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For those of you wanting a continuous supply of blacksmith classes, check out Northwest Blacksmith Association at www.blacksmith.org. NWBA has a mentoring center in Longview, Washington and does online classes & events while we are under quarantine.

There are monthly hands-on classes most months of the year. The center has all the forges, anvils and tools available for use on premises for members. Each month there is a demonstrator that teaches a technique in the morning, and then the shop is opened up to work on those techniques…or work on your own project.

If you want to learn, especially if you don’t have a shop or anvil, this is the place to do it.

The NWBA is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the blacksmith traditions. Check it out!

Starting a forge coke fire.

You can start your coke fire the same way as coal, but increase the amount of kindling. Since the coke has no volatiles left in it to carry the combustion it takes more heat to ignite the coke. Also you will need a constant air flow or your fire will go out. As a matter of fact, that is how to put out a coke fire….just stop giving it air. Do not apply water, as you may cause a steam explosion and may crack your fire pot.

How to get your coal forge fire started

How do I start the coal fire?

Begin with a clean tuyere (pronounced “tweer”), removing any ash, clinkers, etc, and make sure the airway is clear. Place a handful of tender (wood shavings, newspaper) in the bottom, then small kindling followed by small sticks or blocks of dry wood. Have your coal around, but not in the tuyere. Light the tender and use a light stream of air until the wood is fully burning, then push a small amount of coal onto the edges of the fire, not on top. It will smoke a lot at first. Keep adding coal from the edges and use a little more air until you have a good fire. The coal will beging to turn to coke and burn with a cleaner flame. As the coke is consumed, push the new coke that is forming around the edges down and into the tuyere. Don’t put more green coal on top, or you will have lots of smoke again. Just continue to pull the green coal into the edge of the coke fire. With good coal you should have a continuous supply of coke to forge on.

How to extinguish the fire

When the session is over, you will want to put out the fire. How do you put out a coal fire forge?

The fastest way to extinguish a coal fire forge is by shutting off the airflow and digging out the glowing coals so that they get exposed to cold air. There are a few other things you can do to speed up the process, but with just those two things your fire should be extinguished within a couple of minutes.

How To Put Out A Coal Fire Forge

The main thing that you need to do to put out a coal fire is to spread the fire out. That way the heat won’t all be as concentrated and there will be more cool air around it.

Use a rake or other hand tool to spread the red coals around as much as possible.

As the coals start to cool down, you’ll be able to see them grow darker.

Suffocate The Coal Fire

Fire needs oxygen to keep burning. If you’re able to remove all of the oxygen from your coal fire, it will go out pretty quickly.

If your forge has a lid, you can cover it to remove oxygen. Be sure to close up any vents and turn off any fans or other types of ventilation where oxygen may get to the fire as well.

If you need to suffocate a fire in a hurry without using water, you can also throw a layer of sand on to your coals. Although this is a bit messier to clean up later.

How long it takes your fire to go out will depend on the size of your forge and how many pieces of coal you’ve used.

Don’t Pour Water On A Hot Coal Forge!

For barbeques that use charcoal, it’s common to spray the coals with water from a hose to cool them down.

This works by converting a lot of the extra heat into steam, and the water also keeps oxygen from getting to the coals so they get extinguished as well.

However, you should avoid pouring water on your coal forge. The temperatures in a blacksmith forge are much higher than those of a typical barbeque.

Pouring water on your forge will very likely crack the forge because of the fast and extreme change in temperatures. Especially if you’re working with a rivet forge or some other kind of smaller coal forge.

Another reason not to add water directly to your forge is because coal can contain compounds like sulfuric acid. If you spray water on coal while it’s still in the forge, it will leech out and prematurely age your forge.

Blacksmiths will sometimes lightly spray water on their coal fire to manage the temperature. But never just point a garden hose at a red hot forge and spray away! Besides potentially wrecking your forge, you could also knock hot coals out of the forge and burn yourself or other items around you.

Instead, Transfer The Coals To Another Container Of Water

Outside of your forge, water doesn’t really pose any hazard to the coal itself.

The worst that will happen is that it will wash off some of the ash, which has no real use anyway.

So it’s fine to dunk your coals in water to quickly cool them down. Once they have a chance to dry out, they can be easily reused.

Just be sure to use a metal container, as your coals would likely burn through plastic before they have a chance to cool. Make sure it’s a large enough vessel to hold all of your coal as well as a substantial amount of water.

If you don’t have enough water, your coal will pretty much instantly bring your water to a boil. Your coal will still cool off this way since most of its energy gets transferred to heating the water. But the more water your container holds, the more effective it will be.

Make sure to use tongs or a shovel to slowly lower your coals into the water to avoid splashing.

Recovering Your Coal Once It Has Cooled

Once your coal has cooled to a temperature that you can handle, you can simply pick them out of the water.

The ash will settle on the bottom of your container, usually with the coal and any coke sitting on top. Your coal and coke are ready to be dried and used again.

If you want, you can use a screen or cloth to get rid of the fine dust and small particles that you may not want to keep.

Remember, coal is a naturally occurring element. It shows up naturally in the side of mountains, and it’s shipped in barges and rail cars that are open and exposed to the elements. So getting your coal wet is nothing that it can’t handle.

How Long Does It Take To Put Out A Coal Fire?

After you’re done using your coal forge, you probably want to take five or ten minutes to put your tools away and clean up anyway. In that amount of time, the fire will usually have gone out by itself.

But if you just leave coal to cool down in the air, it will likely take several hours before all the heat has completely gone. That means hidden embers could continue burning and potentially re-ignite unless they’re completely extinguished.

I feel a lot better going to bed or leaving the house knowing that my coals are under several inches of water!

The half-used coal from putting a fire out this way is good if you just want to keep your fire going a little longer at the end of a blacksmithing session without throwing more brand new coal onto the fire.

How To Put Out A Coal Blacksmith Forge In An Emergency?

Sometimes you may get a big flare up in your coal forge if you aren’t paying attention. If your coal fire gets out of control, or just if you need a way to instantly put your fire out, you’ll want to have items on hand to instantly extinguish it.

All blacksmiths should have a fire extinguisher in their shop as part of their standard safety supplies and equipment.

A dry powder extinguisher is best. It’s the most effective and safest type of extinguisher to use on coals. Dry powder can be used on oils, gas, and flammable liquids. This type of extinguisher works by removing oxygen and smothering the fire to put it out and prevent it from spreading.

You may also want to invest in a fire blanket which can be thrown over a fire to smother it as well.

Not sure what kind of safety supplies you should have for your workshop? Check out the safety equipment section on my recommended gear page!

Conclusion

Learning how to light a coal fire is often one of the first things that a new blacksmith is taught. But learning how to safely and quickly extinguish the fire is often a piece of information that is neglected.

It can seem so simple that you might be too embarrassed to ask! But hopefully now you have a good idea of how to put out your coal forge when you’re done working for the day.

Information for this post provided by BlacksmithU: https://blacksmithu.com/how-to-put-out-coal-fire-blacksmith-forge/