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Making Charcoal |
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Ken in Texas
Orange Level Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: Henderson, TX Points: 5919 |
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Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 9:01am |
Some Time Back I had the Knack of Making Lump Charcoal in a 55 gal Drum. The kind with clamp on Lid. Lids had a large and small bung hole plugs. If I remember right I would pack the barrel full of smallish blocks of oak or hickory firewood. Take out the big plug and the next time I Had a pile of brush to burn, I put the barrel of wood where the hottest fire was all around the drum.
Drum on laying its side bung hole up. At first just white smoke and steam blew out the bung hole. It would then blow fire out the hole burning off the gas from the wood leaving nothing but carbon(Charcoal). When no more fire comes out the hole put the plug back in. Don't open the drum until it is totally cold or your charcoal WILL all Burn Up. The last two drums I tried Did not do good. I started with Fresh Green Oak. That may be why. Anybody else made Charcoal this way?
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Ray54
Orange Level Access Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Location: Paso Robles, Ca Points: 4378 |
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Not a expert but I know they don't care if green or dry. When I was a kid there was lot of charcoal making going on,now one guy with one small oven. It is all about limited amount of oxygen. From my vague understanding you never want flames in the oven after you have built up heat inside. You close it up with a very limited amount draft and very little smoke out.
I would suggest you plug the big bung or at least maybe cover it with a piece of flat steel to just let a bit of air in and smoke out the little bung. And my understanding is much flame is bad and burning the wood to much.
The Europeans would only cut wood to size they could move into a pile. Cover with a mat of straw then cover that with dirt. Once lit someone tended it 24/7 until they felt it was done,then cover with more dirt to smoother. But was not unheard of that someone would fall asleep and the pile would be flaming away burn it to ashes instead of charcoal. The Japaneses where the first in this part of the country to build rock ovens and haul the wood to a central point. With the better control of heat and draft they got a much higher percentage of there wood out as charcoal. So in a matter of very few years all charcoal was made in ovens. As late as the 1950's there was interest in charcoal that company came in and started to build concrete block ovens with steel doors. They planned better than a dozen all side by side. Only a few where every completed,and the company was gone. The property owner let a Mexican fellow use them as long as there was a market locally. Finally they were removed for the blocks that could be salvaged. |
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Thad in AR.
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: Arkansas Points: 9306 |
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I read about similar ways as yours on some of my blacksmithing pages. I’ll see what I can find tonight. You can google I forge iron and read as a guest as well
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ac fleet
Orange Level Joined: 12 Jan 2014 Location: Arrowsmith, ILL Points: 2226 |
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I have a book, (somewhere), about making it that way, only they had a pipe going from the hole to down under the barrel to channel the gases back under into the fire. Once the gasses were ignited they would quit adding more fuel under the barrel, leaving it to self fire. ---- My book might be with the luni melter and lathe building books. I got the book many years ago and it used old tech. and I think thats what you are looking for! thanks; ac fleet
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Ken in Texas
Orange Level Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: Henderson, TX Points: 5919 |
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Old Henry Ford made Charcoal using scrap oak wood left from building Model Ts and As.
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tadams(OH)
Orange Level Access Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Location: Jeromesville, O Points: 9750 |
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Old Henry Ford was quite a engineer
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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That was only what he had left over after making floorboards. He speced the pallets ordered parts came in on and glory be they just happened to be the same width as his cars.
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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I took the Jack Daniels Distillery tour years ago and if I remember right it was Sugar Maple splits about 5 feet long and stacked like a wood and mud chimney around 10 feet high, torched, then put out with water.
It was still dripping when the tour moved on so that's all I know about it. |
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Dipstick In
Orange Level Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: Remington, In. Points: 8602 |
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The train that hauled the coke out of the Indianapolis Power and Light plant ran behind my father-in-law's house in Indy, and every nite a 100 car load of coke was hauled to the Gary steel mills until they closed up. I think this was coal mined around Terre Haute. It was a pretty good system,,,,,,,,, Indy burned the coal gas off for power, and the mills used the coke!
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You don't really have to be smart if you know who is!
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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Remember not making a hill in snow. getting your shovel out of the trunk, walking down the hill to the cinder pile in the tracks your car made, scooping up a shovel full, walking back up the hill, tossing those cinders in front of the drive wheel and repeating as necessary as many times as it took. Always the most fun at night and in the middle of the storm.
Edited by Walker - 09 Jan 2019 at 4:16pm |
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LouSWPA
Orange Level Access Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: Clinton, Pa Points: 24070 |
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ya know, Walker, I can remember when the PennDOT strategically placed receptacles of ashes from the steel mills along hills in the winter time just for that purpose.
