WOOD MEAL CHARCOAL?

[oldguy]

Anyone ever try making charcoal out of wood meal?

I ask because it is already a very fine powder.

[dan999ification]

i always wanted to make charcoal from softwood rodent bedding, hamsters,gerbils etc the only problem i can see is the batch size and settling, nothing a good shake while cooking wont sort out, if you dont cook the granny out of the fines

 

dan.

Edited January 8, 2012 by dan999ification

[Algenco]

the problem with using sawdust/meal is it doesn't cook evenly

 

2" thick pieces of wood seam to cook the best

[oldguy]

What if you filled a whole bunch of 2 inch ID thin walled metal pipe with wood meal fairly compact.

Then stood then upright in a retort.

With a slight air space between each, that should allow better heat circulation throughout the inside of the retort.

Which I suppose in turn would allow for even cooking.

 

Espcially so, if you had a well regulated heat source.

 

Edited January 8, 2012 by oldguy

[dagabu]

i always wanted to make charcoal from softwood rodent bedding, hamsters,gerbils etc the only problem i can see is the batch size and settling, nothing a good shake while cooking wont sort out, if you dont cook the granny out of the fines

 

dan.

 

Got an email last year from a friend down south that told me to use old paper towel tubes in the bottom standing up all around the shavings. They remain empty and you just pack the shavings all around them like the picture below. I have not tried this method and I would probably weld steel conduit in the bottom instead and cut holes so that the heat could travel up through them.

 

 

 

-dag

[dan999ification]

my retort would not hold such a complex arrangement , seriously for the amount of charcoal i use yearly [ 4oz of willow and a few hundred g mixed pine] it aint worth it but it would be nice not crushing charcoal, even if it is once a year.

 

 

dan.

 

 

[Mumbles]

Most people who use balsa end up getting the extremely fine saw dust. You're right in saying that it doesn't cook all that evenly. It seems that the outside cooks and sort of insulates the interior, especially when packed to any sort of reasonable density. Some people pack it in, and poke holes and channels to allow heat circulation, but nothing I've seen seems to work all that well apparently. One guy came up with a pretty good solution, IMO. He took a piece of rebar, bend the end into an L, and stuck it in his retort through a hole. Every hour or so he stirs all the saw dust up using a welding glove and everything seems to cook quite well apparently.

[allrocketspsl]

Anyone ever try making charcoal out of wood meal?

I ask because it is already a very fine powder.

 

yeah i have at lowes i can get it by the tons but when I fired it up you get mostly ash which spoils the charcoal.Then again Im not one to ask there are seriours makers on here.

[Algenco]

shouldn't be any ash in the char, ash means oxygen is getting into the retort, not good

[oldguy]

Most people who use balsa end up getting the extremely fine saw dust. You're right in saying that it doesn't cook all that evenly. It seems that the outside cooks and sort of insulates the interior, especially when packed to any sort of reasonable density. Some people pack it in, and poke holes and channels to allow heat circulation, but nothing I've seen seems to work all that well apparently. One guy came up with a pretty good solution, IMO. He took a piece of rebar, bend the end into an L, and stuck it in his retort through a hole. Every hour or so he stirs all the saw dust up using a welding glove and everything seems to cook quite well apparently.

 

I think I will build one with a stir gizmo in it & see how that works.

[VintageRacer]

i always wanted to make charcoal from softwood rodent bedding, hamsters,gerbils etc the only problem i can see is the batch size and settling, nothing a good shake while cooking wont sort out, if you dont cook the granny out of the fines

 

dan.

 

Hey Dan.....

 

I like using the pet bedding and use both Cedar and Pine. I cook it in my little coffee can TLUD cooker and it comes out fine. Don't pack it in, just lightly dump it in and cook it. It goes pretty quick and you don't get much ash if any at all. If you are not making pounds or kilos of coal this may be an attractive option.

 

 

DanB

[dan999ification]

maybe i'll have to give it a try then im about to cook my yearly [unless it runs out] batch soon, i'll use it for stars but run a jar of bp for curiousity's sake.

i figured it would also cook quick any shavings ive had cook in half hour on my setup but wet willow takes more than an hour even cut small.

 

dan.

[dan999ification]

I think I will build one with a stir gizmo in it & see how that works.

 

 

a few large steel bb's would do the trick just shake it evry now and then, they would also provide some heat which could probably be controlled.

what about heating some bb's dumping them in the retort with the wood meal [instant smoking] seal it up and save time heating the inside, shaking the bb's would mill the already fine material, you could probably cook and crush it further in less than half an hour.

apolagies for thinking out loud.

 

dan.

Edited January 9, 2012 by dan999ification

[Jwdrummer5]

I've cooked pine shavings in a 1 gallon paint can. I did not densly pack it so The charcoal is good. I use that unprocessed for my coarse tail effect in 1 pound rockets