Rick: I have watched many videos on making your own charcoal, but this one is the best I have seen. You even went as far as explaining the flame and what each type of flame was burning off. Thank s two thumbs up.
Yes, he did a great job of identifying the various stages of the burn. I have a degree in Chemical Engineering, and I found this to be fascinating stuff!
Thanks for sharing the yield weight and mentioning using the flue gas to get better efficiency. I learned 200% more things from your video than the two or three I watched prior. Much appreciated.
My concern is the quantity of wood for fuel . Looks like you burn More wood than the ones you put in the drum to turn to charcoal. Please am I correct?
As a chef that smokes and uses charcoal and is very into diy your video was very helpful and great info for people who want to make their own now they can! Thanks again’
this is hands down the simplest way to make charcoal.. ive watch alot of videos and alot of guys go to alot of trouble to do it harder.. this is the best way!!
Been doing research on making charcoal and your setup seems to work great. Others use a barrel standing up then start fire then put lid on after a while. Yours just seal up and light fire under it. Low maintenance. Thanks for sharing. Daughter caught great video.
yes but because of the 'open fire' under the barrel I think there is a lot of loss in energy efficiency and the proportion 'mass charcoal' vs 'mass burned wood' is quite low. But I agree on the nice low tech construction itself.
here in Phillipines, we stacking 2 metal drums for the 3 stages of "pyrolysis" and afterwards remove the upper drum and cover the bottom drum with lid and mud for tight sealing, less smoke and fast. Your method is also great, Sir! thank you.
Great job! This is by far the easiest way I have found to make charcoal on the internet. Everyone else talks about 2 different sized buckets, punching hole(s), etc. I've got everything you used, including the pipe that my sister was going to throw away...lol. I will be using it to make mesquite charcoal which I have lots of mesquite. Glad I saw the comment about the only hole you make on the barrel was for the pipe. Thank you
My dad is retiring back to his hometown in Mexico in a few months and he’s been looking for some DIY builds. We live out near Chicago so we can’t do this here; Most definitely gonna try this out. Thanks man!
Wow that brought me back to when I was a kid and my teenage brothers and I used to make them. We didn't get great results like this, but we got it done. Great, great video.
I knew I was gonna like this video as soon as you cut the old ball hoop up for scrap LOL. Due diligence, patience, and attention to detail led to perfect results.
i watched a few others and this is the one that seems right. others seem to lose alot of charcoal weight since they kinda set the actual wood on fire. this way seems to have less to do about burning the wood (bad) and more about burning off the gasses (good)
I'm old school smoked meats kinda guy. The wife hates when she goes into town and I ask her pick up more charcoal. She found this video and SAID make one. I'm just waiting for dark to try my first batch. I'm using hickory. Thank you for the video. I am hitting the subscribe button after reading some comments about your other builds. Thanks again 🇨🇦🥓🍻
This looks like the easier of all the ways I've seen. I believe I'll give it a try as I am a blacksmith myself and I smoke different foods for the family. Thanks much man.
I agree with the simplicity…. I have unlimited large rocks for making fire pit and unlimited wood from sawmill and production o firewood. This is my current project. You done good!
I've been watching quite a few other people on you tube making their own charcoal and so far the way you are doing it seems to be yielding more charcoal with less effort plus better uniformity.thanks for your hard work,I'm going to use the info to make my own.red oak is an excellent choice to use also.good job my friend.
I've done small patches of charcoal using Christmas tins in my woodstove with willow bark. It's good for making charcoal pencils or add 2 ingredients & make gun powder!
Loved the video, Rick. One note to you: Plastic trash bags are made from petroleum and that petroleum can transfer to whatever you put into it. That's why it is a big no-no to put venison into them. The same may apply to your charcoal but I don't know. Maybe 5 gallon plastic buckets would do better at preserving and keeping your charcoal. Peace, Love and Happiness to you and your family.
Easily the easiest and most efficient method I've seen. I am not skilled enough to make the kiln though and no access to amounts of wood but still... dreaming of a better world
I too have seen many charcoal making videos. Yours is one of the best. Great work. I make charcoal with apple wood, in a metal 5 gallon bucket. I like your way better. Quite the yield.
I agree with Robert M. You've done a very good job in explaining and creating. Thank you very much for your time and information i'm very grateful if you don't mind i would like to use this design for my own Forge.
