Coal in a home made forge?

[Handmade Matt]

I've got a little forge I made for heat treating blades I make.
I've been using charcoal and it works great.

However, I've run out of charcoal now and want to heat treat a blade today could I use coal? (I've got some round the back of the workshop that's a few years old - I prefer to burn just wood n my burner so that I can use the ashes in my garden and in my chicken run)

If not I'll buy some more charcoal.
Many thanks.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I've heard that there are some coals that can impart a chemical mix into the surface of the steel that you heat, making the metal either brittle or soft, but I'm not sure which ones.

Not a huge amount of help I'm afraid, but I wouldn't want to see blades ruined - I reckon it would be better to wait till you buy some more charcoal!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Tadpole]

I've got a little forge I made for heat treating blades I make.
I've been using charcoal and it works great.

However, I've run out of charcoal now and want to heat treat a blade today could I use coal? (I've got some round the back of the workshop that's a few years old - I prefer to burn just wood n my burner so that I can use the ashes in my garden and in my chicken run)

If not I'll buy some more charcoal.
Many thanks.

I'd try some of the coal you have on some scrap metal, see what that works like. if its no good you've not lost anything and have learnt something new.The tinterNet seems to think either "stoker coal" or low sulphur anthracite coal is the best, if you have to use it.
I'd just buy some hardwood charcoal and have done with it, you should be able to get it cheap as the Barbecue season is over, and shops will want rid of it.

 

[Handmade Matt]

Thanks very much.
I bought some charcoal to be safe.
Just under £1 per kilo so not dirt cheap.

I'd like to get an oil drum and make my own but I don't think the neighbours will be up for hours of intense smoke like that...

 

[lannyman8]

coal is fine to use in the forge, its what i use most of the time, just make sure the coal is coked up before you use it as a forge....

i use smokeless house coal from the garage, it works fine for me but does need to be processed a little first, just break it up with a hammer into kindney bean size bits if possible, a little larger is fine though, also be aware it will probably burn hotter than charcoal so dont melt your blade....

the best results are to be had from a nice bed of coke around the size or baked beans or a bit smaller, this stops the air getting into the blade area which will increase scale.....

give it a go and see what you think, i like working with coke/coal best of all, it has the most benefits of cost to ease of use and for how long it burns for, it does take time to prep and get going though...

if money is not so much of an issue then make a gas forge, its clean easy to use but costs quite allot, a 6kg bottle (£20) will last me around 3 hours, depending on how rich i have the mix, for £20 of gas i can get 5 bags of coal which will last 6 maybe 7 times longer than that amount of gas....

keep forging and enjoy.....

regards.

chris.