Conclusion. Bituminous coal is the best blacksmithing fuel. It burns cleanly, cokes up well, making fire management a breeze, and produces little clinker. Go for the kind that is metallurgical grade because it produces sufficient heat, low smoke, and low sulfur.
What is the best fuel for a forge?
Coal is widely considered the best fuel for forging. Coal burns hotter and more efficiently compared to charcoal and wood. It is also less expensive and more readily available than propane. Also, the coal volume required to run a forge is considerably lesser than charcoal, wood, and propane.
Do blacksmiths use charcoal?
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.
How hot does charcoal get in forge?
When using coal, the hottest form of fuel, your forge may reach up to 3,500℉ (1,977℃).
How hot can a charcoal smelter get?
Charcoal burns at temperatures exceeding 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,010 degrees Fahrenheit). By comparison the melting point of iron is approximately 1,200 to 1,550 °C (2,190 to 2,820 °F).
Can charcoal get hot enough to forge?
With a bit of air you can get a lump charcoal forge hot enough for forge welding. In fact, you can make it so hot that it could melt thin pieces of metal ( such as a blade). So the simple answer is this: hot enough for blacksmithing!
How hot can a forge go?
The maximum temperature of an atmospheric forge is 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit, reminds Heinz Glaser of Hypona Horse Care Products.May 1, 2011
How hot can you get a wood forge?
Gas forge can get as hot as 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. Wood forge and coal forge can operate within the temperature range of 1500-2500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Can you forge steel with a wood fire?
You are extremely unlikely to ever get the iron or steel to white heat and extremely extremely unlikely to ever get near welding heat. Even if you did the wood as fuel does not burn enough oxygen out of the air to prevent an oxide forming that will prevent a proper forged weld.
Can you use a charcoal grill as a forge?
Here's how you can make the quality steel that is found in bicycle parts live on, by forging it into blades to create useful tools. The best thing though is that this can be done on a normal barbecue using lumpwood charcoal and a camping airbed inflation fan as a bellows.
Can you forge weld with coal?
Lump Coal. Coal is the most historically accurate forging fuel, and creating a forge that uses coal is very easy, but it requires a bit of creativity. However, this also makes reaching forge welding temperatures much easier.
Can you forge weld in a charcoal forge?
Welding in a coal forge is similar, although easier because of the high, fast heat and the fact that a reducing fire (no oxygen) is obtainable and sustainable. They will effectively pull the heat from the materiel being welded.
How do you make a charcoal forge?
- Start by digging a foundation about 3-4 inches deep and 9-12 inches around.
- Put a piece of wood on top of your foundation then make sure it's level.
- Put a large brick at the bottom of your forge.
- Build the forge to the desired height and length.
- If you're making a brick forge, cover the top.
- Heat it up.
What kind of coal is used in a coal forge?
Bituminous Coal
What is the inside of a forge made of?
A forge typically uses propane or natural gas as the fuel. One common, efficient design uses a cylindrical forge chamber and a burner tube mounted at a right angle to the body. The chamber is typically lined with refractory materials, preferably a hard castable refractory ceramic.