making cedar charcoal

[OldMarine]

@ macs: That's pretty good. I'm wondering if I'd do better to run my cedar through the chipper rather than using split pieces if I try that. Less crushing and grinding later maybe?

[macs]

@ macs: That's pretty good. I'm wondering if I'd do better to run my cedar through the chipper rather than using split pieces if I try that. Less crushing and grinding later maybe?

Chipping the wood will definitely speed up the conversion and reduce labor later on. You know what I really loved about using the TLUD? I didn't have to use another source of heat to cook the wood. The wood cooks itself into charcoal. It's much easier to use than the retort method. Just ignite the top of the wood in the can and set the chimney back on top. That's it. Pellets don't light too easy so I just poured a little anhydrous methanol on the top to get it going. Easiest time I ever had making charcoal.

[OldMarine]

I'm not familiar with pine pellets. I have some loblolly pine from my Mom's I'm going to try for sparks. It seems more resinous than the other pines around here. First I wasn't get a decent amount of ERC stockpiled. Everything I'm trying right now is charcoal/BP based so I'm going to need quite a bit. Edited November 5, 2015 by OldMarine

[macs]

Well, if you do have to eventually buy your wood, you can get it pretty cheap. I bought a 40 pound bag of pine pellets at the local feed store for about $5.

At 18% efficiency, that works out to about 70 cents per pound for the finished charcoal.

Black Willow and Red Cedar are next in line to endure the fiery wrath of the TLUD.

I have 4 Paulownia trees growing in my yard that I planted last year. They grow really fast! I also have some Alder Buckthorn seeds to plant next year too.

[OldMarine]

Every new homesite around here requires the bulldozing of tons of ERC. I have a limitless supply of that and Hackberry to play with. It's mostly rocky flatlands here so willow is sparse except along creek banks which I can't access. I might buy some willow charcoal just to try it.

[macs]

_{Looks like you are set for life...at least with ERC. I find Black Willows growing everywhere there is a damp spot on the ground! Willow makes some awesome BP. Very clean burning and super fast. I have some Cedar growing on my farm, but not that much. I will probably just buy a bag of Cedar bedding to try it out since I don't need that much. Where does Hackberry stand in the charcoal comparisons?}

Edited November 6, 2015 by macs

[OldMarine]

I've heard it was mediocre but I've only used it to heat my retort. It burns fast and hot so it's great for that purpose. I know it sucks to split from my wood heating experience so I'll leave it alone except for a cracking fire in the outdoor fireplace. Edited November 6, 2015 by OldMarine

[macs]

Ahhh....A warm crackling fire to relax by while sipping your favorite homebrew is one of the joys of winter that I look forward to.

[MrB]

You know what I really loved about using the TLUD? I didn't have to use another source of heat to cook the wood. The wood cooks itself into charcoal.

I'm trying to get something set up to use the gas cooking of the wood to drive the reaction, but i don't like the TLUD due to the ash-content.

Which pretty much leaves me with a inverted retort, heating it with fire until it starts to drive the reaction on it's own, and as a bonus, once the cooking is done, it shuts it self of.

However, i've just been experimenting with it so far, and it's somewhat unreliable. I suspect i would get better results with more consistent content. Meaning, chippings, or shavings.

I have noticed that it doesn't seam to matter that much if i use fresh, or dried wood. Volume after cooking is about the same, it takes slightly longer to get the system self-sustaining, and over all cooking time is of course longer, but since it needs no interaction after lighting, thats quite all-right.

 

But above all. How or where we get out charcoal isn't that important. Consistent results are. And right now i like my method, but it's just not there yet. I Think my system needs to be scaled up to behave properly. Where as TLUD's seam to just work, pretty much regardless of size.

B!

[mikeee]

For anyone wanting to build a high efficiency TLUD cooker, an old Wellxtrol type water pressure tank can be easily

converted to make an easily controlled TLUD cooker. The bottom of the tank has a threaded inlet on the bottom which

you can install a valve to control the air flow to the combustion chamber. You need to cut the top of the tank off and

cut a hole for your flue stack. Install a grating in the bottom of the tank to support your wood to be cooked and provide

an even flow of air to the wood. These tanks are made of steel which can easily be cut with a metal blade in a sawzall.

Many plumbing shops have these available for scrap, when the bladder goes bad they replace the tank with a new one

and the old one usually goes to the dump. The tanks come in many sizes so you can build just about any size cooker.

A five gallon steel bucket and lid also works good, but controlling the air flow is key to getting good charcoal production.

 

 

[Merlin]

I use a 1 gallon paint can for a retort. It's worked just fine for me with the only problem of size. At some point, I'm going to either make a larger retort or try making a TLUD.

I also use one gallon paint cans on a bayou classic gas burner. I suppose I am pretty lazy. I use red cedar pet bedding. Done in about 10-15 minutes and you dont have to crush it. I cant really see a lot of difference in speed tests between willow and cedar in the final BP. The TLUD would be much more enconomical as propane tanks are pretty expensive but I can do 3 gallon cans at once so it is enough for my meager purposes.

[Arthur]

Willow is the classic wood for BP making in the UK but obviously the original development of the process picked only trees that were native and common, so Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey used Willow, Alder and Dogwood for powder for different end uses. In the USA you will need to chose functional tree types from those common in your area. There are lists on the web discussing the values of trees that grow in various climates.

