Anthracite Coal for Blacksmithing (Alternative Fuel Series)
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- In this video, I'm testing anthracite coal for blacksmithing. Anthracite coal burning is tough to get started. Forging with anthracite is doable if it is all you have, but it is not my preferred fuel.
Twan at Warped Legacy will be doing some anthracite/ bituminous coal tests: / @warpedlegacy
My homemade blacksmith coal forge that I'm using: • Building a Coal Forge ...
Thank you for checking out this series on alternative fuel for forging. I test different kinds of coal for forging, in addition to some odd fuel sources.
If you want to buy forging coal, you can try googling "blacksmith coal near me". Also, if you know of a good source of forging coal for sale, feel free to share it in the comments.
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I made my own forge and it works and the antracite works just fine and it also burns for a long time, i will use about 2 pounds for 5 or 6 hours
I'm glad the anthracite is working out for you :-) God bless you and thank you for taking the time to comment and watch the video
I love anthracite. Never tried other coals though. I use a hand crank and it works
It’s the hottest burning once it gets to temp, and if you have patience it is great to work with.
Anthricite coal is what I started on and I think it helped a ton because it taught me to stay on top of my fire. Love your videos brother!
County Line Forge Definitely learned to have what I need at hand, used to burn up stuff like crazy if I stepped away...😵
I use anthracite, it doesn't take 20 mins it normally takes me 5 and I have never had ANY clinker it gets some rebar hot in about 20 seconds.
Red hot metal Yep same experience, burns good until it's pretty much done.
5 minutes for me too. In fact I did a video a couple of years ago on how I start my forge, and I think it was 4 minutes and some second before it was ready for the steel. Just need to know how each fuel needs to be worked for it to be effective.
HoJ Forge you got I link to that video?...have learned alot just by watching others methods. I use my left over wood shavings with just enough waste oil to get it damp not wet. I've had a pretty good experience with anthracite so far. Struggled a little at first, after the first month I really started learning how to manage my coal and how my forge operates, (homemade from old chiller barrel...ironic) it's all I have experienced so can't compare or complain about any other methods. I guess if all you've got is pliers you can eventually figure out how to get a screw out with them,lol!
I'm not really comfortable sharing an actual link of Roy's channel when I haven't spoken with him about it. That doesn't seem like a very cool thing to do, but just search my channel, and it will come up.
HoJ Forge No problem....Completely understandable! I'll see if I can find it. Thanks!
Anthracite is all I can get for a reasonable cost. Have used bituminous at the historical society.
I use anthracite, but crappy anthracite. It is 70 to 80 percent coal dust/mud. I mix it with little 2 X 2 inch bits of wood. I light a fire in the forge with wood bits, then push some coal/dust/mud onto the fire. It will burn hot enough to burn a small rod in short order. But, when the wood chucks are burn up, it starts to go down hill. Thirty minutes into my day, and I am lighting it again. Makes for a long day.... Lol... Thanks for the video....
I am one of the old guys.
Spent several years learning how to use bituminous and water to "shape" my fire.
As well as lighting wet bituminous and storing it wet.
When I want a particularly clean fire I will use homemade charcoal, of my design, or an Oxygen reducing coal fire.
I find a flash of heat is needed, to light coal and so I use 2 sheets of newspaper, it burns hotter than mechanic towels.
However as I age I like to light with dry wood scrap...gives me time to drink my coffee.
My largest issue with Anthracite is it +will not coke down+ or hold the shape you want.
It is also true that one REALLY doesn't want to +hand crank+ anthracite fuel.
Then there is propane or used oil or.....
Enjoyed your vid and will look for more...
I know smiths, that light a dry lump charcoal fire. Then dump charcoal in a tub of water. They add wet charcoal as needed. Apparently the wet coal reduces the cinders and fire flies significantly.
