Thank you from a new coal fired blacksmith. I have been using propane up till now. Built myself a little coal forge from an old bbq, had no fun getting it going , now I know. Thanks!
Forged in Fire has my daughter working with a coal forge today and she's never worked with one before, much less start one. YOU are gonna get her started!
And the tinder and kindling are examples here. It doesn't have to be pretty, but what ever works, works. Important thing to always keep in mind is it has to be dry, to light easily. Otherwise, you will beat yourself up trying. I have used dry corn cobs to start my forge. They burn hot enough to get the coke going. Something like adding pine cones, is a big plus for lighting coal. In order to light coal, you definately need a longer sustained heat, to burn off volatile gasses and convert coal to coke. Thanks Trent!
I use three newspaper pages and a small pile of charcoal. Stoff the paper in the fire pot. Pour charcoal on top of it. Light it and wait until the paper burns well. Give it some air blast and watch the magic happen. Then just feed the coal in from the sides like Trenton here. I used to barbecue on my brake rotor/oil drum forge. I got it ready for cooking in three minutes flat, with no accelerant, just air.
Great tutorial. Thank you so much for all of your great videos. I am just getting into blacksmithing, and any time I have a question, your videos are there for me. Keep up the great work. Lawd JEESUS it's a faaaar!
I've found that charcoal with the blast on full is VERY good at getting coal to burn. I had an issue with getting my coal to light and stay lit for a long time so I gave up and went to straight charcoal. Then one day I ran out of charcoal in the middle of making one of my abominations and started chucking coal on top of the fire. This is how I discovered what I consider to be the easiest way to start coal.
HA! ...I was goin' to git me a cold pop when I ran into your video! I got bronchitis--ain't nobody got time for dat! Dude, love your vids! Love your presentation--down to earth and unpretentious. You come across as truly wanting to help others and with a "we are all in this together" attitude. Keep going!
Got taught to light a coal fire when I was four or five - gasoline wasn't an option for our indoor fireplace. 1/4 newspaper rolled into tight tubes one page at a time, small pile of 1/2 inch kindling on top, light that, and then feed in coal on top once the wood is well lit. Used to take about 5 minutes till the first coal started to take, so a good time to make a cup of tea.
Thanks for the video Trent, up here in the northeast we have a lot more anthracite than bituminous. I have found that the answer to burning it is air and lots of it! It also doesn't coke so it kinda skips that step. Keep up the great videos, I am really enjoying them, and learning lots. Regards, Jim
There's also slow accelerants for sale that you use to start a BBQ, usually woodfibres packed with some kind of oil based carbohydrate. They catch a spark real easy, from like a ferrorod or other flint type firestarter. They're cheap, catch a spark easily and burn long and hot enough to lite a BBQ.
Great info on lighting a coal fire, I always seem to struggle a bit with mine. When you mentioned jet fuel it reminded me of one of your old videos on how to light a charcoal forge. I believe you used lacquer thinner.....
If you could post a video about maintaining a coal fire, it would be very much appreciated!!!! I'm a beginner with both bituminous and anthracite coal, and the anthracite is difficult to KEEP lit. Bituminous is hard for me to get, and I want to be efficient. Thank you so much!!!!
A tiny handful of charcoal and a scrap of paper is all I need to get coke lit. Going to try coal at some point just to see how differently it burns but I'm guessing that it would be much smokier too. Unhappy neighbours not good ;)
I'm so glad a friend of mine and I bought a ton of coke last year. I start mine with one piece of crumpled newspaper and 10 kindling sized pieces of dry pine. Great video though as always. And where can we get jet fuel????
Nice one Trent, now how do you put the bugger out so you can make use of the coke? I've only used water to put out coal fires - but that was a coal mine and another story entirely
i really want to start using coal but im afraid my neighbors might get annoyed with the smell , does it stink or anything ? i haven't had a opportunity to try it out yet , good information ty for the video
OK . . . question for you . . . my mother said that her dad (blacksmith for clay mines in eastern Ky) liked to use corn cobs. I never pressed her on it . . . would that just have been to get the fire going . . . or did he maybe us them as a quick and dirty fire fuel for small jobs?? Got any info on that??