Dear Rick, your solution clearly separates the heat source {BBQ bed} from the charcoal production {Pyrolysis}. Pyrolysis means that in an anoxic chamber, all the volatiles of your wood are boiled off and the remaining carbon heated to become pure carbon. Your smoke stack has volatile gases {hydrocarbons} and produces the pretty dancing flame at night. You end up with a large percentage of charcoal inside your cooker and ash in the BBQ area. In South America, charcoal burners make a huge pile of wood, cover it with a clay dome and set fire to it through a tiny breather hole at the bottom. A small exhaust vents the volatile gases {smoke} andafter about a week the clay is removed to reveal nearly pure charcoal. Cheers.
Excellent job Rick! I’m planning on building a charcoal kiln this year and your version worked very well. I may pipe the exhaust down to the fire pit as to increase the efficiency of the process.
Thanks Ray - I was thinking that if I had cut the pipe about 6 feet in length and drilled two opposite holes in the drum - top and bottom - so I would have 3 feet of the pipe sticking out the top of the drum - 2 feet within the drum (with holes cut in pipe) and 1 foot out the bottom. During the first stage I would have the top open to exhaust the moisture with the bottom sealed off and then once in stage 2 close the top and vent the volatiles out the bottom. The key would be having good caps for the pipe to seal tight but easy to open and close without getting burned . Anyways - that was my initial thought, but got lazy.
@@allyn1016 Well, you can spend all your money buying charcoal. Ours is FREE plus we get the enjoyment of producing our own and, without all of the glue and other chemicals.
@@buddycarroll9641 lol there's no glue and other chemicals as you put it in lump charcoal. the same charcoal that you spent a day and a half for 2 days of your life making. That's a lot of time and effort for 25 bucks
This is one of best examples of converting wood too charcoal I've seen on here. Along the same lines as how the Brits produce high quality carbon. Great results! I'll be trying this myself for bbqing or forging purposes. Well done!
One of the better videos on making Charcoal Rick! The junk we get from the stores nowadays is disgraceful! I have been threatening to make my own for some time now, I think you may have just talked me into it friend. Ooohyahh!
Thanks Brady - much appreciated. Would like to see your set-up if you decide to do it....it wasn't that hard and always fun to have a campfire with the family; Booyah!!
He's wasting all the good wood gas it's making. I've seen similar setups, where the purpose was the wood gas and the charcoal was just a bonus by-product. It takes a lot more apparatus to generate wood gas you can port into the intake manifold on an engine, but there are guys out there doing it. One with an old Ford pickup and another with an old farm tractor got quite a few views on UA-cam. just tooling around in their wood-gas vehicles. The only bad thing about the guys who make those videos is they're motor heads, and making their machines really LOUD is part of the joy - joy the've been feeling since playing in the back yard with their TONKA trucks as children, supplying all the engine sounds themselves. I can't PROVE that last bit, but I knew kids like that, and they all grew up to be motor heads who love the sound of a big V8 and heavy machinery, preferably with a bad muffler. Wood-gas could make a comeback, if prices for the fossil fuels keep going up. He's right about there being more water, early in the process, which is why you use a long condenser pipe between the gasifier and the intake manifold. I think the Ford guy used 4-inch pipe to make a super heavy-duty set of racks that he mounted on top of his bed rails. Turned necessity into a virtue, so his wood-gas pickup can handle tall loads and livestock. I'd love to have his setup, only with a better muffler. But very similar to what this guy's doing. It all works much better with hardwoods, and hardwoods tend to be pretty scarce, out West and up high in the USA. East of the Mississippi, you start seeing more hardwoods. One of a few things I miss about Eastern USA.
Rick Rabjohn Hi rick. I’ve made my burner the same as you. I have burnt it for 3 hour and the smoke has nearly stoped but it has not burnt of the gas I tried lighting it but still no flame. Do you know what I’m doing wrong. Hoping you can help Cheers Adrian
That is some beautiful charcoal!!! I cant wait to be able to try this one day. I cant do it living in the suburbs, but i will when i get to the sticks, lol
I came across this video while looking for ways to build a retort-style pyrolyzation chamber. I definitely think recovering all that syngas (H2 and methane) is a smart choice, and I would be interested in seeing your take on how to do that! Just a friendly tip on charcoal-making: you can judge your final product by how it sounds. Well-carbonized, high-quality charcoal will sound "glassy" when you knock pieces of it together (or just when you're pulling pieces out after firing). If you make another video, could you include a clip letting us hear the final product?
