Appreciate your candid review. I am fortunate to have access to both coal and coke. Coke is handy when working with a beehive fire. Build it with coal and feed it with coke to replace the bed as it consumes away. That way the hive or cave structure stays intact.
I use a coke forge, the clinker can be something of a pain because it makes entering the steel into the fire harder. I break the clinker up with my rake, and it does hold heat well so has its advantages as well. At the end of the day I rake back where I've been burning and pull the clinker to the top to cool and remove the next time I use it . The space in the shape of a V is open ready to take wood or charcoal for the next light up.
I just recently started using coke after using green coal, and my mind was blown. By the size of the clinker. I had assumed that coke would have less clinker than green coal since a lot of the impurities are gone, but no... that alone is why I’ll be going back to green coal. Though, I will say, coke seems to burn hotter, faster, which is nice. Great video! I love this channel
My locally sourced anthracite has zero smoke, vapors, etc. It's VERY clean. I use it almost exclusively. I use bituminous coal to light the anthracite since it's just so hard to get going otherwise. But it's beautiful to burn. I used to only use bituminous but I got the anthracite once and I loved it. It also burns longer than bituminous. It's more dense and can easily be moved around/ broken into smaller chunks for getting steel in the forge easier. It's pretty easy to clean as well. And almost no clinkers. I get little droplets of clinker, but nothing noticable at all.
83GT. I have found that i need to keep air flowing to anthracite all the time. I use an electric fan and decrease the air flow when i don't have metal in the fire, but if i cut the air for too long it takes forever to get the heat back up.
I use both. When the fire is out I collect the remaining coke. I also buy metallurgical coke. I build my fire with wood and add the old coke from the previous fire. Once lit, I bank in some metallurgical coke. Last I bank some coal if I want a beehive. Sometimes I spoon coke inside the beehive to keep it hot. How much clinker remains is based purely on the grade of coke. Mine produces some clinker but not much.
Thanks for the info. So far all I use is anthracite because that's what I have access to, my supply house started carrying coke. Been considering switching for a cleaner burn as to not annoy neighbors, and my entire shop and awning is covered in soot. Trying to decide weather to modify my forge or build another just for the coke. Hope you decide to document a "coke" forge build. Thanks again Roy, this was good info to consider.
Good info on coke. I'd still like to see you do a review on dry whole feed corn as an alternative forge solid fuel. I find it burns clean with almost no clinkers, and smells to me like grill roasted corn on the cob Very neighborhood friendly. Fire management very similar to bituminous coal.
I keep wanting to try that. Since I don't have a chimney, I think I'll wait for warmer days and stay inside with my gas forge. Lol thanks for the reminder
Since there are no videos on using dry whole feed corn as an alternative fuel, I made one. I would sill like to see others do the same. ruclips.net/video/T-UgxYiiAWI/видео.html
From a purely chemical standpoint, dried feed corn makes some sense because it is compact simple carbohydrate, and if you dry carbohydrates sufficiently they combust easily. I wonder what the result would be if you put a sack of dried feed corn in a retort in place of hardwood, and pre-coked it en mass. Would it expand and form a mostly solid mass that you'd have to bust out in chunks, or would it turn into distinct kernels of carbon, or perhaps carbonized popcorn ? Seems like a fun experiment for someone to try. I'm not a smith so this is just armchair hypotheticals for me. 🤔😁
I just recently found a local source for blacksmith coal ( bituminous ) here in New Hampshire. I'm just ecstatic to get that for $.50/lb, never mind finding coke.
How can coke make klinkers? I thought the whole point of coke was that it was almost pure carbon with all the klinker-making garbage already burned off
If the coal has a lot of klinker, it means the seem has too much pyrite minerals in it. If you burn bituminous coal, itl eventually turn into coke, so its kinda the same. Also, you can make your own coke by just baking the coal. Look at how people make charcoal, its the same process.
9:11 I think it's pronounced "bi-toom-in-us" not "bi-yoom-in-us". As for the excessive clinker ... Ive never smithed, but AFAIK clinker is a solidified amalgram of non-combustible impurities (primarily silica with other trace metals and minerals, and probably some forge scale that sloughs off while sliding your work in & out of the fire) that melted, ran out the bottom of your fire, and resolidified, kinda like slag from a smelter. So, conceptually, if a brand or batch of coke is throwing more clinker than usual, i'd speculate that that batch came from a part of a coal seam that had more sand/minerals in the organic deposits that formed it. Not all coke is created equal ... coke formed from coal that was formed from say a nice clean peat deposit will probably throw less clinker than say coke from coal from another part of the very same seam than had underground water with a high mineral content seeping through it before it underwent it's final metamorphic transformation (into coal).
@@coyewallace7048 Imo works well, my forge is an old coal/coke forge and up until this year I have made it run great with charcoal - but do mind the temperatures as it burns steel quick.