Space and the fact that back in the day, sheet metal wasnt in ready supply. Far easier to a hole in some bricks than to beat out enough flat metal for a hood.
They differ in the amount of heat generated and the amount of impurities in the fuel. Every of your mentioned fuels are made up of a different amount of carbon. More carbon, more heat, less carbon, less heat.
It depends on how fast the heat is generated, and that depends on your blower. A good fire pot usually is lit after about 3-7 minutes if the blower is strong enough. You usually spot how many embers are inside, and when you feel that there is enough, you are ready for heating.
Excuse me sir I've been smithing for a very short time now and here not to long ago I moved my equipment into a small building I use a very old coal forge and I'm having a lot of problems with smoke building up inside my shop . Today I attempted to put in a hood but it's still not getting all the smoke is there any tips u can tell me or is there not much I can do. My parents and grandparents are always freaking out thinking it will kill me and if so is there actually that much risk. Lol
Try getting the hood closer to the fire, so the heat generated could travel directly up the chimney and could raise the smoke through it. TIP: try getting good ventilation in your building, open some windows, get a draft, and you'll be set.
I read somewhere to crumple a sheet of newspaper and light it in the flue just as you light the forge. Apparently it starts the heat rising and makes the chimney draw properly.
Charcoal is good and clean, it doesn't produce any smoke, but flying embers are a problem. Also, you'll use almost twice as much of charcoal than you would coal usually.
I light mine easier then that use 3 bar be q bricks (Kingsford) air on low hit it good with procaine torch till its lite dump on some coal on top air on high have a smoke and by the time I am done its good to go
Nice Tutorial but the Step with the Pine cones is unnecesary. If the Wood is small enough you can put it directly on the tinder. And if you expend the money to buy some bbq Lighter cubes it's even easier. And this is not meant in an offensive way, i just want to Share some experience
Way over complicated, I will do my best to do a short video this weekend. I am not 1% of a smith you are, but it is so much more simple, even with anthracite (which sucks to light).
Thank you from a new coal fired blacksmith. I have been using propane up till now. Built myself a little coal forge from an old bbq, had no fun getting it going , now I know. Thanks!
Forged in Fire has my daughter working with a coal forge today and she's never worked with one before, much less start one. YOU are gonna get her started!
And the tinder and kindling are examples here. It doesn't have to be pretty, but what ever works, works. Important thing to always keep in mind is it has to be dry, to light easily. Otherwise, you will beat yourself up trying. I have used dry corn cobs to start my forge. They burn hot enough to get the coke going. Something like adding pine cones, is a big plus for lighting coal. In order to light coal, you definately need a longer sustained heat, to burn off volatile gasses and convert coal to coke. Thanks Trent!
I use three newspaper pages and a small pile of charcoal. Stoff the paper in the fire pot. Pour charcoal on top of it. Light it and wait until the paper burns well. Give it some air blast and watch the magic happen. Then just feed the coal in from the sides like Trenton here.
I used to barbecue on my brake rotor/oil drum forge. I got it ready for cooking in three minutes flat, with no accelerant, just air.
Great tutorial. Thank you so much for all of your great videos. I am just getting into blacksmithing, and any time I have a question, your videos are there for me. Keep up the great work. Lawd JEESUS it's a faaaar!
I've found that charcoal with the blast on full is VERY good at getting coal to burn.
I had an issue with getting my coal to light and stay lit for a long time so I gave up and went to straight charcoal. Then one day I ran out of charcoal in the middle of making one of my abominations and started chucking coal on top of the fire. This is how I discovered what I consider to be the easiest way to start coal.
HA! ...I was goin' to git me a cold pop when I ran into your video! I got bronchitis--ain't nobody got time for dat! Dude, love your vids! Love your presentation--down to earth and unpretentious. You come across as truly wanting to help others and with a "we are all in this together" attitude. Keep going!