I started with nut and use pea coal.You really should give the smaller size a try.I wad newspaper,and start with sifted charcoal from the wood stove then pile the pea coal on top.Starts just fine.I have no source of bit coal locally,but can get pea coal (and other sizes) local,so I make it work.I tried bit coal (Ebay) and see why it's far better than Anth coal.
We have a tractor supply store a couple blocks from my work. Unfortunately, they do not stock anthracite. My nearest bituminous supplier, is about 3 hours away. If I lived outside city limits, charcoal would be a great option, since we have plenty of woods here in the Mississippi valley. Side note here...many samurai swords were forged using softwood charcoal. Thanks For doing this series Roy and Twan!
I've experienced that Anthracite can have huge differences in quality. I've had some that burned like coke and produced less slag and some that burned badly and produced an awful lot of smoke. Good Anthracite looks shiny and sounds like gravel when hit together whereas bad Anthracite looks dull and sounds almost like charcoal.
I use anthracite because that's all I can get. Yep, I had trouble getting it lit when I started. Experimented with a few different techniques and what I found that works best is a couple handfuls of my wood shavings and a little drizzle of my waste oil in a coffee can...shake well, lite, good to go! Ready in about 5 min. I get mine from a local farrier supply that comes in on truck loads, $15/50lb bags or $240 for 1/2 ton. I did notice it is smaller pieces than what you used(dime to walnut size). Sometimes it has some big chunks that are hard to get going so I'll break them up a little first. Great video Roy, looking forward to seeing the other fuels.
Both my forges are down at the moment so I was using the wood stove in my shop. Made a spoon for my Borax.
I just put out a video yesterday on a hillbilly anthracite forge. Anthracite is beautiful for forging...glad you figured out the charcoal trick. Pea Coal bridges a little better than the nut coal, another thing to remember us you don't have to cook it as much as it doesn't have the sulphur content. I've also noticed the pit has to be a bit larger to keep it going well.
Pea is definitely the size to use.Seems to have a more even fire.
I use anthracite rice coal. It does pretty good. I just need to buy a variable speed blower so I can control the temperature better. I tend to burn my work sometimes. Its the cheapest fuel I can find other than making charcoal, so I guess I can't complain.
I have had some bad experience with anthracite. It’s hard to light, hard to keep lit without constant airflow, but it burns really clean! It’s okay to work with when you finally(emphasis on finally)get it going and it’s cheap. So I guess it’s a give take kinda situation.
I use to think it was me doing something wrong with my anthracite. Apparently it's not me, it's the coal. I might try using gas fuel with coal since anthracite is the cheapest and easiest coal to get here.
Seemed like you already had a negative opinion about anthracite coal before starting
Will Lothridge a lot of smiths and people in the metallurgical industry have negative opinions about anthracite, and for reasons well founded. My experience is that it is harder to work, just like Roy alludes to in the video. You can get more heat out of it, but it is harder to bring up or down and control the size of the fire. When it is used for industrial heat, it is normally pulverized and pre-mixed with hot air for this reason.
Carson McMahon
Harder to work just means it has to be managed differently. Any tool, using proper technique will take you far.
shadowcastre I agree, in principle, that it can be used. I'm sure with practice it can be managed in a way that can produce good forgings and that most techniques using coke, charcoal or bitumious have some translation to anthracite. For example, if you start with pea or bean size then start using nut coal the fire can be brought to heat quickly and started much easier. There may even be some advantage due to the higher heat producing a more complete combustion and less excess air. It's use isn't completely modern or unheard of, it just isn't preferred.
There are plenty of us who do prefer it. It works different, but using the terms "better" or "worse" is just throwing out subjective opinions that don't mean anything. No matter what forge fuel you use, they all have their pros and cons, and they all have to be managed differently. Over the years, I have to come to enjoy using anthracite, and I turn out plenty of top shelf knives as proof that it is a fine and effective forge fuel. Just different than bituminous, and it might not be for everyone, but that only means it isn't preferred by everyone, but its is preferred by at least one... me
Three or four charcoal bricketts work well for lighting anthracite. So does a big propane weed burner. Anthracite seemed to work fine for me, but then I am an absolute rookie.
