Easiest charcoal ever

[fight fire with fire]

I just found this awesome way to make charcoal, it only takes 10-20 mins!

 

Basically all you do is get a fire going take some embers out of the fire and put htem in a cookie tin, don't put any holes in the lid or anything like that. After about ten mins put some leather gloves on and take the lid off and inside is charcoal! Then just chuck the stuff in a ball mill.

[Mumbles]

That charcoal is going to be heavily infested with ash, which will decrease the preformance.

[maximusg]

^ What I was thinking. Whats wrong with the traditional method? it may take longer but its worth it for perfect product. And i kind of like sittin by the 44 Gal Drum cooking a few Kg of charcoal with a cold beer.

[fight fire with fire]

I thought there there would be loads of ash in the charcoal but once i'd made it i was proved wrong! There's no ash on the charcoal at all, i haven't used it for BP yet because my ball mill isn't working yet, but once it is i'll post the results.

[optimus]

i was proved wrong! There's no ash on the charcoal at all

How did you work that one out? By looking at the charcoal?

[fight fire with fire]

I just cracked it open and looked inside, all black no grey at all.

[optimus]

That doesn't really tell you anything apart from that your charcoal looks black, does it?

[fight fire with fire]

Charcoal is supposed to be black isn't it?

 

It is a good method and it's a damn sight quicker than chucking a barrel full of wood on the fire.

[Mumbles]

All charcoal, and most organic materials like cotton and wood have natural ash in them. I've heard people say that commercial airfloat stuff has upwards of 15% ash content, while good home made stuff is around 5-6%. It take a lot of ash to make a noticeable color change.

 

Just dumping the embers into water would probably be faster, and dissolve off some of the ash.

[mormanman]

hey just take an old cookie tin and put some wood in it throw it on like a grill or fire or something in that nature and in about 10 minutes depending on how much wood you should have pure 100% characole but i'm new at this so i don't really know just tell me if i'm wrong or what

[Mumbles]

You must not be doing very much charcoal if it only takes 10 minutes. About the only suggestion I can make is to make sure you have a small hole in the tin to allow venting of gases.

[FrankRizzo]

Don't you just love when newbies try to shortcut *basic* techniques that have proven themselves over the centuries and then somehow convince themselves that their process is superior.