Got taught to light a coal fire when I was four or five - gasoline wasn't an option for our indoor fireplace. 1/4 newspaper rolled into tight tubes one page at a time, small pile of 1/2 inch kindling on top, light that, and then feed in coal on top once the wood is well lit. Used to take about 5 minutes till the first coal started to take, so a good time to make a cup of tea.
Love the pinecones. They have a lot of resin in them. They catch easy and burn hot.
Thanks for the video Trent, up here in the northeast we have a lot more anthracite than bituminous. I have found that the answer to burning it is air and lots of it! It also doesn't coke so it kinda skips that step. Keep up the great videos, I am really enjoying them, and learning lots. Regards, Jim
There's also slow accelerants for sale that you use to start a BBQ, usually woodfibres packed with some kind of oil based carbohydrate. They catch a spark real easy, from like a ferrorod or other flint type firestarter.
They're cheap, catch a spark easily and burn long and hot enough to lite a BBQ.
"Oh lawd Jesus it's a fiar. Ain't nobody got time fo that!"
Been watching your videos for about a year now you do a great job at explaining from one to the other keep it up
Great info on lighting a coal fire, I always seem to struggle a bit with mine. When you mentioned jet fuel it reminded me of one of your old videos on how to light a charcoal forge. I believe you used lacquer thinner.....
I've just started forgeing with coal and like a dumass didn't think the coke was any good. Thanks for the info
this was very helpful, i was used to just using a shit ton of news paper to get mine start.
I never thought of using lava. Great idea.
Basics make me understand this better. Thanks.
If you could post a video about maintaining a coal fire, it would be very much appreciated!!!! I'm a beginner with both bituminous and anthracite coal, and the anthracite is difficult to KEEP lit. Bituminous is hard for me to get, and I want to be efficient. Thank you so much!!!!
fatlighter pine works real well & you don't have to worry about it being dry.
A tiny handful of charcoal and a scrap of paper is all I need to get coke lit. Going to try coal at some point just to see how differently it burns but I'm guessing that it would be much smokier too. Unhappy neighbours not good ;)
Just recently subscribed, but I would love to see a video on your firepot and how it's constructed in conjunction with your air supply.
I'm so glad a friend of mine and I bought a ton of coke last year. I start mine with one piece of crumpled newspaper and 10 kindling sized pieces of dry pine. Great video though as always. And where can we get jet fuel????
Mark Nickerson i think that JP-1 is just a little more refined than kerosene :)
Nice one Trent, now how do you put the bugger out so you can make use of the coke? I've only used water to put out coal fires - but that was a coal mine and another story entirely
Matthew can you put a metal cover on top and starve it of oxygen by preventing air flowing through?
I have heard that a good coating of vegetable oil will get charcoal or wood to light.
I have watched a few of you videos.
I think you have a HOT Chanel here !
please continue to have fun doing what you do and thank you for sharing!
i really want to start using coal but im afraid my neighbors might get annoyed with the smell , does it stink or anything ? i haven't had a opportunity to try it out yet , good information ty for the video
Brandon Edwards after it's hot you won't smell it much. I never get any complaints and I have neighbors ~40 feet away on either side of my forge
Cool thank you for the info i appreciate it !
A good chimney will take the smoke up high and fast
OK . . . question for you . . . my mother said that her dad (blacksmith for clay mines in eastern Ky) liked to use corn cobs. I never pressed her on it . . . would that just have been to get the fire going . . . or did he maybe us them as a quick and dirty fire fuel for small jobs?? Got any info on that??
I have been able to light my coal using only a propane torch. It just takes focusing the torch on a small spot until red and then increasing the air.
I always use a MAPP gas torch to start fires like this, including on my charcoal grill.
Loving these videos 👏
Like always enjoyed the video.
How this man finds coal in GA is amazing.
I have a wood working teacher. He lets me steal his scrap wood and in return I clean his shop
How does YOUR particular airflow, airflow mechanism (bellows), and chimney work/constructed?