I think syngas is H2 and CO, I don't know why everyone keeps saying methane in stead of CO... Other than that: good thinking! Next level: try a setup where the heat released in the process has an economic use.
Rick Rabjohn At what point do you decide to ignite the flue to burn off the methane and hydrogen? Your video and explanations are so easy to follow. Thank you.
I would love to make my own lump charcoal like that, I can almost taste the ribs, pulled pork and brisket. I just need the space to be able to do it. Amazing results.
When you panned the camera to the basketball net, I thought "Hey I have a junk one of those laying around, wish I could use that...". Then I saw you were actually using it and I was like "Score!"
Great job! I just got a bunch of red oak, didn't really know what to do with it. Headed to my shop. My shop neighbor sells barrels, and I already have pipe and a fire pit!
This video shows how to make your own charcoal including how I made a simple and cheap kiln to cook the wood and the steps used to make the charcoal; Booyah!
I really like the concept of the 'Charcoal forge!' this has been on of my side projects I've been looking into for a while, and the videos I've been seeing mention something in the way of creating a forge, but nothing 'permanent' (welded together) like yours! Great video.. Thanks for sharing bud!
I believe in the old days they sat next to an earthed over fire for 3 days on a two legged stool. They had to cover over any fire that broke through. If they went to sleep they fell over. 3 days without sleep, not a lot of fun. Very good video worth knowing, regards from across the pond.
That's a good process, and as others have noted, you can use the gasification products. You can also just cut the wood into 1.5" splits, burn the wood in a drum, and as soon as you have thorough combustion going, cap it. It will all char and you'll use less fuel.
@@micahl6961 That is not needed as superheated steam is making the pockets in the carbon structure rather than a hot chemical process as done by calcium chloride.
you can add a way to catch the hydrogen and methane by-product and store them in tanks and if you have a compressor, extract them later from storage tanks and compress them into empty propane cylinders and walla you got yourself coal and free gas from just wood, :)
On your next build install your exhaust stack at the bottom of the barrel running the length of the barrel within 1-2 inches. "2" inch steel pipe will be plenty large enough. Cap the end of the pipe and drill 15-20 1/4 inch or so holes along each side of the pipe facing outward. As the gases start to cook off in the drum they will exit the pipe into the burning wood and self ignite heating the drum to even higher temps. No joke, it will sound like a mini blast furnace and I have achieved temps of 2000 degrees in the drums. No oxygen will be able to enter the drum via the pipe since the fire will be consuming it all below the drum. The flammable gasses can not build up pressure in the drum since they are exhausting out through the "2" inch exhaust pipe. Reduce the space around the drum so the heat and flame is held against the bottom and the side of the drum. The advantage of this system is the amount of wood you need to burn as a heat source will be 20% -30% of what you are now using and the inside temps will be far greater producing better charcoal in a shorter time. The exterior wood will burn up before the spent gasses burn out so no oxygen will be able to enter the closed space. When the exhaust gases stop burning, the process is complete. I have also found that using thin strips of ceramic fiber insulation is the best way to completely seal the drum lid. You can buy any size you want on amazon and its relatively cheap and it is rated to around 2300 degrees. The down side of using thin steel drums is that they burn out after 8-10 burns but it is easy enough to just build a new one.
Good job think I’ll try it your way. Except I recommend raising the wall around barrel to concentrate heat. Even two plates of metal on each side for heat to go between
great job and great video, you need another ½ barrel and make it slide in like a tray to hold the charcoal, then just slide the tray full of charcoal out
For those without time/dirt/desire for mud dome construction, the fires can be slowed/smoldered with intermittent watering the outside of a pyramid pile of branches and sticks stacked largest inside (closer to central heat/fire)...there is a loss to ash creation, but with good water management it can be lessened and save lots of time...(remember not to burn in your area without checking with local ordinances first and use safety gear with water within reach incase of ember escape)
You made yourself a wood gasifier; why don't you also use that flammable gas? You could use it, for instance, in your kitchen, hatch, or to heat up your barrel and use less wood in the process. Nice way, thou- Thumbs up :)
Unreal mate, thanks for the great tutorial. I’m an Aussie and they charge us so much for charcoal for a bbq, so this will be perfect for us to make our own. Going to utilise this method for sure. Cheers again
Rick: I have watched many videos on making your own charcoal, but this one is the best I have seen. You even went as far as explaining the flame and what each type of flame was burning off. Thank s two thumbs up.
