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Blacksmithing Discussion
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Discussion group about blacksmithing.
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Subject coal
Date
Wed Oct 20 2004 13:41
Author Uncle Clem
(uncleclem@cvn.net)
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To answer your interest, soft coal is the primary coal used for smithing. It makes a cleaner easier burning fuel source. Traditionally a smithy would fire the fire early in the day and work steadily from that fire. However a large portion of the work is not done in the fire and therefore a lot of time is spent not working the fire. Thus soft coal. Soft coal will continue a fire without the presence of a draft of air for quite some time. Then as you return your work to the fire to reheat only a few puffs on the bellows will revitalize your heat [or a few cranks of the blower].
The fuel source is the carbon in the lump of coal. Everything else is deleterious material. Thus the process of “coaking up” or making coak is a tool of the serious blacksmith whenever he needs a clean hot fire. This is especially true if you are using a lower grade of coal with a lot of impurities or perhaps you are trying to get a fire clean enough to forge weld or fire weld. Forge welding requires the cleanest hottest form of fire you can provide. The fire must consume all of the available oxygen before it reaches your work piece or scale will result causing a “cold shut” or deficient weld to occur.
The old timer will always be “coaking” his fire, or working cold wet coal from the outside edges toward the center as he uses coal. This process causes the coal to burn off impurities before entering the working area of the fire. Whenever you take a break or stop for the day, “coak up”! Pull wet green coal to the center and heap it up somewhat so it will “coak”. When you come back you will still have a fire if the time is short or you will have enough coke to start a new fire easily [perhaps with just a newspaper page] if you were gone for a length of time.
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