is one on crushing etc 👍
Yes there are crushing, charging, and building a few different crushing machines, growing trials Upright drum method etc. John
Brilliant mate!
Thanks for watching. I saw a video from India today and it was most of this video re-uploaded and a bit added. John
Thanks for the video
Thanks for watching. John
nice. how do you crush it?
For farm use I used a hammer mill but lately I have been using the cows to do the work I have other video's about crushing and at the moment I am doing biochar growing trials and there is video's about that. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. John
Have u try it with urea ?
No I have stayed away from inorganic additives but I am sure that Urea would bind to the char if you put water in with it and I think it would work well. I have often wondered about it but I am trying to make fertilizer with on farm inputs only. John
great job! thank you
Thanks for watching and commenting. John
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing it up to us in Michigan! Or are we down to you??? ;-)
A bit like the chicken or the egg? John
John, Morning where I am. Morning, Got the drums put together. And the opening in the side done. and bolted together. When I replace my camera , will post a picture,or short video. .
G'day Charles Coker its morning here too but I am answering you 8 hours after I recieved your message sounds like you are making good progress. John
EZ. Best method always seems to be the simplest
Sometimes humans overthink things. John
leave to the down under to simplify something. good job mate.
Thanks simple is good if it works. John
I am impressed!
Thanks for watching. John
which kind of wood used in biochar tell me sir?
I use Australian hardwood any type just whatever I have on the property. I know of people in America that use old pallets cut up and that works. I dont think it matters much. Hard woods are better but just about any wood will work. I have even heard of animal dung being used. John
Can I ask what method do you use for crushing it up?
I have tried all sorts of things like driving over it with a vehicle, I made a crusher and have a movie about it. The easiest way for me is to put it in with the cows and their feet crush it I have a movie about that as well. John
That very creative! Having just learned about BioChar, and living in a farming community myself, I’m seeing a business opportunity here if the process from branches to bagged product can be streamlined 😊👍
@@steveb7714 I am sure it can be. The reason I got into it was to try to figure out how to eliminate as much reliance on inorganic fertilizers as possible because of the cost. John
Farming Life Australia Absolutely, keep it natural and low cost wherever possible. I was watching the documentary film “Need to Grow”, which just came out and the Biochar maker in Montana got my interest going.
Steve B I have done trials and read everything I can about biochar it’s fairly labour intensive but it lasts in South America there is places there that was made with char a long longtime ago and it’s still fertile. John
the best method i have seen , Thanks for sharing...i do it in my shop heater in winter and by the loader bucket on the ground in summer...Creator bless...doug
Thanks for the input. John
Love your Auzzie accent
I have a fairly strong accent it comes from living in the bush. John
@@farminglifeaustralia6716 🤣
Can u make biochar liquid tea from biochar?
I have not heard of it but where I empty the drums after the biochar has cooled the grass grows good there. John
It might be better to not use the cap on the barrel. Cut a hole and weld in a threaded pipe with a cap or something so it doesn't need the seal. That way if you have a one inch pipe sticking out when you go to drain your water you can then put over it with a super fine mesh to keep back your fines because you will have quite a bit of fine charcoal over time and it adds up.
Good point. John
Nicely done!
Thanks Tim Sumrall
Mate that is brilliant!
Its pretty easy. John
Thank you for showing!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching. John