Thank you Robert - you, made my day for sure; Booyah!
Shold we enlighted the methane on the chimney ?tq
I agree
how good is it!! I been trying to find a good video and design and he nailed it
Yes, he did a great job of identifying the various stages of the burn. I have a degree in Chemical Engineering, and I found this to be fascinating stuff!
Thanks for sharing the yield weight and mentioning using the flue gas to get better efficiency. I learned 200% more things from your video than the two or three I watched prior. Much appreciated.
I come back to this video once every couple of years to re-ignite my passion for charcoal
I see what you did there...
@@ChrisZ901 oh shit i didnt even notice I did that haha
you got a like right off the bat with "Sorry kids, dad's on a mission"....
yeah, wait til the kids are "on a mission" with dad's classic Ferrari!!! Viva Feris Bueller!!!
@@theoriginalchefboyoboy6025 hahahahahahah
My favorite line👍
My concern is the quantity of wood for fuel . Looks like you burn More wood than the ones you put in the drum to turn to charcoal. Please am I correct?
Wow great result. The best DIY charcoal making video. Excellent!!!! From Russia.....
Thank you!
That was very educational. I had no idea how charcoal was made. Thnx
As a chef that smokes and uses charcoal and is very into diy your video was very helpful and great info for people who want to make their own now they can! Thanks again’
Thank you Zachary!
Let the wood species experiments begin!
this is hands down the simplest way to make charcoal.. ive watch alot of videos and alot of guys go to alot of trouble to do it harder.. this is the best way!!
Been doing research on making charcoal and your setup seems to work great. Others use a barrel standing up then start fire then put lid on after a while. Yours just seal up and light fire under it. Low maintenance. Thanks for sharing. Daughter caught great video.
yes but because of the 'open fire' under the barrel I think there is a lot of loss in energy efficiency and the proportion 'mass charcoal' vs 'mass burned wood' is quite low. But I agree on the nice low tech construction itself.
here in Phillipines, we stacking 2 metal drums for the 3 stages of "pyrolysis" and afterwards remove the upper drum and cover the bottom drum with lid and mud for tight sealing, less smoke and fast. Your method is also great, Sir! thank you.
Great job! This is by far the easiest way I have found to make charcoal on the internet. Everyone else talks about 2 different sized buckets, punching hole(s), etc. I've got everything you used, including the pipe that my sister was going to throw away...lol. I will be using it to make mesquite charcoal which I have lots of mesquite. Glad I saw the comment about the only hole you make on the barrel was for the pipe. Thank you
thanks and good luck my friend
Thanks your procedure is simplest and best only exhaust pipe you construction above to minimize entry of oxygen.
My dad is retiring back to his hometown in Mexico in a few months and he’s been looking for some DIY builds. We live out near Chicago so we can’t do this here; Most definitely gonna try this out. Thanks man!
Wow that brought me back to when I was a kid and my teenage brothers and I used to make them. We didn't get great results like this, but we got it done. Great, great video.
I knew I was gonna like this video as soon as you cut the old ball hoop up for scrap LOL.
Due diligence, patience, and attention to detail led to perfect results.
Thank you Chauncey!!
i watched a few others and this is the one that seems right. others seem to lose alot of charcoal weight since they kinda set the actual wood on fire. this way seems to have less to do about burning the wood (bad) and more about burning off the gasses (good)
I'm old school smoked meats kinda guy. The wife hates when she goes into town and I ask her pick up more charcoal. She found this video and SAID make one. I'm just waiting for dark to try my first batch. I'm using hickory. Thank you for the video. I am hitting the subscribe button after reading some comments about your other builds. Thanks again 🇨🇦🥓🍻
Thanks and welcome to the channel!
This looks like the easier of all the ways I've seen. I believe I'll give it a try as I am a blacksmith myself and I smoke different foods for the family. Thanks much man.
