Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Primitive Technology: Making Charcoal (3 Different Methods)”.
More charcoal needs to be made for smelting experiments Digging a pit for charcoal Lining pit with clay Conical pit is 50 cm wide and 25 cm deep. A rim is made around the edge to stop dirt falling into the charcoal and contaminating it Time lapse of making fire Drying. The pit with fire Drying wet wood with fire in preparation for making charcoal 2 thin sticks laid down as foundation. Alternating layers of wood stacked on top Each layer is perpendicular to the one below Fire is lit from the top of the heap and burns down.
Water is collected to douse the coals when carbonized The fire burns back down the heap against the draft converting the wood to charcoal without burning it up. Wood is stacked against the pile to stop logs rolling off When the fire has reached the bottom. The sticks are pushed in, causing the coals to fall into the pit.
Unburnt wood is stoked to the top to further burn in air and convert to charcoal. Coals at the bottom of the pit remain unburnt. The coals are then doused with just enough water to extinguish.
Them. The whole process took an hour., The residual heat dries. The charcoal The charcoal is passed over. A woven sieve. Lumps over 2.5 cm roll into the pot while lumps smaller than this fall on the ground.. The larger grade of charcoal is used for smelting and forging because air is more easily blown through the larger void space in this fuel bed, giving a higher temperature. The smaller grade charcoal is used to supplement fire wood in ordinary fires.
This centipede came out of the wood/small charcoal pile., Be careful handling, wood and charcoal piles as venomous creatures make their homes here.. Now it lives in the roof. With the scorpions Charcoal pit Wood left over for the next method, A small, stable pile of wood is laid down. First, Then, small pieces are laid against this at an angle, so they won’t fall over As the pile grows. Larger pieces are added. Take time to neatly stack the wood, so there are few spaces When the mound is the desired size.
( 50 cm tall 50 cm wide here. ) fill any gaps with smaller pieces of wood, Collect mud and bring it to the mound Coat. The mound in layers of mud, starting at ground level and going up but leave it open at the top so smoke can exit Make air holes about 25 cm apart ( 6 holes are made here, ) Light the fire from the top and let it burn down Stay outside when it gets this smokey, it fumigates the hut. When fire can be seen through a given hole, it should be sealed, Use mud to do so. Finally, seal the top with mud (. This took 2.5 hours, ), Add water to cool the mound.
The charcoal won’t get wet The next day the mound is opened. The mud is set aside for use in the next batch Unburnt wood is set aside for the next batch too. The charcoal yield. The charcoal is better quality than the that of the pit method.. It is larger and denser with a higher energy content, Sieved again to grade the charcoal. There are fewer smaller lumps with this method too. For the third method, a permanent charcoal kiln is build to save labor with each batch. A cylindrical kiln is made of mud. This one is 50cm tall, 50cm wide and has 6 air entries. The kiln is fire dried, so it won’t crack during a firing. Cracks. Let in air that burn the coal to ashes.
Wood is stacked into the kiln in horizontal layers. It is finished with a conical pile on top This way, only the top needs to be coated in mud with each batch saving labor. The kiln is lit from the top and allowed to burn down When fire reaches the bottom, it’s time to seal the air entries. Finally, the smoke hole is closed after the air holes are sealed after 2.5 hours, The next day the temporary top is removed, while the rest of the kiln remains intact.
The charcoal is good quality for less work than the mound method. The charcoal is sieved again. The kiln also made more charcoal than the mound for the same time and floor space due to it’s greater volume.. It can be reused when ever charcoal is needed to be made.
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