What type of coal for forge

This was not technically possible to achieve until the firebox arch came into use, but burning coke, with its low smoke emissions, was considered to meet the requirement. However, this rule was quietly dropped and cheaper coal became the normal fuel, as railways gained acceptance among the general public. In the late 19th century, the coalfields of western Pennsylvania provided a rich source of raw material for coking.

In , the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal and Iron Company constructed the world's longest string of coke ovens in Walston, Pennsylvania, with ovens over a length of one and a quarter miles. Their output reached 22, tons per month. The water content in coke is practically zero at the end of the coking process, but coke is often water quenched to reduce its temperature so that it can be transported inside the blast furnaces. In some more modern coke plants an advanced method of coke cooling is by air quenching.

The volatility of coke reaches minimum levels at the end of the coking process. Natural Gas vs Propane? Blacksmiths today now have access to gas-fired forges and furnaces as well as coal and coke forges to heat the iron.

Gas forges offer the convenience of not having to worry about where to buy good smithing coal. Gas forges are not as hot as coal forges and take longer to heat the iron to a forging temperature. In all cases the lower heat value of gas means longer heat times and more oxidation. However the size and capacity of the gas forge allows a much larger number of straight un-worked, or nearly straight bars to be placed in the fire at one time, and therefore can heat more un-worked bars over a longer period of time than the coal forge.

This last point is the reason why a business needing forgings is more likely to have a gas forge than a coal forge. On the other hand the coal forge is still king when higher heats on larger and heavier bars are needed, and fewer bars are to be heated for work, and for heating work of more complex shape which cannot be placed inside the limited interior area of the gas forge.

Each type of forge coal or gas has its advantages and disadvantages, and this is why each shop must choose what type of setup works best in their situation. Many shops employ both gas and coal forges and use them each for specific tasks such as-coal for heavy bars and gas for large numbers of small work.

Most factory-made gas forges cannot reach welding heat, and those that can, will heat the iron much more slowly. During the last 25 years, a new welding flux was introduced specifically for allowing gas forges those forges that are actually capable of reaching welding heat to be used for welding.

Special fluxes are sometimes needed for fire welding with gas forges. Since gas forges will take longer to heat iron, more oxidation will develop during the extended heating period. Special fluxes are used to deal with the additional scaling which results from this oxidation. The lower temperature and slower heating associated with the gas forge is actually helpful to most beginner smiths and those with poor fire skills because, a cheap gas forge will not heat the iron to a sizzling white heat- suddenly destroying the iron.

I was wondering what type of coal is the best to forge with. We heat my house with a coal stove and buy coal in bulk for that purpose. I was told that coal comes in 3 sizes and that there are different types of coal with their own properties. I want to know if the coal we order for our stove is good to use in a forge or just generally what coal is preferred by blacksmiths. We get chestnut sized pieces and they are smooth in texture and shiny in appearance, Im not sure if that helps but thats all I know about it.

Im sure the coal we get would be able heat the material but I don't want to use an inferior type that could cause problems with my forge or my work piece. Any advice or explanation on what coal to use and how to identify it would be very appreciated. Thank you very much. Hi Vincent, basically you can use any type of coal to forge with, some perform better than others and all have their own chracteristics, some give a radiant heat, others a more local intense heat, some produce loads of clinker, others a smaller amount.

I would suggest trying it and see if it works for you, if there is someone local who has some smithing experience have a word and possibly a demo with them using the fuel in question Good luck on your new journey. Hope this helps. No guarantee that "stove coal" in PA is anything like "stove coal" in NM.

In general you want a high BTU, good coking, Bituminous coal; but as mentioned folks have forged with everything from peat to anthracite though the farther out from the "good coal" center you go the more "interesting" it gets to make it work. Out where you are Pocahontas and Sewell seam are names to conjure by! Thank you everyone for your response, I guess the only way to know for sure is to try.

I will ask around and see where other local smiths get their coal from. Depending on where you live, coal may not be readily available. Most of the coal in the United States is in the East and Northeast, and it gets more expensive the further you are from there.

Lighting coal is a little more difficult than charcoal, but the resulting forge will burn hotter and longer. It may get hot enough to damage the metal you are trying to work on. However, this also makes reaching forge welding temperatures much easier.

Coal forges come in many shapes and sizes. Commonly, forges can also be made from brake drums or old propane grills. Antique forge tables are both beautiful and functional.

Depending on where you live, this will not be an option simply because of the rules of your city, so check your local laws. With some states, as soon as you do anything other than cook food on with coal, you can be fined. Charcoal is considered the least desirable fuel when blacksmithing.

While readily available, charcoal may not even reach the necessary temperature to soften iron and steel without a lot of fuel and constant airflow. You can burn through a lot of charcoal quickly and still not achieve the proper temperatures.

If you are first starting out, you can try charcoal and see if it will function with what you are working with. Briquettes are particularly bad, as they frequently have a large amount of non-combustible dirt used to help form them.

Instead of buying briquettes, you can make homemade charcoal from wood. It can be made from wood fairly easily. If you have a reliable supply of wood, it may work for your homemade forge.

Lignite is either strip-mined or mined in open pits. Most Texas coal is low-grade lignite used in electric power plants. Still, some smiths forge with it. This is the sticky semi-solid mass that coagulates at the bottom of the fire pot after coal is burnt.

Clinker buildup in a forge blocks airflow and draws heat away from the fire. Its contaminants interfere with forge welding in a hot fire. This is the chunky residue made of pure carbon left behind after coal is burnt and tars, oils, and gases have been released.

Coke burns cleanly and hot, perfect for heating steel. Smiths also use dark layers of coke to cover the intense light emitted by the heart of fires, which is harmful to the eyes. Commercial coke is also produced on an industrial scale. Clean coke is the easiest to use as it requires less management than other fuels. Coal is a mineral and a natural fossil fuel that takes millions of years to emerge.

Charcoal is produced from wood. Despite being man-made, it produces more heat and is cleaner than coal. Its low density, however, means that more of it must be burnt for bigger heating jobs. This makes it very expensive for smithing. If you insist on using charcoal, Whitlox Forge warns against using briquettes from groceries. Their non-carbon fillers and binders lower the maximum potential temperature of the fire.

Choose hardwood lump charcoal instead. Adams says the important part of the fire is the core. Smiths usually focus on how the core functions because it is where metal gets hot and where it oxidizes before it heats up.