The Shop > Metal Stuff
Making Charcoal
vtsteam:
As a ballpark estimate, I might first try 1" dia.
And low blast pressure.
ironman:
I experimented with molasses as a binder for carbon and it held together even though the lump was glowing red. Then it slowly starts to crumble.
vtsteam:
I'll try that too, then, ironman.
I don't have all the gear for iron yet. I need to make tongs and shank. Maybe this week.
I might try it as a crucible furnace first. Bore is 20" x 7" dia.
ironman:
The best binder for making briquettes from carbon is pitch from black coal. Coking coal has it and coke does not crumble at any temperature but does very slowly burn.
Coke and charcoal are both carbon based but burn at different rates. Coke is classed as unreactive so it burns very slowly. Charcoal is classed as reactive and burns very quickly yet both are carbon. Electrodes in arc furnaces melting steel and iron are made from coke and pitch and the same goes for dry cell battery electrodes.
When I melt iron I put coke on top of the cast iron to stop the metal burning and turning to slag. When I am ready to pour I just scoop of the the coke and use it for the next melt. If I did the same thing with charcoal I would have to replace it at least twice.
I do have large lumps of coke and have machined it in the lathe. I have made a small crucible and many stirring sticks with it. As a stirring stick it lasts forever with cast iron as it is very unreactive.
It will not dissolve in molten cast iron. Charcoal will but very slowly.
I have used an induction furnace to change steel to cast iron, coke will dissolve very slowly but as the carbon content comes to cast iron level the excess just floats on top.
As a crucible it needs a coating to protect it from the flames in a furnace.
vtsteam:
Interesting and helpful. But I don't have access to coke.
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