[Mia]

I have a funny feeling they know that.

[MadMat]

Wow, Merlin, a batch in 10-15 min.s? That's waaay faster than cooking split wood. I do split it pretty small, but still it takes at least 45 min.s or longer to complete a batch of mine and I am definitely not overcooking my charcoal; if anything it may be slightly undercooked. I have read from a couple of sources that slight undercooking rather than overcooking your charcoal is preferable.

[Merlin]

15 minutes but it is just shavings with lots of surface area and I remove the cans and roll to mix periodically. The fire is very hot. The lower parts of the cans glow. 3 grams of meal in a diagonal crease in a piece of typing paper will burn in 0.27 to.0.45 seconds. This burn rate produces good BP for lift and break so I have to believe the retort is working. I have also done this with willow but the larger pieces take much longer and then have to be crushed and ground.

[OldMarine]

I'm going to run my ERC through the chipper. I've already split it to remove the bark.

I've got to learn how to build a TLUD it seems.

[starxplor]

I recently got my first TLUD 1gal paint can to cook. Compared to the same style 1gal paint can retort, stuck in a bon fire, I get easily 1/4 the resulting charcoal, or less. Of course, it takes 1/4 the time, so if the source wood is plentiful, the output rate can be the same with multiple cans.

 

This was with willow, will try cedar when my willow supply runs out.

[OldMarine]

I don't know which method I'll stick with but I'm trying both.

I heat with wood so I have plenty to char and scrap to cook it with but I'm drawn to the TLUD method due to the simplicity.

I've made retort charcoal for years for cooking so I'm down pat on that. TLUD is new so I want to learn it!

If you ain't learning? You're dead.

[Arthur]

A friend who uses a "self fuelled partial combustion method" like a TLUD puts the product into a mill when cold and mills it for a few minutes (only) he then screens it all through 600mesh which seems to remove all the ash. After that he mills to required sizes.

[macs]

I'm trying to get something set up to use the gas cooking of the wood to drive the reaction, but i don't like the TLUD due to the ash-content.

Which pretty much leaves me with a inverted retort, heating it with fire until it starts to drive the reaction on it's own, and as a bonus, once the cooking is done, it shuts it self of.

However, i've just been experimenting with it so far, and it's somewhat unreliable. I suspect i would get better results with more consistent content. Meaning, chippings, or shavings.

I have noticed that it doesn't seam to matter that much if i use fresh, or dried wood. Volume after cooking is about the same, it takes slightly longer to get the system self-sustaining, and over all cooking time is of course longer, but since it needs no interaction after lighting, thats quite all-right.

 

But above all. How or where we get out charcoal isn't that important. Consistent results are. And right now i like my method, but it's just not there yet. I Think my system needs to be scaled up to behave properly. Where as TLUD's seam to just work, pretty much regardless of size.

B!

MrB, I have also contemplated building a retort that recycles the wood gas as it cooks out, but it would have to be thermally efficient to the extreme, or you will still have to keep adding fuel to your external fire to finish cooking the wood. At least it would reduce the amount of external fuel needed.

I think a TLUD can be built to reduce the ash content to an insignificant amount. The one I have does leave a small amount of visible ash behind, but I think that I could have reduced the number of air holes in the TLUD. It would still cook, only it would take longer to finish. I think that I'll try that on the next TLUD I build. If it needs more air, I can always drill more holes. Or better yet...I really like mikeee's idea that he mentioned earlier, where you mount a flue underneath to get 100% control of the air flow.

[Col]

My old non stainless tlud rusted through so i`ve got its replacement on the go. Its pretty basic, a stainless steel stockpot (6.5L), a brass elbow and a lever ball valve (full bore type) to control the inlet airflow. A shallow round steel baking tin drilled with holes will be placed upside down in the bottom of the pot to distribute the air evenly. I can change out the baking tin if i need a different number of holes or layout, 85p wont break the bank The pot holds 6L of wood pellets, around 4.38kg.

 

[OldMarine]

Hmm..plumbing for the pyro craft. I love when I can use my trade to further my hobbies. I'd love to see pics of the finished product.

[Col]

I found a brass compression stop end in my toolbox so i can use that to cap off the inlet airflow without altering the ball valve setting. Might come in handy for sequential burns.. My mill jar closures (expanding pipe bungs),star pump sleeves (brass hose barbs) and rocket launching tubes (upvc overflow pipe) all came from plumbing shops.

I like to recycle wherever possible, the flue is just steel cans which can be stacked to increase the height of the chimney. I knocked up a cowl to keep the rain out using the base of an old flan tin and a few steel rivets

 

Edited November 21, 2015 by Col

[Col]

Here`s the removable baking tin parked upside down on the bottom of the stockpot. I put sixty 3mm holes in it, roughly equal to one 7/8" hole. Secondary air inlets consist of eight 12mm holes in the chimney and a 2mm airgap all around the lid where it meets the pot. Should be enough but i can easily increase it and/or drill a new can for the chimney base. Will try to fire it up for a test burn over the weekend.

 

So here`s the initial test run, no smoke and cowl works great. I have to wait until it cools off to see if i have charcoal or a pile of ash.

 

 

charcoal from the burn test, around 22.8% return by weight, 30% by volume. The pellets used for the test were canadian pine (no binder) with 4% moisture content.

Edited November 21, 2015 by Col