Thanks Black Bear appreciate it - good luck making yours
A lot of store charcoal comes from virgin rainforest. This is so worth doing.
I like your method, thanks for sharing
Using the tabs on the barrel to help secure the smoke stack
was a really good idea. I'm going to use that in the future.
Thank you.
Thank you!
I did this once to make charcoal for black powder . . . in a one-gallon can. Same process but a whole lot smaller. This is really interesting!
Very informative and I love the simplicity of the build. It is a great way to get started. Thank you Rick!
Thanks Dave!
Great video! Very clear on the lack of burning gases coming from the chimney signaling completion.
such a easy method not including the making. Always concerned with burning the wood to much and this eliminates that problem. Nice !
thank you ....booyah
this is probably the best charcoal making video I've come across on the internet.
Thank you
Men are amazingly creative creatures, God luv 'em.
I agree with the simplicity…. I have unlimited large rocks for making fire pit and unlimited wood from sawmill and production o firewood. This is my current project. You done good!
Rick! This is beautiful design and very clean job done!!!! Thank you!!!
Thanks mate - cheers!
I've been watching quite a few other people on you tube making their own charcoal and so far the way you are doing it seems to be yielding more charcoal with less effort plus better uniformity.thanks for your hard work,I'm going to use the info to make my own.red oak is an excellent choice to use also.good job my friend.
I've done small patches of charcoal using Christmas tins in my woodstove with willow bark. It's good for making charcoal pencils or add 2 ingredients & make gun powder!
Oh, thank you, I have a lot of those tins. Nothing special about them. I can start small.
Loved the video, Rick. One note to you: Plastic trash bags are made from petroleum and that petroleum can transfer to whatever you put into it. That's why it is a big no-no to put venison into them. The same may apply to your charcoal but I don't know. Maybe 5 gallon plastic buckets would do better at preserving and keeping your charcoal. Peace, Love and Happiness to you and your family.
That is interesting - maybe paper bags would be better to be safe...hmmmm thanks for your comment - got me thinking.
Thank you for the video which helped my daughter to know how is charcoal made.
Thank you...
Easily the easiest and most efficient method I've seen. I am not skilled enough to make the kiln though and no access to amounts of wood but still... dreaming of a better world
Thank you
Great video! Been wanting to try this myself. Glad you showed the methane burning, I didn't know about that part! Thanks
Thank you - it was fun to do"....
@@RickRabjohn ,liked, subscribed, and sharing! Will be checking out you other videos
I too have seen many charcoal making videos. Yours is one of the best. Great work. I make charcoal with apple wood, in a metal 5 gallon bucket. I like your way better. Quite the yield.
I agree with Robert M. You've done a very good job in explaining and creating. Thank you very much for your time and information i'm very grateful if you don't mind i would like to use this design for my own Forge.
Thank you!
Dear Rick, your solution clearly separates the heat source {BBQ bed} from the charcoal production {Pyrolysis}. Pyrolysis means that in an anoxic chamber, all the volatiles of your wood are boiled off and the remaining carbon heated to become pure carbon. Your smoke stack has volatile gases {hydrocarbons} and produces the pretty dancing flame at night. You end up with a large percentage of charcoal inside your cooker and ash in the BBQ area.
In South America, charcoal burners make a huge pile of wood, cover it with a clay dome and set fire to it through a tiny breather hole at the bottom. A small exhaust vents the volatile gases {smoke} andafter about a week the clay is removed to reveal nearly pure charcoal. Cheers.
Thank you Peter - well said
Excellent job Rick! I’m planning on building a charcoal kiln this year and your version worked very well. I may pipe the exhaust down to the fire pit as to increase the efficiency of the process.
Thanks Ray - I was thinking that if I had cut the pipe about 6 feet in length and drilled two opposite holes in the drum - top and bottom - so I would have 3 feet of the pipe sticking out the top of the drum - 2 feet within the drum (with holes cut in pipe) and 1 foot out the bottom. During the first stage I would have the top open to exhaust the moisture with the bottom sealed off and then once in stage 2 close the top and vent the volatiles out the bottom. The key would be having good caps for the pipe to seal tight but easy to open and close without getting burned . Anyways - that was my initial thought, but got lazy.
Among the best videos I've seen on this so far. Well done.
Wow, thanks!
A lost art, brought back to life.