Look man disagree all you want or say bituminous coal is better thats fine we are all entitled to our own opinions. But i use anthracite coal in my forge everyday its an awesome forge fuel and ive used bituminous and ive used propane just because it behaves differently than what you are used to doesn't mean it sucks. use charcoal to get it lit and use an electric blower for air with a pretty strong fan and it works amazingly you just gotta learn to use it. Watching this video it seemed from the start you were trying to doom anthracite like its ridiculous that anybody uses it. You gotta understand its a different fuel. You can't expect prooane to forge like charcoal and you cant expect bituminous coal to act like anthracite. Learn to use each fuel the way it can be used best otherwise you're not trying.
Thanks for the comment!
I have found that wrapping a large pine cone with twisted paper and lighting it and letting it really start burning before adding air flow will start it up pretty well in a few minutes.
I use this stuff and just stick a hair dryer into my forge. (Not that it's a good thing, it just works)
Need a deep fire pot for anthracite. But i like it because it doesn't smoke.
I got a bunch of anthracite coal and am now getting the hang of it. It is best to have a steady fire going when you put the anthracite coal on it. I have to say I do like bituminous coal the best.
BTW Forging coal is available at the feed store in Odon Indiana
The best I ever used is
Elk Horn Kentucky Smith'in Coal from the Cumberland Coal Co. in Louisville Ky.
Yup Anthracite coal is a completely different beast than bituminous coal. I was disappointed that this wasn't in your hand crank! I wanted to see ya cranking away! lol. Define Your Legacy!
Lol no cranking here lol
I burn anthracite in a small hand crank forge with no problem. I use a 112 year old buffalo forge co forge
Yoo, just found your channel,?what a blessing , i so appreciate the time and effort you take making these videos
Clear ,crisp and to the point explanations
Very well done , i will be checking out alot more i think haha
I've used anthracite for a while. Three problems exist but are easily overcome. The first is it is harder to keep going and slightly harder to light. The second is the heat, it burns hotter than smithing coal so you need to watch your work closely. The third is it does not coke. Because the carbon content is high, you should use a coke fire pot. Overall it worked fine with an electric blower. I stopped using it when I could get smithing coal and upgraded my forge.
I use those little Weber firestarter things for mine most of the time they do the job
I use anthracite too. Very easy to start with some leftover charcoal crumbs from my Big Green Egg. Clinkers are small. Fire will get white hot.
I pronounce it “an-cho-vite,” but whatever. To each his own.
i ve used anthracite for 4 years now. cant start it without a decent amount of wood or charcoal. i usually use pallet cuttings or branches the fell from my hardwood trees. its hotter than bituminous and your have to be far more cautious of burning material. it takes more oxygen than bituminous so forge welding without burning and can be challenging.
got distracted... finally finished watching the video. After watching your explanation of how to manage oxygen levels in the Forge and applying that to my experience with anthracite the difficulty is managing oxygen levels while the piece is being heated and still being able to keep enough oxygen in the fours to keep it lit. Please keep in mind that anthracite will go out and will not be able to be brought back up to heat without going through the relighting process process all together if it gets down to a cherry red. I tested this Theory out this weekend with a good bit of success and no burnouts even on small Steel. But it was difficult to keep the forge at a good temperature
I use wood shavings and a drizzle of waste oil, just enough to get it damp not wet. Best free homemade fire starter I've tried. Lite's perfect first try. Even started using it to lite my rocket stove. I mix and shake it up in a coffee can, no mess!
Great info and comments on this. I would just give it a try for yourself. Great job and thank you for all you do for the craft God Bless and have a great day 📖✝
Hard coal ( anthracite) vs soft coal (bituminous). I grew up between hard coal country and soft coal country . I never used hard coal in a forge. My grandfather told me to use soft coal because it would coke and that is what I wanted especially for welding.
But if all I could have gotten was hard coal I would have used it.
