The pile of split beech logs, in total two carts or a couple of tons
The entry for lighting the fire
Shovelling down ash to cover the pile (This came from an old burning site)
Starting to cover the pile with ash to make it nearly airtight
| Romanian Charcoal Making |
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The pile of split beech logs, in total two carts or a couple of tons |
The entry for lighting the fire |
Covering the wood pile with hay (In this case mouldy waste hay from the bottom of the stack). | Shovelling down ash to cover the pile (This came from an old burning site) |
Starting to cover the pile with ash to make it nearly airtight |
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| The pile, nearly finished Wednesday evening | The burnt pile, Friday morning | Close up of the burnt pile | The charcoal, after part-burnt wood from th outer layers had been removed. (It will be used on the fire inside the house). We have just put out the fire with water | Close up of the charcoal |
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Forking the charcoal, cool after a day standing in the open, into sacks |
The special fork used. This picks up the charcoal, whilst allowing the ash to fall through and remain for covering the next pile for burning |
We obtained 17 sacks of charcoal, which will be around 400 kg. This seems about right for the amount of wood used.
The results were quite good, though the conclusion was that it burnt too quickly. Next time a thicker layer of ash will be needed on the outside.
The workshop. You can see the covered shoeing area. It catches the sun nicely in the morning as planned.
JULIAN ROSS CEng MIMechE MCIT FRSA
THEY WILL USE ABOUT ONE BAG OF CHARCOAL PER DAY IN THE FORGE, WHICH IS USED FOR BLACKSMITHING AS WELL AS FARRIERY
