TLUD

[ronmoper76]

So i got a new barrel,but i cant set my mind on what design to use.... Im very interested in cooking down a few bales of cedar shavings. Most designs i saw require 2 barrels except one in particular on youtube.

I think i have what i need to make this one,will it work for shavings? My other idea is like what i did before with a paint can and a vent in the top and build a huge fire under it..I have a bunch of shit firewood i could burn to heat it. That seems the easiest as all i gotta do is cut a round vent hole in the top. But i used pine 2x4 in the paint can not wood shavings,will it cook the same? Can anyone advise the easiest way to turn this 55 gallon drum into what i need. Before i fire up the grinder and start hacking away at my new barrel,i want to have my design

down and know its going to work. I have a 6 foot piece of insulated stainless steel chimney pipe at my disposal as well if needed. I thought of making a stack off the top of my barrel with it.... Alot of designs have a damn pipe full of holes as the core of the barrel for the updraft,this seems to be a lot of work with what i have..

 

The picture of the pipe i have at my disposal is included as well.

Edited June 5, 2021 by ronmoper76

[MadMat]

I've never used a TLUD, but from what I have read/heard they need small pieces of wood (shavings included) to work properly, I have only used the retort method for making my charcoal (your paint can). I usually break the wood down a bit just because it will cook faster and it is easier to grind up when the charcoal is done, but you could use big pieces if you don't want to go through the hassle of cutting it up before cooking. Also, I redirect the gasses coming out of the retort down to the fire. Those gasses burn quite nicely and help out with the cooking, which saves on firewood.

[SeaMonkey]

Pyro Rebel a couple of years ago put up a video about making Charcoal with a TLUD configuration on a small scale.

 

The process does have advantages.

[ronmoper76]

I've never used a TLUD, but from what I have read/heard they need small pieces of wood (shavings included) to work properly, I have only used the retort method for making my charcoal (your paint can). I usually break the wood down a bit just because it will cook faster and it is easier to grind up when the charcoal is done, but you could use big pieces if you don't want to go through the hassle of cutting it up before cooking. Also, I redirect the gasses coming out of the retort down to the fire. Those gasses burn quite nicely and help out with the cooking, which saves on firewood.

That's a freaking good idea. I cooked paint cans off over the winter in my wood stove,and i remember the blow torch effect it made inside with the doors closed....I gotta decide now which im gonna do,lol Thanks

[OldMarine]

TLUD using commercial cedar shavings is the way to go. Super simple and cheap for coal second only to Paulownia IMHO.

[Boophoenix]

With a little dialing in you can do what you want. I was at a friends in Indiana a few years back when he was experimenting. Here is a photo of the results. He isn’t much of a small scale kind of person. Monitoring it and cutting off the oxygen is the tricky part when they get this large.

I’d suspect slower to be better as the next issue when dialing a large scale TLUD in would be exactly the same as cooking in a retort the center needs to cook as well.

[SharkWhisperer]

With a little dialing in you can do what you want. I was at a friends in Indiana a few years back when he was experimenting. Here is a photo of the results. He isn’t much of a small scale kind of person. Monitoring it and cutting off the oxygen is the tricky part when they get this large.

 

I’d suspect slower to be better as the next issue when dialing a large scale TLUD in would be exactly the same as cooking in a retort the center needs to cook as well.

 

DE74CBC5-C0E6-4C99-A46A-E50D12D90632.jpeg

Appreciate the volume, but that batch is a little ashier than I'd prefer to see when I open my lid on a batch. I still retort 6-gallon batches in a galvanized Behren's pail, and that quantity usually suits me but that's on it's last legs. Considering replacing it (lid is the weak point on these and only last about 5 batches) with something a little bigger. Whether cooking willow branches or SPF 2-4s, everything is chopped/sawed up approximately the same length and as close to an inch in diameter/width as I can reasonably achieve for quick and uniform toasting. Cedar chips excepted, of course...

[Boophoenix]

I don’t disagree that there is some ash for sure. It was a PITA night for cooking that night. TLUD often has one weak point where it doesn’t want to function very well and that was that night. The wind was up pretty good and blew it out a few times. Which surprised me a little with such a scale. If that was a variable in the ash I do not know.

I do believe there is some dialing to be done to get the perfect cook with a TLUD. As I recall this was the first run of that particular one. I haven’t spoken a lot with the builder of it since. He’s not a phone guy and spare time to drive 6 hours to hang out make for little conversation.

