fred815 Posted October 4, 2011 Posted October 4, 2011 Kinda thought this was the newbie section??? Talking about a " " $500 plus retort ain't gonna work for me.!! SO with that in mind - How does one know if their charcoal is over cooked?? Considering the fact I'm still working with various cans and fire pits???? Maybe some kind of look feel smell thing or a simple burn rate test of some kind.
dagabu Posted October 4, 2011 Posted October 4, 2011 It's easy to make charcoal, only OG is making it this way with all the fancy stuff, all you need is a camp fire and a 5 gallon metal pail with a 1/2" hole in the top. Pack the can all the way with split white pine (the bench mark for charcoal) and throw it on the camp fire, the steam shooting out of the hole in the lid will subside after a couple hours and will not support a flame. Pull the can out and tip it over onto the lid and let it sit over night. Open it the next day and use the charcoal. Its been made like this for centuries, it cant be all that bad -dag
Mumbles Posted October 4, 2011 Posted October 4, 2011 I have a hard time believing people when they say they over cooked their charcoal. I'm of the opinion that you have to almost intentionally try to over cook it, or be outrageously negligent. I've always cooked my wood until it stopped smoking, and then another 20-30 minutes for good measure, and had great results. I've found stick size to be important too. If I go too large I would have it look like it stopped smoking very much while the centers were still cooking. I try to stick to about 1/2" x 1/2".
Algenco Posted October 4, 2011 Posted October 4, 2011 I cook until the flame from the gases gets down to 1-2" high, under cooked is actually better, I want to find a couple of pieces that aren't completly done
dagabu Posted October 4, 2011 Posted October 4, 2011 I cook until the flame from the gases gets down to 1-2" high, under cooked is actually better, I want to find a couple of pieces that aren't completly done I too have one or two. I figure that the charcoal is more reactive if the volatiles are still there to a degree. -dag
fred815 Posted October 5, 2011 Author Posted October 5, 2011 Thanks, That's just what I've been doing. But now I have some who prefer some undercooked charcoal?? (Wants some of the volitiles left in???) You know it's fun being a newbie. Fun that is reading conflicting answers - But not so fun trying to Learn. I have a hard time believing people when they say they over cooked their charcoal. I'm of the opinion that you have to almost intentionally try to over cook it, or be outrageously negligent. I've always cooked my wood until it stopped smoking, and then another 20-30 minutes for good measure, and had great results. I've found stick size to be important too. If I go too large I would have it look like it stopped smoking very much while the centers were still cooking. I try to stick to about 1/2" x 1/2".
50AE Posted October 5, 2011 Posted October 5, 2011 I believe undercooked charcoal has more oils and it and it's better for charcoal stars, but it's harder to mill compared to completely cooked charcoal with a blue tint. Nicely cooked pine turns into dust when squeezed.
oldguy Posted October 5, 2011 Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) It's easy to make charcoal, only OG is making it this way with all the fancy stuff, all you need is a camp fire and a 5 gallon metal pail with a 1/2" hole in the top. Pack the can all the way with split white pine (the bench mark for charcoal) and throw it on the camp fire, the steam shooting out of the hole in the lid will subside after a couple hours and will not support a flame. Pull the can out and tip it over onto the lid and let it sit over night. Open it the next day and use the charcoal. Its been made like this for centuries, it cant be all that bad -dag LOL..... hey.... I am only tinkering ....... trying build a better mouse trap for making consistant quality charcoal (if there is such a thing?).Gimme a break........ LOL....... I have made canned charcoal in a fireplace, in a wood stove & over briquettes in a fire pit, just to mention a few ways.All of it worked, some better than others. Next I am going to try the double metal drum method, one inside the other. But, if there is a way to use a little pressure, so recovery is consistant quality & near 50% or better, I am all for it.Just trying to get there, is all. Thats the way better mouse traps get built. Again, if there is a better mouse trap for making charcoal. Edited October 5, 2011 by oldguy
dagabu Posted October 5, 2011 Posted October 5, 2011 LOL..... hey.... I am only tinkering ....... trying build a better mouse trap for making consistant quality charcoal (if there is such a thing?).Gimme a break........ LOL....... I have made canned charcoal in a fireplace, in a wood stove & over briquettes in a fire pit, just to mention a few ways.All of it worked, some better than others. Next I am going to try the double metal drum method, one inside the other. But, if there is a way to use a little pressure, so recovery is consistant quality & near 50% or better, I am all for it.Just trying to get there, is all. Thats the way better mouse traps get built. Again, if there is a better mouse trap for making charcoal. I was not putting you down OG, I was putting it into context in that your efforts are not the norm but rather the exception. I'll use more emoticons next time... -dag
fred815 Posted October 5, 2011 Author Posted October 5, 2011 one mre newbie question. what is this yield % when making charcoal.??