Roy it is Bi-tu-mi-nous coal with a t, you have enough people watching you, you might as well get it right so people can ask for it by its correct name.
Im living in a fairly populated area. I can't decide between using coal or gas, I want to start as soon as I can after Christmas. Due to school I wouldnt have much time for forging apart from the weekend. What do you reccomend?
I'm looking to build a rather massive side blast forge, and I'm curious where you got your coke from, as I'd prefer to not burn through so much bituminous in it. Can't really find anyone local with it.
Not sure what is local to you ,but Cincinnati bulk terminals on mehring way has coal very cheap. should be more economical as long as you have a way to get it
It's quite interesting that coke is a huge waste by product within the Venezuelan oil industry... I didn't knew it was useful for this and certainly I have never seen coke sold as fuel a retail level... quite a pity, people still use charcoal in very rudimentary ways.
Does anyone know how to get a very cheep anvil? I'm going to be building my own forge i just don't have an anvil and all the ones I've seen so far are really expensive.
Im having problems finding coal here in Canton Ohio! Unless i order online! Im going to be using lump charcoal for now! Any help on finding coal or Coke up around this area would be great! I hope u got my email and thank you for the gift from live stream. I will be tuneing into those as often as i can,alot of interesting people and conversations on there! Very helpful! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to your family from my family! God bless!!
Lol. Not to diminish your issues at all now. That said...oughta try finding any of those in Midland Texas. Lol oh you want some charcoal hell boy they got that at any grocery store! Arrrg.🙃 Reckon for me it's just gona bee propane. Got my 1st stuff to start my ribbon burner and waiting on the castable to get shipped in. Seems nobody here carries anything in that line either lol But hey wish you all the best and seasons greetings blessed Christ Mass and happy new years, Crawford out
@@danielcrawford7315 thanks for the letting me know! But so you know no boy here! I do alot of smoking with lump charcoal so i know where i can get it! I have four bags on hand at all times! Im just getting into blacksmithing so please don't talk to me as a kid,50 year old man with health issues! Im just doing this to pass time but im very interested in it! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
From your video, it appears that aside from the positive of Coke burning cleaner, there are many more negatives, such as having to use an electric blower; not being able to keep a Hot fire going without electric, moisture causing popping and flying hot coals, inability of building the "Cave", cost and availability, as well as the large Clinkers. I am fortunate to live in a rural area and have no issue with neighbors. The availability of the "Bituminous " coal is no problem where I live in PA. I just don't see the advantage of changing over to Coke as well as having to build a Side Blast Forge. However; to each his own. I wish you best of luck with the Coke. God Bless you and your family and Merry Christmas.
sweetness heavens no I surely didnt mean it in that way at all. The boy comment was strictly a collocquializm from west Texas and was representation of the things I hear out here. Very sorry it came across in that light to you. Would never intentionally be abrupt or condisending to one of our friends here without drastic cause. Very sorry again. The more mature folks out here have a different way of talking to one another. We refer to one another as son or boy and maam or lil lady quite w o insult intended...just how they say things. Now w the young folks its different story...they're always offended by everything these days. That said the " hell boy " comment was strictly coming from a gentleman my senior to me over a question of coal available...and I didnt find issue w it...its just how we are. To him ima youngster lol as he was in his mid sixties or more and I'm in my late 50s. So I can totally relate to your possition... 50s and disabled. That is my group also...docs been trying for years to get me to go disabled...bad back and all but I cant stop gotta keep going for as long as I can. Socks and boots are a pain these days lol. But I still work 80 to 100hrs a week cuz them bill collectors want there money right. Again sorry I meant no pffenses
sweetness oh my. In re reading my 1st comment I can see where I should have put the charcoal comment in quotations and neglected to do so. I can see where that didnt fone across in the proper light due strictly to my grammar error. * ducks head sheepishly holding hat in hand* sorry sirSir
Appreciate your candid review. I am fortunate to have access to both coal and coke. Coke is handy when working with a beehive fire. Build it with coal and feed it with coke to replace the bed as it consumes away. That way the hive or cave structure stays intact.
I use a coke forge, the clinker can be something of a pain because it makes entering the steel into the fire harder. I break the clinker up with my rake, and it does hold heat well so has its advantages as well. At the end of the day I rake back where I've been burning and pull the clinker to the top to cool and remove the next time I use it . The space in the shape of a V is open ready to take wood or charcoal for the next light up.
I just recently started using coke after using green coal, and my mind was blown. By the size of the clinker. I had assumed that coke would have less clinker than green coal since a lot of the impurities are gone, but no... that alone is why I’ll be going back to green coal. Though, I will say, coke seems to burn hotter, faster, which is nice.