"Lawd JEESUS its a fiar, just roll that chil' around in the dirt, he'll be OK!"
Great vids. Im learning a lot.
Question about hoods, what is the advantage of having a hood overhead instead of to the side? I've seen it done both ways. Maybe just a space issue?
Space and the fact that back in the day, sheet metal wasnt in ready supply. Far easier to a hole in some bricks than to beat out enough flat metal for a hood.
Thanks for the lesson it really helps
love ur videos man 0 complaints 0 to change keep it up pls ;p
Do you use any fat wood from pine?
What blower and air control setup are you using? Getting ready to setup a coal forge
We didn’t start the fire...but Trent did
will you be doing a how to make a brake drum forge video ? sorry if you already have.
Forge videos in a week or two!
What kind of blower is on your forge?
Is rice coal a good blacksmithing coal?
What are the differences between using coal, anthracite, or coke?
They differ in the amount of heat generated and the amount of impurities in the fuel. Every of your mentioned fuels are made up of a different amount of carbon. More carbon, more heat, less carbon, less heat.
Some charcoal and a bit of lighter fluid works well too
SolarAbyss lol just what i thought but i have had a couple times where i have ran out of lighter fluid
I use lump charcoal and a propane torch to get my coal lit
How long do you have to wait for the coals to be useable for forging after getting fully lit ?
It depends on how fast the heat is generated, and that depends on your blower. A good fire pot usually is lit after about 3-7 minutes if the blower is strong enough. You usually spot how many embers are inside, and when you feel that there is enough, you are ready for heating.
had to resubscribe for some reason, worth investigating.
Just pines work well for me.
Excuse me sir I've been smithing for a very short time now and here not to long ago I moved my equipment into a small building I use a very old coal forge and I'm having a lot of problems with smoke building up inside my shop . Today I attempted to put in a hood but it's still not getting all the smoke is there any tips u can tell me or is there not much I can do. My parents and grandparents are always freaking out thinking it will kill me and if so is there actually that much risk. Lol
Try getting the hood closer to the fire, so the heat generated could travel directly up the chimney and could raise the smoke through it. TIP: try getting good ventilation in your building, open some windows, get a draft, and you'll be set.
Matt falconian thank u very much I'll have to try that
use the silver high temp duct tape you can buy at Home Depot...
The idea is to get the air in the chimney hot. Hot air rises and creates an under pressure that sucks air and smoke up the chimney.
I read somewhere to crumple a sheet of newspaper and light it in the flue just as you light the forge. Apparently it starts the heat rising and makes the chimney draw properly.
Jet fuel!! BAHAHAHAHA!!!! Nice dig!
Thanks, well done.
I'm more curious about using charcoal, cuz it's cheap and available.
Charcoal is good and clean, it doesn't produce any smoke, but flying embers are a problem. Also, you'll use almost twice as much of charcoal than you would coal usually.
Trent, what an ending, Tah-Dah (did I spell that right).
Be safe, make cool stuff.
I thought someone was barbecuing. ....
I light mine easier then that use 3 bar be q bricks (Kingsford) air on low hit it good with procaine torch till its lite dump on some coal on top air on high have a smoke and by the time I am done its good to go
Ahahahahahhaha jet fuel . . . .wait can we use that too . . .i mean it could work
Pine cones and pine would have sat pine sap does act as an accelerant just saying.
Nice Tutorial but the Step with the Pine cones is unnecesary. If the Wood is small enough you can put it directly on the tinder. And if you expend the money to buy some bbq Lighter cubes it's even easier. And this is not meant in an offensive way, i just want to Share some experience
Cool.
For us godless Harry Potter fans the magic word is INCENDIO!
Way over complicated, I will do my best to do a short video this weekend. I am not 1% of a smith you are, but it is so much more simple, even with anthracite (which sucks to light).
:-)
Great video but unfortunately you keep using the Lord’s name in vain so I cant show my kids as an instructional.
do you record with your phone?