Proper charcoal for heat treating!

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EricGetchell

Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
12
Hello:
I'm a new member here and I've allready started on my first knife. Sorry for posting a thread on this topic, but I can't search, being a non-paying member. If there is a sticky, I'd love a link to it. In browsing the net, I noticed that many knifemakers are very particullar about their charcoal. Is there any problem with just using briquetes? I tested some scrap with regular briquetes in my BBQ, and with only a hair dryer, I got O-1 steel to non-magnetic in about 5 minutes!!!
Thanks for any info guys,
Eric:D
 
Do NOT use briquettes. They are mostly saw dust, and are treated with chemicals which can give off very harmfull fumes when brought to forging type temperatures. If you're going to use charcoal, use real lump charcoal, never briquettes. Briquettes dont provide much heat either, are expensive, inefficient, and bad for forging in general even if you take asside the toxic chemical bath that they're created in.

I know you sound excited by that five minutes to heat your O1 to non magnetic, but a normal coal or charcoal fire would only take about 30 seconds to a minute depending on thickness from cold to forging temp. The old saying "too many irons in the fire" is a saying about making sure not to have too many pieces of iron in your forge because real forges get so hot so fast that you will turn your steel into a sparkler (burn it) if you leave it in there too long.
 
Kingsford brand briquettes are pretty clean pressed hardwood charcoal in a binder so in an emergency you can use them, but you have to be really careful with what you put in a forge fire if you're doing blades, what you are looking for is lump charcoal. For general blacksmithing on generic mild steel I know 2 oldtime blacksmiths that when doing festivals use briquets without problems, but you gotta work pretty hart to make hot rolled mild steel worse than it already is when it comes from the mill. Any impurities in your fire can try to sneak into your steel when its hot, you basically want to be burning as close to pure carbon as possible for blades

-Page
 
Natural pine works best . It tends to burn nice and even at lower temperatures, (compared to most hardwoods) which is especially nice when doing longer blades. It also lasts a bit longer, when longer soak times are needed or doing multiple blades, than some of the other soft woods. I usually use salvaged construction lumber, cut the wood into suitable sized pieces and convert to charcoal in the forge/furnace. It also has the advantage of being workable by controlling just the “draft”, although a blower can help give even better control in certain set ups and applications.

I also recommend using a thick walled mild steel “muffle tube“, to help even the heat out better, shield the blade, control the atmosphere by contained reduction and make it easier to see by giving it some space, and minimizing the effects of the ambient light.
 
I have used lump oak and mesquite that I can get locally for $11-14 for 40lbs. The mesquite tends to pop alot of forge fleas though, but still works good.

I would like to make my own charcoal at some point but never have. Here in the central valley burning is verboten, there are days they don't even want us running our lawn mower.
 
Thanks, guys. After all the time I've now put into this knife, I'd hate to ruin it with the wrong charcoal. I thought that regular briquettes would be cheaper. Any tips as to where to find lump for sale? What is it primarilly used for? I'd like to make my own charcoal, but outdoor burning isn't allowed in my area. :grumpy:
 
"Lump" charcoal is simply burnt wood, no binders. Lowes carries "natual hardwood" (aka: lump) charcoal under a brand called "Cowboy". According to Tim Lively and his contributors of his web site (livelyknives.com) the lump charcoal, while forging, gives off a fireworks of sparks (I don't know personally, I make my own charcoal). Other than the sparks being a pain, it works well. The remedy to the sparkfest is to fire up your grill and get the lump charcoal glowin' red then douse the coals with water. Dry out the coals and proceed.
 
Google lump charcoal and you will find sites that rate it by brand (gourmet folks love it) and say where to get it. If all else fails Kmart sells it under the Martha Stewart brand, and if you're feeling unpatriotic you could even get it at the bright blue chinese invasion store (walmart)
I make my own or buy from my local grocery store (Wegmans, their stuff is a little undercooked for smelting but great for steaks or forging)
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Mr. Vegas said:
"Lump" charcoal is simply burnt wood, no binders. Lowes carries "natual hardwood" (aka: lump) charcoal under a brand called "Cowboy". According to Tim Lively and his contributors of his web site (livelyknives.com) the lump charcoal, while forging, gives off a fireworks of sparks (I don't know personally, I make my own charcoal). Other than the sparks being a pain, it works well. The remedy to the sparkfest is to fire up your grill and get the lump charcoal glowin' red then douse the coals with water. Dry out the coals and proceed.
Click to expand...

You need to let it cherry out before you hit it with a blast. That way it won't pop and spark. Build up a large fire and burn it down, rather than constant feeding.

Some types of charcoal, like pine, tend not to pop and spark as much as others like mesquite.

You can also start with wood and convert to charcoal in the forge as you go.
 
I have about a ton of metallurgical coke for the hauling if you are in my area.
This offer is to any blacksmith or bladesmith that is within driving distance of s/e Ohio.

Happy forging, Fred
 
Excellent:D
I have found some charcoal made for a high-end BBQ called the Big Green Egg that is pure wood lump. I haven't found out what type of wood it is yet, but it must be better that using western familly! It is a little pricey, at $19 for 20lb bag, so I'll also check out the Lowes and Kmart coal. Thanks to all.
 
I went with Mr. Vegas's advice and used the Cowboy brand lump. It was quite a bit cheaper than the BGE coal, and the bag was half that in size. If I bought a larger quantity, I'm sure it would be cheaper, but I know me well and it would be used on steaks in no time! It did spark pretty bad at first, but I just used less air, until the coal was ready for the blade. I let it lose magnetism, and get to a nice red/orange color for quenching. Honestly, it was pretty hard for me to differentiate between the colors, but the file did not bite in like it's annealed state. I'm now tempering in the oven at just a hair under 400 for an hour, and once more after it cools to room temp. I'll post a pic later...I'm pretty proud for it being a virgin blade! :eek:
 
BTW, thanks to the administrators, moderators, or whatever you'd like to call yourselves for fixing the search. I only started this thread cus I could'nt search, and won't post new ones that have already been answered. The great advice I got here and the quick fix on the search means I'll probably become a paying member soon!
 
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