Great video! I love this channel
My locally sourced anthracite has zero smoke, vapors, etc. It's VERY clean. I use it almost exclusively. I use bituminous coal to light the anthracite since it's just so hard to get going otherwise. But it's beautiful to burn. I used to only use bituminous but I got the anthracite once and I loved it. It also burns longer than bituminous. It's more dense and can easily be moved around/ broken into smaller chunks for getting steel in the forge easier. It's pretty easy to clean as well. And almost no clinkers. I get little droplets of clinker, but nothing noticable at all.
Do you need to keep air going to the anthracite to keep it going? I'm still hand cranked.
83GT. I have found that i need to keep air flowing to anthracite all the time. I use an electric fan and decrease the air flow when i don't have metal in the fire, but if i cut the air for too long it takes forever to get the heat back up.
My anthracite produces a LOT of ash. So much so it's hard to keep the air flow. Any thoughts?
@@charityironworks1036 ash, or clinker? Where are you getting your anthracite?
I use both. When the fire is out I collect the remaining coke. I also buy metallurgical coke. I build my fire with wood and add the old coke from the previous fire. Once lit, I bank in some metallurgical coke. Last I bank some coal if I want a beehive. Sometimes I spoon coke inside the beehive to keep it hot. How much clinker remains is based purely on the grade of coke. Mine produces some clinker but not much.
Thanks for the info. So far all I use is anthracite because that's what I have access to, my supply house started carrying coke. Been considering switching for a cleaner burn as to not annoy neighbors, and my entire shop and awning is covered in soot. Trying to decide weather to modify my forge or build another just for the coke. Hope you decide to document a "coke" forge build. Thanks again Roy, this was good info to consider.
Learning curve = Managing the fuel according to its needs.
Another option is to mix the Bituminous coal with the Coke.
Thanks for the video..
Good info on coke.
I'd still like to see you do a review on dry whole feed corn as an alternative forge solid fuel.
I find it burns clean with almost no clinkers, and smells to me like grill roasted corn on the cob Very neighborhood friendly.
Fire management very similar to bituminous coal.
I keep wanting to try that. Since I don't have a chimney, I think I'll wait for warmer days and stay inside with my gas forge. Lol thanks for the reminder
Since there are no videos on using dry whole feed corn as an alternative fuel, I made one. I would sill like to see others do the same. ruclips.net/video/T-UgxYiiAWI/видео.html
@@dthomas021 I saw that vid a ways back ... very interesting. 👍❤
From a purely chemical standpoint, dried feed corn makes some sense because it is compact simple carbohydrate, and if you dry carbohydrates sufficiently they combust easily. I wonder what the result would be if you put a sack of dried feed corn in a retort in place of hardwood, and pre-coked it en mass. Would it expand and form a mostly solid mass that you'd have to bust out in chunks, or would it turn into distinct kernels of carbon, or perhaps carbonized popcorn ? Seems like a fun experiment for someone to try. I'm not a smith so this is just armchair hypotheticals for me. 🤔😁
I just recently found a local source for blacksmith coal ( bituminous ) here in New Hampshire. I'm just ecstatic to get that for $.50/lb, never mind finding coke.
Interesting. Merry Christmas.
Great info for the future. Thank you for that and the Christmas card👍⚒On!!!
Thanks for the comparison Roy. You should talk to Daniel Moss, all he uses is coke.
Ya beat me to it John. Lol
How can coke make klinkers? I thought the whole point of coke was that it was almost pure carbon with all the klinker-making garbage already burned off
If the coal has a lot of klinker, it means the seem has too much pyrite minerals in it. If you burn bituminous coal, itl eventually turn into coke, so its kinda the same. Also, you can make your own coke by just baking the coal. Look at how people make charcoal, its the same process.
very helpful video thank you
9:11 I think it's pronounced "bi-toom-in-us" not "bi-yoom-in-us".
As for the excessive clinker ... Ive never smithed, but AFAIK clinker is a solidified amalgram of non-combustible impurities (primarily silica with other trace metals and minerals, and probably some forge scale that sloughs off while sliding your work in & out of the fire) that melted, ran out the bottom of your fire, and resolidified, kinda like slag from a smelter. So, conceptually, if a brand or batch of coke is throwing more clinker than usual, i'd speculate that that batch came from a part of a coal seam that had more sand/minerals in the organic deposits that formed it. Not all coke is created equal ... coke formed from coal that was formed from say a nice clean peat deposit will probably throw less clinker than say coke from coal from another part of the very same seam than had underground water with a high mineral content seeping through it before it underwent it's final metamorphic transformation (into coal).
how would a charcoal fire work in a coal forge
I would like to know because I am having a hard time finding any coal at all in my area
@@coyewallace7048 Imo works well, my forge is an old coal/coke forge and up until this year I have made it run great with charcoal - but do mind the temperatures as it burns steel quick.
Of course, if you don't have access to a coke supplier, you can always build up a small inventory by setting aside some coke at the end of each fire.