Buddy Carroll I believe gas (propane) grills are to blame.
There's no lost art, they still make charcoal all the time it's available everywhere.
@@allyn1016 Well, you can spend all your money buying charcoal. Ours is FREE plus we get the enjoyment of producing our own and, without all of the glue and other chemicals.
@@oceaniadoc5242 I agree. Just turn a knob and they get a fire.
@@buddycarroll9641 lol there's no glue and other chemicals as you put it in lump charcoal. the same charcoal that you spent a day and a half for 2 days of your life making. That's a lot of time and effort for 25 bucks
This is the best video I have seen in making the charcoal.
This is one of best examples of converting wood too charcoal I've seen on here. Along the same lines as how the Brits produce high quality carbon. Great results! I'll be trying this myself for bbqing or forging purposes. Well done!
Thank you Shane - really appreciate it!
Great video. Such a simple way. All the other ways I’ve seen are way more complicated! Loved it! Amazing results!
Glad you liked it!!
DIY done right! Love your attention to detail, and you got an incredible quantity making it worth your while.
Hey Rick good video. I am trying charcoal for the first time right now, based on your video. Thanks heaps mate.
Fingers crossed
Best of luck!
That band saw is awesome! Never knew that existed. Might go buy one, then I'll see if i can find a use for it.
It's worked great for me and for $99 bucks, it's hard to beat!
Thanks for the common sense approach, you just got yourself another subscriber
One of the better videos on making Charcoal Rick! The junk we get from the stores nowadays is disgraceful! I have been threatening to make my own for some time now, I think you may have just talked me into it friend. Ooohyahh!
Thanks Brady - much appreciated. Would like to see your set-up if you decide to do it....it wasn't that hard and always fun to have a campfire with the family; Booyah!!
Rick Rabjohn shall do!
Always amazed at the Sure Can Do attitude of Americans. Very good vid.
Very cool, quite interesting to see just how resource expensive this process is, makes me appreciate the whole chunk charcoal I can get locally.
He's wasting all the good wood gas it's making. I've seen similar setups, where the purpose was the wood gas and the charcoal was just a bonus by-product.
It takes a lot more apparatus to generate wood gas you can port into the intake manifold on an engine, but there are guys out there doing it. One with an old Ford pickup and another with an old farm tractor got quite a few views on UA-cam. just tooling around in their wood-gas vehicles. The only bad thing about the guys who make those videos is they're motor heads, and making their machines really LOUD is part of the joy - joy the've been feeling since playing in the back yard with their TONKA trucks as children, supplying all the engine sounds themselves.
I can't PROVE that last bit, but I knew kids like that, and they all grew up to be motor heads who love the sound of a big V8 and heavy machinery, preferably with a bad muffler.
Wood-gas could make a comeback, if prices for the fossil fuels keep going up.
He's right about there being more water, early in the process, which is why you use a long condenser pipe between the gasifier and the intake manifold. I think the Ford guy used 4-inch pipe to make a super heavy-duty set of racks that he mounted on top of his bed rails. Turned necessity into a virtue, so his wood-gas pickup can handle tall loads and livestock. I'd love to have his setup, only with a better muffler. But very similar to what this guy's doing. It all works much better with hardwoods, and hardwoods tend to be pretty scarce, out West and up high in the USA. East of the Mississippi, you start seeing more hardwoods. One of a few things I miss about Eastern USA.
Yes yes yes! I've been looking for a better way to make charcoal... Thanks Rick! Thinking outside the box
You should make a video of you cooking with your charcoal 100% great video keep it up
Thanks Jarrod..The charcoal lights quickly and burns very hot. So gar ot's been working well.
I was thinking the same exact thing.
Thank You.
A simple way to make Bulk Quality Charcoal.
I am close to doing my 1st burn, using this method.
Great video. So simple. Will be building one with your credit!
awesome!!!
That is so cool. Thanks for sharing. Most people just don't understand how extremely useful and much better compared to firewood charcoal is....
Great point! thanks Jose
looks like you got a perfect 100% yeild out of that, well done - will be copying that :)
Thanks Callan - copy away.......:-))
This is the simplest and most easily explainable method I’ve seen. Well done, Sir.