I’ve also seen signs that a TLUD may run a little hot for cooking. I don’t recall where my reference temps came from, but have stumbled across values of between 800-1000F. My preliminary testing showed a couple of cooks of pine shavings in a gallon paint can reaching the 1300F range. Surprised me a little considering not contact measurements were much lower in previous cooks and thermocouples showing so high. Still plenty of tinkering there to be done though.

I’ve also noticed that a TLUD can be extremely forgiving in design to just physically produce charcoal. It’s a goal one day to find out the quality of production, but have a few test parameters I’d like to incorporate into testing procedures that have me held up.

[ronmoper76]

I don’t disagree that there is some ash for sure. It was a PITA night for cooking that night. TLUD often has one weak point where it doesn’t want to function very well and that was that night. The wind was up pretty good and blew it out a few times. Which surprised me a little with such a scale. If that was a variable in the ash I do not know.

 

I do believe there is some dialing to be done to get the perfect cook with a TLUD. As I recall this was the first run of that particular one. I haven’t spoken a lot with the builder of it since. He’s not a phone guy and spare time to drive 6 hours to hang out make for little conversation.

 

I’ve also seen signs that a TLUD may run a little hot for cooking. I don’t recall where my reference temps came from, but have stumbled across values of between 800-1000F. My preliminary testing showed a couple of cooks of pine shavings in a gallon paint can reaching the 1300F range. Surprised me a little considering not contact measurements were much lower in previous cooks and thermocouples showing so high. Still plenty of tinkering there to be done though.

 

I’ve also noticed that a TLUD can be extremely forgiving in design to just physically produce charcoal. It’s a goal one day to find out the quality of production, but have a few test parameters I’d like to incorporate into testing procedures that have me held up.

I'm gonna try the guy out on here who was advertising paulownia charcoal,i wanna see what the hype is just once before i start this whole adventure.

Edited June 9, 2021 by ronmoper76

[SharkWhisperer]

I'm gonna try the guy out on here who was advertising paulownia charcoal,i wanna see what the hype is just once before i start this whole adventure.

I bought 2 pounds from him a few months ago but haven't tested it yet...maybe this weekend. $15/pound and delivered quick and in individually sealed 1-lb bags. Forgot how much shipping cost. Checked last night and he has it in stock right now. Michael at fireworkcharcoal.com, based in TN. Also has some ERC (if too lazy to cook pet bedding) and yellow pine in various grain sizes (also if too lazy). Hoping it'll make hot BP, but really I've never had any complaints with ERC (Walmart bedding), willow (weeping, collected a trunkload at friends place), or alder (HD shingles) charcoal for acceptably-to-ripping fast BP. PM me if you want a few ounces of paulownia coal to test out before buying.

 

Edit/Update June 11: The paulownia from FC works nicely for making a fast-burning BP. Milled/ungranulated powder burned with an instant poof, with zero perceptible sparks. I had some clumping issues during milling, suggesting the charcoal absorbed some atmospheric water since it was made a few months ago. Likely clumping can be eliminated by pre-cooking the charcoal in the oven for an hour or so before milling BP.

Edited June 11, 2021 by SharkWhisperer

[ronmoper76]

I bought 2 pounds from him a few months ago but haven't tested it yet...maybe this weekend. $15/pound and delivered quick and in individually sealed 1-lb bags. Forgot how much shipping cost. Checked last night and he has it in stock right now. Michael at fireworkcharcoal.com, based in TN. Also has some ERC (if too lazy to cook pet bedding) and yellow pine in various grain sizes (also if too lazy). Hoping it'll make hot BP, but really I've never had any complaints with ERC (Walmart bedding), willow (weeping, collected a trunkload at friends place), or alder (HD shingles) charcoal for acceptably-to-ripping fast BP. PM me if you want a few ounces of paulownia coal to test out before buying.

 

Edit/Update June 11: The paulownia from FC works nicely for making a fast-burning BP. Milled/ungranulated powder burned with an instant poof, with zero perceptible sparks. I had some clumping issues during milling, suggesting the charcoal absorbed some atmospheric water since it was made a few months ago. Likely clumping can be eliminated by pre-cooking the charcoal in the oven for an hour or so before milling BP.

he ships fast,im already tracking the order

[Arthur]

Remember that the worlds most regarded charcoal varies according to what is locally available, and even the best charcoals will make rubbish powder unless your method is good.

 

edited for spling

Edited June 12, 2021 by Arthur