I've heard that if you went coke it will put off sulfuric acid that we eat the metal on your forge.
All I have ever used is coke. I love it. An I'm sure my neighbors down wind love it.
Do you have any videos on maintaining a coke forge or is it similar to maintaining a coal fire
Ok I just sent it again
Roy it is Bi-tu-mi-nous coal with a t, you have enough people watching you, you might as well get it right so people can ask for it by its correct name.
Im living in a fairly populated area. I can't decide between using coal or gas, I want to start as soon as I can after Christmas. Due to school I wouldnt have much time for forging apart from the weekend. What do you reccomend?
I'm looking to build a rather massive side blast forge, and I'm curious where you got your coke from, as I'd prefer to not burn through so much bituminous in it. Can't really find anyone local with it.
Not sure what is local to you ,but Cincinnati bulk terminals on mehring way has coal very cheap. should be more economical as long as you have a way to get it
Hey just released We have the same blower
It's quite interesting that coke is a huge waste by product within the Venezuelan oil industry... I didn't knew it was useful for this and certainly I have never seen coke sold as fuel a retail level... quite a pity, people still use charcoal in very rudimentary ways.
And North America STILL getting COKE from South Americans LMFAO!!!
( Just a little teasing 😉 )
@@Uke96789 Not gonna lie, that was pretty funny :)
@@mikkykyluc5804 At least SOMEONE has a sense of humor! LOL
Coke, limestone and water Make acetylene.
Does anyone know how to get a very cheep anvil? I'm going to be building my own forge i just don't have an anvil and all the ones I've seen so far are really expensive.
Buy the best one you can afford now! Anvil prices will only continue to rise... even for the bad ones.
Im having problems finding coal here in Canton Ohio! Unless i order online! Im going to be using lump charcoal for now! Any help on finding coal or Coke up around this area would be great! I hope u got my email and thank you for the gift from live stream. I will be tuneing into those as often as i can,alot of interesting people and conversations on there! Very helpful! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to your family from my family! God bless!!
Lol. Not to diminish your issues at all now. That said...oughta try finding any of those in Midland Texas. Lol oh you want some charcoal hell boy they got that at any grocery store! Arrrg.🙃
Reckon for me it's just gona bee propane. Got my 1st stuff to start my ribbon burner and waiting on the castable to get shipped in. Seems nobody here carries anything in that line either lol
But hey wish you all the best and seasons greetings blessed Christ Mass and happy new years, Crawford out
@@danielcrawford7315 thanks for the letting me know! But so you know no boy here! I do alot of smoking with lump charcoal so i know where i can get it! I have four bags on hand at all times! Im just getting into blacksmithing so please don't talk to me as a kid,50 year old man with health issues! Im just doing this to pass time but im very interested in it! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
From your video, it appears that aside from the positive of Coke burning cleaner, there are many more negatives, such as having to use an electric blower; not being able to keep a Hot fire going without electric, moisture causing popping and flying hot coals, inability of building the "Cave", cost and availability, as well as the large Clinkers. I am fortunate to live in a rural area and have no issue with neighbors. The availability of the "Bituminous " coal is no problem where I live in PA. I just don't see the advantage of changing over to Coke as well as having to build a Side Blast Forge. However; to each his own. I wish you best of luck with the Coke. God Bless you and your family and Merry Christmas.
sweetness heavens no I surely didnt mean it in that way at all. The boy comment was strictly a collocquializm from west Texas and was representation of the things I hear out here. Very sorry it came across in that light to you. Would never intentionally be abrupt or condisending to one of our friends here without drastic cause. Very sorry again. The more mature folks out here have a different way of talking to one another. We refer to one another as son or boy and maam or lil lady quite w o insult intended...just how they say things. Now w the young folks its different story...they're always offended by everything these days. That said the " hell boy " comment was strictly coming from a gentleman my senior to me over a question of coal available...and I didnt find issue w it...its just how we are. To him ima youngster lol as he was in his mid sixties or more and I'm in my late 50s. So I can totally relate to your possition... 50s and disabled. That is my group also...docs been trying for years to get me to go disabled...bad back and all but I cant stop gotta keep going for as long as I can. Socks and boots are a pain these days lol. But I still work 80 to 100hrs a week cuz them bill collectors want there money right.
Again sorry I meant no pffenses
sweetness oh my. In re reading my 1st comment I can see where I should have put the charcoal comment in quotations and neglected to do so. I can see where that didnt fone across in the proper light due strictly to my grammar error. * ducks head sheepishly holding hat in hand* sorry sirSir
Hey did u get my email with my address
No we didn't could you send it again thanks :-)
Propane will keep your lungs clean..
Unless inhaled deeply LOL
almost 15 minutes just to say coke is better than coal. what a waste of time
I'm using coke and never had any clinker.