Home cooked Charcoal

[John Fenna]

As a bit of an experiment I have just cooked my first batch of charcoal for use in my forge.
We are not talking large amounts here...
I had a lot of small wood left over after trimming my hedges this autumn.
The good sized wood goes for firewood in our livingroom Inglenook fire, small wood of decent stull such as ash goes for kindling - but I still had a pile of stuff the size of the Matterhorn made up of finger size and smaller mainly Hawthorn, Willow and Sycamore. Not bad for a small garden!
Now - I am a hoarder and have a large collection of biscuit and Sweety tins and after he saw my sweety tin fire stand Dr Jones (Roly) had the idea of such a tin being used to make charcoal...so I had a go last night!
I simply punched a hole in the lid of the tin with a 4" nail and then filled the tin with wood cut to size.
The full tin was placed on the livingroom fire while we watched QI and QI XL and when we went to bed the tin was removed from the embers of the fire, a nail stuck in the hole and the tin left to its own devices overnight.
This morning I opened the tin (a difficult task as it had welded itself shut with woodtar!) and there was my charcoal!
A perfect 100% black charcoal - no brown at all - ready to go
Now all I have to do is make about 10 more loads and I will have enough to fill my forge (made from a Wok!) for a mornings forgeing.
OK it is not ecconomical in time and effort cuting the wood - but I have more free time than loose cash and the satisfaction of not wasting the wood in a "rubbish burn" to spread the ashes on the garden (there will still be loads for this from the smallest twigs that I left behind), combined with saving money on fuel for the forge (which due to injury will be unused for some time yet - god bless all physiotherapists! - so I have time to build up my charcoal pile...) and the fun of it all makes it all very worth while!
In the past I have made Willow charcoal for glue making in the same way but in my charcloth oven - a syrup tin - and was not sure if the larger tin would work out.
I am pleased to say that it is excellent and I will keep on doing this in the future!

 

[Toadflax]

Interesting to hear that it works OK. I made some tiny charcoal in a boot polish tin last year (same basic method) and have just swept our living room chimney so it would be interesting to try some in a biscuit tin on the fire.

I seem to remember Eric Methven saying about making artists' charcoal sticks in a baked bean tin on his fire.


Geoff

 

[MartinK9]

Nice one John

 

[Andy2112]

Great idea John, thanks for posting this up.

 

[Ex Member - Sidney Bounty]

for forge charcoal I just pull bits out during the nights campfire and store in 5 gal metal buckets works for me....

 

[ragamuffin]

i found that if you cover your fire with soil over night you get charcoal in the morning. is this irisponsible?

 

[Toadflax]

I tried this myself yesterday, having lit our living room fire for the first time this year. I used a big coffee tin (8" high by 6" diameter) with a piece of foil for a lid with a small hole punched in it. The foil did disintegrate and I took the tin off the fire after about an hour to try and sort out a new lid, but the charcoal was well and truly cooked at that stage, so I just let it cool.

I did a second batch and cooked it a bit longer - maybe too long as some of it was glowing when I took it off the fire, so I spread it out on a paving slab outside to cool.

I haven't tried using the charcoal, but it feels and sounds right (that 'light' tinkling sort of sound that charcoal makes).

I could do with sorting out a more robust lid - maybe one folded from one of those metal pie dishes.

As John says, you don't get a huge amount, but it's interesting to try and if you make a batch every time you light a fire, you'll probably get enough for a couple of barbecues.

Geoff

 

[John Fenna]

I have made about £5 worth already and have more ready to cook!

 

[johnnytheboy]

I have a 60litre drum at work, its exactly like the big 203ltr one but mini, the full lid removes and there is also a screw cap, I plan to use it to make charcoal for the pizza and tandoori oven I have planned for next year.

 

[al21]

You might find this of interest!

http://www.allotmentforestry.com/fact/Charcoal.htm

Al

 

[Dave Budd]

there are lots of ways of making charcoal at home. Some are more simple than others and some more efficient (better yield) than others.

I've seen several oil drum forms:

cut a slot in the side (leaving the ends sealed), filling with wood and setting fire. When burning well simly roll it over and smother with soil until cool.

remove top and bottom of the drum, but cut the top out about 3" in from the edge. Save the disc from the bottom to use as a lid for the top This can be supported on bricks, leaving spaces to act as flues or placed over a 6" wide channel cut in the ground (I use that method).


Another very efficient retort kiln version uses a steel dustbin that is stacked with wood and has an oil drum placed over the top (bin upright, oil drum with sealed end up). Then a bonfire is lit around it and kept going for some time.


A pit filled with wood and set fire to, then smothered with soil or water when good and hot is a popular method in Africa and Sri Lanka

dowsing down a campfire or bonfire also works, but is not very efficient.

Personally I just have a man make it for me. The amount I use (about a tonne a year) would take me too long to make (I'd spend more time making than using). The hassel of getting a decent amoutn to forge with and keeping the quality good is all take out of the equation

 

[Toadflax]

I think the main issue with making larger batches of charcoal for suburban dwellers, like myself, is the potential clash between smoke and neighbours!


Geoff

 

[Dave Budd]

no it at night then

also a small batch like a metal bucket sort of size still produces more smoke than a decent sized campfire. I've sat next to a charcoal demo at a show that used a kiln that was made from the lower third of an oil drum (so about 18" high by 22"wide) and that kept me like a kipper for about 3 hours before the smoke cleared and the burn was able to be closed down.

 

[Toadflax]

do it at night then

I have wondered about that.

Last time I had a garden fire to clear some cuttings (as opposed to a cooking fire) a couple of neighbours came round to complain (not adjacent houses, but ones from 2-3 doors down the street). One said that it was illegal, so I referred them to the local council web site for the local policy on garden fires. I told them both the truth, that I hadn't had a garden fire for 4-5 years, I'd lit it late in the evening, on a weekday, so it shouldn't interfere with most people enjoying their gardens.

Now they get the sound of a shredder instead of smoke from a fire!


Geoff

 

[John Fenna]

I do mine on our livingroom fire...around here most folk have open fires and woodburners so there is nothing new in a bit of smoke!

 

[Bardster]

We made a video of doing it in a drum..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIuXBFLIXyw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aARJXCV_v4

 

[Nagual]

Thought I'd give this a go past couple of nights, and so far pretty good success. Three quality loads in and now have a bit o charcoal. None of it turned to ash, which I'm quite pleased about. I do wonder though, how much would I need for using in a home made forge, small colander type of thing.. Right now I'm lucky if there around half a kilo of lovely charcoal. I think I'd need a total of about 8 tins worth to fill a carrier bag.


Cheers,

 

[leaf man]

Hmm. Another bucket list project,just under build own forge.