As a child we had a coal stove in the kitchen and a lot of area homes were heated with hard coal. They didn't have any kind of forced draft and would heat like crazy. I know that is not the same as a forge. Just my two cents.
i actually have a hand crank blower and i can keep a good fire with anthracite but uselly ash snuffs it out because i do not have a clinker breaker but i do not think anthracite is bad fuel.
Interesting video Roy, if I could get anthracite I don't think I would use it, looks like a troublesome product to use. I would just use charcoal to forge with to start, instead of lighting the coal with it. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
As long as we are on the subject of coal, there was a time when I only had access to oiled stoker coal!
What do you think of using it as far as differences between it and just the usual bituminous coal without having been oiled?
One thing I CAN say is that the oiled stuff lights much easier!
It’s hard to get started but burns good
Never used coal of any kind, just cannot get it, here in Australia coal is a four letter word! Use charcoal and recently been able to source coke, light the coke the same way as you lit the hard coal, I have to keep adding a little charcoal through the day to keep it up though! The coke has cut my charcoal use by about 2/3 so its much cheaper but maintaining heat with a hand crank can be a bit tiresome!
Yeah I have to use a torch sometimes with this coal. But once its lit...LOOK OUT lol
Good video bud actually learned alot thanks
Good video, if you don't watch the first 6 minutes.
All I've ever used is wood to heat my forge...You have to keep a close eye on using wood though because it could get so hot it can burn your material...I've never used coal before...
Could you try corn too
Too bad you are not including dry whole feed corn in your comparison of alternate solid fuels for blacksmithing. That would have been interesting.
Good video
bituminous not bimunmus or whatever you said???
I have done it with a hand crank blower and it worked but my arm was done after
Got a dumb beginner question. Is the "pea/nut" names referring to the sizes? I've seen the bags of nut coal but never bought it. Where I get it they have a mountain pile outside and just shovel it in your truck.
Jeff Sandling You betcha
Mark Poole Thanks Mark!
I always enjoy your videos, but I have to say that you really didn't give Anthricite a fair shake.
I think you had your mind already made up, and tried to manage it like a Bituminous coal fire. The thing to remember when making your fuel comparisons is that you have to manage each one according to its needs. If not.. they will ALL fail and Bituminous wins, but that's what you were taught to use and what you're used to using.
As for 20 minutes.. I've never had an Anthricite fire take more than 5 minutes and I'm forging.
In my book, I rate Anthricite coal dead even with Bituminous coal as a forge fuel. One must learn the proper techniques to use any tool properly.
Thanks for the video... "Fire is a Tool"
As I respect your opinion on this I have 15 plus videos coming out of anthracite versus comparisons. As far as a fair Shake I think I'm giving it plenty Fair of a shake. When I voiced it over no I was not happy with the anthracite and yes I'm giving them all the same treatment because that is truly the only way to compare one from another and differentiate the differences. Thank you for the feedback God bless and we'll catch you on the next one
Christ Centered Ironworks
Treating them all the same will only result in failure. You have to live within the limitations and benefits of each fuel to show its value and weaknesses.
Isn't the goal here to show how each fuel can work? Your title even says. "alternative fuel series".
I look forward to the next segment. :-)
I'll have to agree with the commenter that every alternative fuel has its own needs and tricks for fire maintenance. Treating all solid fuels the same is like trying to compare propane to natural gas using the same jet orifice. If you use the orifice for propane, the natural gas fuel will fail. If you use the natural gas orifice, then propane will fail.
To be fair, you have to cater to the needs of the fuel. Every fuel (including propane and natural gas) has its own set of pros and cons.
I would love to see you expand your alternative test to include dry whole feed corn. (Another set of pros and cons there I expect.)
Actually you can't say it however you wish. You were told the correct pronunciation and stubbornly refuse to pronounce it correctly. Letters and their order mean things. There is no world where Bituminous is pronounced bimutimous. That's your dyslexia kicking in.
Bi-mew-ni-mus. 😝