I was too little to remember what type of receptacle, or if they left shovels, but I do remember dad making use of them on occasion |
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27 |
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DMiller
Orange Level Access Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 29840 |
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We had cinders from the local power station the city spread LIBERALLY on the streets, even Grey cars looked NASTY!! Had a coal furnace until was eight, had a Clinker can in the basement which after cooled some got mashed up and used on the sidewalk in front of the house.
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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In Oh they just dumped them, no shovel no receptacle. You are very lucky you don't remember carrying them, if you can imagine trying to keep balance in a 10 or 12`inch deep narrow tire track in the dark and covered in snow yourself. Almost as fun as laying in the middle of the road on your back under a car in snow or ice putting on tire chains and hoping a car didn't top the hill from the other direction before you had a chance to slither into the ditch.
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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Not positive but I always figured a cross between coke and clinkers here. There'd be a pile near waist high and 10 ft dia every couple hundred feet along up side of bigger hills till they were gotten into.
Edited by Walker - 09 Jan 2019 at 6:12pm |
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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And when it first rained to open the festivities you would find a nice coating of ice to chip through before you got to cinders.
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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Now that I think about it I remember seeing cinder piles near Pittsburg years ago on the hill that has the tunnel then bridge going toward three rivers stadium. near where USS Requin is moored.
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allis g
Orange Level Joined: 10 Jan 2012 Location: Templeton Points: 402 |
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Ray you can still see the remnants of a kiln out on 46 west near York Mountain Road. North side of 46 East of York mountain. It was built into the side of the hill on a ranch that a friend owns.
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wide
Silver Level Joined: 29 Dec 2018 Location: north iowa Points: 169 |
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Heat is often a byproduct of many processes. Making charcoal puts off alot of extra heat.
In many countries people are beginning to put a metal can of wood in their cooking and heating fires to make charcoal as they cook/heat. Using a fire they were going to build anyway and making a byproduct they can sell. |
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Ted J
Orange Level Joined: 05 Jul 2010 Location: La Crosse, WI Points: 18743 |
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At one time a LOT of years ago, the city of La Crosse used to put all the cinders down the alleys. I still have scars from them on my knees. Bicycles didn't fare very well down those alleys.
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"Allis-Express"
19?? WC / 1941 C / 1952 CA / 1956 WD45 / 1957 WD45 / 1958 D-17 |
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Ken in Texas
Orange Level Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: Henderson, TX Points: 5919 |
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Tree tops don't make good firewood. I remember delivering a load of unsplit small rounds to a rich customer. When we were unloading the Maid stopped us and said, " Mister Standard He say Limbs Don't make good Wood" So. We took it back home and split it into Half Rounds and brought it back.
Tops Makes good Charcoal. The brush gets burnt to cook off what's in the barrel. Nothing goes to Waste
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DMiller
Orange Level Access Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 29840 |
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About all sold around here is tops after logged a area. The limbs will run from 2 or 3" to around 6" where splits easy, cuts quick and uses up what takes DECADES to rot down. Smaller brushy crap is cut down where will lay flat if not pushed to large piles where does rot fast while still making a decent hide for small game.
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LouSWPA
Orange Level Access Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: Clinton, Pa Points: 24070 |
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there is or was a PenDOT cinders/ash dump station along that stretch of road, and a truck runaway also, but to my knowledge cinders/ashes for public was never places along the road there |
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27 |
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LouSWPA
Orange Level Access Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: Clinton, Pa Points: 24070 |
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Ken, sorry for hijacking your post!
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27 |
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Tbone95
Orange Level Access Joined: 31 Aug 2012 Location: Michigan Points: 11434 |
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I used to live in Athens, OH, which is 1 quite hilly and 2, in Ohio's coal country. They used coal cinders on the roads after a snow or freezing rain. I don't recall ever seeing piles or containers of them though...interesting topic.
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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I'm north central oh. I've seen most of the piles I speak of in northern Knox county and I would hesitate to rule out them still using them today on occasion though I haven't noticed any for some years.
Edited by Walker - 10 Jan 2019 at 1:28pm |
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tadams(OH)
Orange Level Access Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Location: Jeromesville, O Points: 9750 |
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Some township still use cider around here in Ohio the last I knew they were getting them from Rittman
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cabinhollow
Orange Level Joined: 24 Mar 2018 Location: SEKY Points: 327 |
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I was at a track meet in OH about 10 years ago and the track was cider.
After so many races, they would re-chalk the lines. |
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DiyDave
Orange Level Access Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Location: Gambrills, MD Points: 50748 |
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I remember seein them around Biglerville, back in the '80's. I think the shovel was optional, usually wore out junk...
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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Walker
Orange Level Access Joined: 12 Sep 2009 Location: oh Points: 8128 |
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Edited by Walker - 11 Jan 2019 at 1:00am |
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