Thanks Brian!! Appreciate that
Rick Rabjohn Hi rick. I’ve made my burner the same as you. I have burnt it for 3 hour and the smoke has nearly stoped but it has not burnt of the gas I tried lighting it but still no flame. Do you know what I’m doing wrong.
Hoping you can help
Cheers Adrian
Wow that was cool also looks like a fun simple thing to do ! Thank you !!
Thank you Roger!
Great simple build. I have watched lots of setups i like this one the best
impressive vid. simple, straight forward and informative.
Thanks!
That is some beautiful charcoal!!! I cant wait to be able to try this one day. I cant do it living in the suburbs, but i will when i get to the sticks, lol
I came across this video while looking for ways to build a retort-style pyrolyzation chamber. I definitely think recovering all that syngas (H2 and methane) is a smart choice, and I would be interested in seeing your take on how to do that!
Just a friendly tip on charcoal-making: you can judge your final product by how it sounds. Well-carbonized, high-quality charcoal will sound "glassy" when you knock pieces of it together (or just when you're pulling pieces out after firing). If you make another video, could you include a clip letting us hear the final product?
Thanks for the tips and will include on next video - maybe this fall as I'm getting low and need to restock - Booyah!
I think syngas is H2 and CO, I don't know why everyone keeps saying methane in stead of CO... Other than that: good thinking! Next level: try a setup where the heat released in the process has an economic use.
This has to be the best set up that I have seen to make charcoal.
Thank you!
Rick Rabjohn At what point do you decide to ignite the flue to burn off the methane and hydrogen? Your video and explanations are so easy to follow. Thank you.
You should use it in your garden, it’s amazing stuff.
Good tip thank you!
This was about the best video how to make your own charcoal 👍
🤣🤣sorry kids dads on a mission. That’s universal.
best retort vid hands down..not even close! Share! Everyone!
I would love to make my own lump charcoal like that, I can almost taste the ribs, pulled pork and brisket. I just need the space to be able to do it. Amazing results.
Thanks for checking it out - now you got me hungry, :-))
I have a bunch of black hickory drying that I am going to give a try to charcoal next spring. Thanks!
When you panned the camera to the basketball net, I thought "Hey I have a junk one of those laying around, wish I could use that...". Then I saw you were actually using it and I was like "Score!"
LOL - good minds think alike - good luck with your build!
Great job! I just got a bunch of red oak, didn't really know what to do with it. Headed to my shop. My shop neighbor sells barrels, and I already have pipe and a fire pit!
This video shows how to make your own charcoal including how I made a
simple and cheap kiln to cook the wood and the steps used to make the
charcoal; Booyah!
Excellent presentation. Thanks for explaining everything.
I really like the concept of the 'Charcoal forge!'
this has been on of my side projects I've been looking into for a while, and the videos I've been seeing mention something in the way of creating a forge, but nothing 'permanent' (welded together) like yours!
Great video.. Thanks for sharing bud!
What will you think next? Mining Iron Ore? Well done.
hahahahahah maybe panning for gold somewhere.....
I believe in the old days they sat next to an earthed over fire for 3 days on a two legged stool. They had to cover over any fire that broke through. If they went to sleep they fell over. 3 days without sleep, not a lot of fun. Very good video worth knowing, regards from across the pond.
Great story and thanks!
interesting Rick, I hope you are going to show us a bbq session to see proof of concept.....thanks
Turned out good, very effective, thanks for sharing 👍👍
This stuff is like gold but people dont know it , lol
NOBOX7 hell yea
I've wondered for a long time how charcoal was made. I've enjoyed your video. Thanks,
You can still hang the net up so no loss there everyone's a winner 😂😝
First try, brilliant result.
The benefits of attention to detail!
Many thanks!
Wish you did it in day so we can see the process of the smoke. Great outcome tho
One of the best videos I've seen!
The two barrel method is what I use personally, as it is more efficient, uses much less fuel, and requires no fabrication. But nice job!
Thank you
That's a good process, and as others have noted, you can use the gasification products. You can also just cut the wood into 1.5" splits, burn the wood in a drum, and as soon as you have thorough combustion going, cap it. It will all char and you'll use less fuel.
Thanks for the tips Mike!
If you wanted activated charcoal you can add a pipe to the bottom from a wallpaper steamer.
what about the calcium chloride processing?
