The Blacksmith's Fire
There is a black rock that can catch fire and burn so hot it can make straight rods of steel bloom into latches, hinges, or even roses. That sounds like one of those teasing jokes adults tell kids. How silly.
But true. We use coal, the fuel that became the favorite of 18th century north American blacksmiths, in our shop to heat our forges. There is coal near where we live, but to get Sewell coal we have to hire a driver with a dump truck and go on a six-hour round-trip journey with him along twisting rural two-lane blacktop. The mine is underground in southeastern West Virginia, where the Sewell coal seam is wide. Sewell coal, with its low ash and sulfur content and its superior coking properties, is worth all the trouble it takes to get. Yet, because it is so hard to get and because we hope to make our carbon footprint as small as possible, we are glad that a little coal goes a long way in our forges. We are still using the four tons we bought in 2002.
In our shop, as we heat and hammer the steel, our fires are tools which must be used attentively. Without this attention the lower part of the fire could burn away, making "cold" spots, or clinkers, gooey masses of impurities, could form, making hot spots capable of burning tips off finials in an instant. We must consistently feed the fire, pushing pieces of unburned "green" coal close to the fire's edge where they can kindle and become coke. There must always be enough coke when the fire is pushed apart at the end of the day so that there is ample fuel to start the next day's fire.
Our shop has three forges, each with an anvil and complete set of tools. Each work station is devoted to a specific range of tasks.
Just behind the forge hood is the hand-operated blower used to blow air up through the bottom of the fire.
The air blows into the fire from the bottom of this cast iron firepot through the tuyere, which is connected by pipe to the hand-operated blower.
The firepot has a clinker breaker, shown at center. The border surrounding it is the opening for air.
We use Sewell coal, named for the seam underground where it is mined. It is bituminous coal with low sulfur and ash content. It burns extremely hot and readily forms coke.
Our "coal" fire is actually a coke fire, the coal we place around the edges becoming the coke that burns with great heat in the center of the fire.
This piece is half coke, half coal.
When all the impurities burn off, the coal has become coke. It is feather light and capable of heating steel to forging temperatures of 1,600° fahrenheit and above.
Coke doesn't smoke or flame when it burns as coal does.
Each blacksmith has his or her own way to light a fire. Molly starts by emptying the firepot, then filling it with newspaper topped by twigs. During damp winter weather a candle lights it better than a match does.
Once the paper is burning well, we place coke and partially burned, partially coked coal on top of it, all the while turning the blower handle to provide plenty of air.
The smoke and flames are from pieces of fuel that haven't yet completed the transition from coal to coke.
When the fire looks solid and steady we add some "green" coal near the edges and start work.
Go to the next post, Wrought Iron.
The Blacksmith's Fire post originally appeared here.
Blacksmith's Blog Posts
The Shop
A Shop Shaded by Trees
The Blacksmith's Fire
Wrought Iron
Blacksmith Finish
The Library
The Blacksmith's Library -- Objects
The Blacksmith's Library -- Books
Tools
The Blacksmith's Hands -- the Hammer
The Blacksmith's Hands -- Tongs
What's It?
Using a Power Hammer
Processes
Cutting Steel Cold
Cutting Steel Hot
Blacksmith's Riveting, Brazing and Welding, part 1
Blacksmith's Riveting, Brazing and Welding, part 2
Shaping a Grip
Shaping the Braced Driven Catch
Making a Suffolk Latch -- The Thumber's Slot
Forging a Suffolk Latch Bar
Making a Latch
is a description, with photos, of the steps we go through to make a Suffolk Latch.
Making a Hinge
is a description, like Making a Latch, that shows the steps we go through to make a Butterfly Hinge.
Making a Grip
shows the process for making a Cabinet Grip.
Tools of the Trade
shows some of the tools in Molly’s blacksmith shop.
Making a Living
describes how we became blacksmiths.
Glossary of Blacksmithing Terms
is linked to various words that are not commonly known by non-smiths throughout this section of the site.