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Training at The Blacksmith Forge

Working with Charcoal

It goes without saying that for a blacksmith, heat is vital. Without it, working with metal is impossible. As such, furnaces and forges use gas, charcoal or coal to produce heat. I use gas when I make a large production run of bars that can fit into my furnace, but the majority of the time I use a traditional forge that burns regular coal.

Initially, this method of producing heat didn't bother me at all, but over time my conscience began nagging me about the air pollution I was causing with the resulting fumes and gases. Fortunately for my conscience, I was able to buy a piece of land that was home to a large amount of 'rooikrans' – alien vegetation that needed to be cleared away. As luck would have it, rooikrans wood makes perfect, natural charcoal – which I now produce myself.

Combined with regular coal in the forge, the resulting fire is much cleaner, and enables the steel to become hotter much more quickly. I can add the charcoal directly into the fire, right onto the steel, and it doesn't absorb the heat as much as regular charcoal. My brand of charcoal can heat 120mm solid bars to yellow in ten minutes, and costs half of the price of coal. The benefits of making my own charcoal extend even further – the land is being cleared for the good of the environment, and jobs have been created for the people who now help me with the charcoal-making process.

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