@@micahl6961 That is not needed as superheated steam is making the pockets in the carbon structure rather than a hot chemical process as done by calcium chloride.
@@Barskor1 do you have links to a diy build?
@@micahl6961 ua-cam.com/video/G0lhYvKYqds/v-deo.html or ua-cam.com/video/GNKeps6pIao/v-deo.html
I was going to use the primitive, earthen kiln method, so this vid saved me some work! I will do earthen for bread and pizza!
Hahahahah - Thanks Michael!
you can add a way to catch the hydrogen and methane by-product and store them in tanks and if you have a compressor, extract them later from storage tanks and compress them into empty propane cylinders and walla you got yourself coal and free gas from just wood, :)
Procker Dark
Walla isn’t a word, it’s Voila!
@@redoakranch1783 it's, according to me
Simplier, you could just ignite that Gas and Save some wood for heating up
Thats so cool, my old man and I are going to try this
On your next build install your exhaust stack at the bottom of the barrel running the length of the barrel within 1-2 inches. "2" inch steel pipe will be plenty large enough. Cap the end of the pipe and drill 15-20 1/4 inch or so holes along each side of the pipe facing outward. As the gases start to cook off in the drum they will exit the pipe into the burning wood and self ignite heating the drum to even higher temps. No joke, it will sound like a mini blast furnace and I have achieved temps of 2000 degrees in the drums. No oxygen will be able to enter the drum via the pipe since the fire will be consuming it all below the drum. The flammable gasses can not build up pressure in the drum since they are exhausting out through the "2" inch exhaust pipe. Reduce the space around the drum so the heat and flame is held against the bottom and the side of the drum. The advantage of this system is the amount of wood you need to burn as a heat source will be 20% -30% of what you are now using and the inside temps will be far greater producing better charcoal in a shorter time. The exterior wood will burn up before the spent gasses burn out so no oxygen will be able to enter the closed space. When the exhaust gases stop burning, the process is complete. I have also found that using thin strips of ceramic fiber insulation is the best way to completely seal the drum lid. You can buy any size you want on amazon and its relatively cheap and it is rated to around 2300 degrees. The down side of using thin steel drums is that they burn out after 8-10 burns but it is easy enough to just build a new one.
Thanks for taking the time to share all your tips and tricks John - appreciate it - Booyah!
Good job think I’ll try it your way. Except I recommend raising the wall around barrel to concentrate heat. Even two plates of metal on each side for heat to go between
"Sorry kids, dad's on a mission" well at least it all paid out, plus he can still put the hoop and back board on the front of the garage.
Exactly..thanks Mike :-)
great job and great video, you need another ½ barrel and make it slide in like a tray to hold the charcoal, then just slide the tray full of charcoal out
Good idea
Nice video Rick, but you have to stop making videos. I don’t have time to start all new things you make me start with. 🤪
ha ha ha ha ha - I'n sorry my friend.......
For those without time/dirt/desire for mud dome construction, the fires can be slowed/smoldered with intermittent watering the outside of a pyramid pile of branches and sticks stacked largest inside (closer to central heat/fire)...there is a loss to ash creation, but with good water management it can be lessened and save lots of time...(remember not to burn in your area without checking with local ordinances first and use safety gear with water within reach incase of ember escape)
Doesn't want to be seen... builds a big fire in the dark 😂
Yes - it's a good idea to dim the lights the more you age.......:-)
Surprised the bigger chunks got converted. (I only used small sticks) Congrats on your golden success!
You made yourself a wood gasifier; why don't you also use that flammable gas? You could use it, for instance, in your kitchen, hatch, or to heat up your barrel and use less wood in the process.
Nice way, thou- Thumbs up :)
Thank you - I just might pipe that exhaust under the barrel so I use less wood to heat once all the water has passed - tks
Or use to propel a rocket. Did you close the flap on the chimney when you went to bed?
@@jimprovan8866 Yes Jim I did close the flap
I was going to suggest the same thing.
Could drill 1" hole in stack and elbow down with black pipes to firebed.
Unreal mate, thanks for the great tutorial. I’m an Aussie and they charge us so much for charcoal for a bbq, so this will be perfect for us to make our own. Going to utilise this method for sure. Cheers again
Glad it helped
sorry kids, you dad is on a mission and too cheap to buy a pipe from the hardware store.
hahahahahahahah