Algenco Posted October 5, 2011 Posted October 5, 2011 around 15-20% with Paulownia, never weighed the "before", but a 16g retort yeilds about 4lb finished char
dagabu Posted October 5, 2011 Posted October 5, 2011 It changes drastically from wood to wood, dry to wet, hard wood to soft wood. I get a 10% return from the willow I cook, it is still drying so it is pretty heavy. -dag
Algenco Posted October 5, 2011 Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) I need to get a before weight green wood will take 2-3x as much wood to cook it as compared to dryNow that the Paulownia has had a week of drying I can load up one time (16g barrel in a 55) let it burn for 10 minute and put the top on an forget it, done in a little over 2 hrs just a lot of work getting all the wood together, for us old farts Edited October 5, 2011 by Algenco
Col Posted October 6, 2011 Posted October 6, 2011 (edited) Kiln dried spruce / fir offcuts split into 1/2" x 1/2" strips return between 20-23% if it helps. It takes a couple of hours using bbq charcoal as the heat source.http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx341/colinspyro/making%20charcoal/6gassesburning.jpg Edited October 6, 2011 by Col
madmandotcom Posted December 23, 2011 Posted December 23, 2011 once the flame was down on my can, i opened it up to have a look, half was ash and half was barely crisped, what am i doing wrong?
mlanglie Posted December 23, 2011 Posted December 23, 2011 once the flame was down on my can, i opened it up to have a look, half was ash and half was barely crisped, what am i doing wrong? Do not open the can until it has cooled. If you do it can burn and all will be lost. Make sure your lid is on tight. You don't want oxygen to get in or it turns the wood to ash (burns). I had a hole on the lid too small one time ans the pressure built up enough to pop the can open and flames started to come out (gases started burning). That time I ended up with some ash as I didn't see it right away to get the lid closed. My 2cents.
dagabu Posted December 23, 2011 Posted December 23, 2011 once the flame was down on my can, i opened it up to have a look, half was ash and half was barely crisped, what am i doing wrong? Long live the male version of Anyka!
madmandotcom Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 mlanglie, thanks, i will adjust my hole size, what diameter do you reccomend? dag, if you are not going to answer my questions, please do not post as it is just annoying, if you really want to insult me, please save that for email, pm and profile comments
Col Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 (edited) I use four 1/8" holes in each can, i pull the cans from the fire and drop galvanised clout (roofing felt) nails into the holes which seals them enough until the cans cool down. Edited December 24, 2011 by Col
killforfood Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 (edited) <P><IMG class=bbc_emoticon alt= src="http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/2angry.gif"> </P><P>Totally hosed this post up I'll try again.</P> Edited December 24, 2011 by killforfood
killforfood Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 Long live the male version of Anyka!Dag, I don't think I would give MMDC that much credit. After reading this thread (even with Anyka's posts deleted) it's obvious that nobody compares to that sad excuse for a human. MY homemade Dragon Eggs What should have been the best Dragon Egg thread ever was for the most part derailed and became the Death of Anyka Thread On his best day MMDC couldn't do this much damage.
Arthur Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 Urbanski reports that charcoal can be cooked at temperatures from 250C to 900C the yield's tend to drop from 20% towards 10% as the temperature rises. The ignition temperature rises that way too, so cooked too hot and the charcoal is hard to light and there will be less of it.
warthog Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 I just cooked up a few gallon cans of balsa charcoal. I used a basic phillips screwdriver, the size most folks have in their tool box... I believe it is a #2? and this is what I use to punch the hole in the top of the paint can. I put the cans right into the hottest part of the fire and when the gasses stop shooting flames out of the hole, I leave it on the fire for say another 10-15 minutes then I pull the cans out (and put the next batch of them in) and stick some mud into the holes in the tops while the cool down. The only stuff I ever have any trouble cooking is the sawdust I sometimes wind up with from my balsa scrap supplier. I sometimes need to let that cool then stir it all up and cook it again in order to get it all cooked. First time in the fire it tends to only cook half way. As for what I net after cooking, I have never weighed it but I have noted the changes in volume. Sawdust reduces by some 40-50% when cooked and the pieces and bits reduce about 40% in volume. Balsa is really easy to make into airfloat too, you can chuck really big bits into the mill and in about an hour it all comes out way too fluffy to use. I mill it then let the jar sit an hour undisturbed before opening it and emptying it out. I buy my willow for now, it comes in charcoal chunks and the other stuff I use, pine cone charcoal for rising tails and other charcoal tailed stars, is done differently. It is also a sticky mess of resins going it, the cans I use to cook them are really large, I bought a few small metal trash cans for them, and they have extra holes in them because of the large amount of volatiles that come off of them. My first tike cooking them I forgot about how they would open up as they dried and the lid was forced off and when that happened a lot of flammable gasses suddenly hit the fire and the can shot out of the fire like a comet! After I changed my shorts, I made sure I left room for the cones to expand in the can from that pint forward and I haven't had that happen again...Balsa Charcoal
DanielC Posted December 28, 2011 Posted December 28, 2011 I make all my coal in a 1 gal paint can or a 5 gal. pail over a small campfire. I know it is kind low tech, but it is something that I really enjoy doing. Usually when the gasses slow down and the flame is almost burned out I take it off to cool. I read somewhere guys were putting a coin over the vent hole while cooling to keep out oxygen to prevent it from igniting and burning to ash. I don't think it matters, but I still do it anyway. Also I cut all the sticks into about 1/2 x 1/2" x 7" and pack them tight in layers even beating in the last few for good measure.
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