Charcoal production

[Ian Leach]

The thing is the price of timber has gone up but the price of charcoal hasn't so at the moment firewood is a better return. If you start small and see what you think, the least you have to spend eg timber, time moving, the more profit try selling it local and advertising it as british charcoal. Most people think because the bag weights more there getting more charcoal thats not the case there more water in it. The charcoal that we do is ready to cook on in 10-15mins, don't need the fire lighters just a bit of paper to light. There is charcoal pencils you can make too for artists. Have ago it's fun what you got to loose.

Here's abit of reading too

Charcoal information.doc

[cousin jack]

Saw Sick Steve says, "I'd like to think that with a quality, home produced, eco-friendly product people would be prepared to pay a bit extra, like with logs - but we all know how fickle the Great British Public can be.

 

You bin drinking ?

[Ian Leach]

Me drink never:001_tt2:

 

It's a sad world we live in people prefere to buy the crap from abroad no matter how much damage it's doing they pay workers crap money and living conditions are crap. Firewood is worth more It heats peoples houses not many barbys due to the lovely weather we have. People will always be fighting over imported rubbish. We charge about £7 per bag but you can go to the local garage and get it for 3-4 It's hard to convert people unless you give it away for free first.

[Darren]

I use a oil drum, wrap rockwool or loft insulation with wire it makes it 20% more efficient. Five, inch wide holes in the base.

 

Deep bed of sand and 4 bricks underneath the oil drum so when you shut off it's air tight.

 

Load the oil drum half way fill the other half with kindling and newspaper and light. When the fire is raging fill the other half with wood. After about a hour or so ( depends on wood,wind and moisture). After a hour use a sheet of steel on top with a gap to let out smoke. Fill gaps with sand around the bottom where the brick are leaving a 6 inch gap to let the air draw up. When the smoke starts to turn blue pull bricks out so that it sits on the sand. Shut lid, the tar will seal the lid which stops the smoke coming out. Put bricks on lid. Takes about 3 hours to cool down , I leave it over night.

 

Takes about 3 too 5 hours till shut down. Use welding gloves.

 

Got it right after a couple of turns.

[csservices]

I use a 45 gallon drum, burn anything thats too small for logs and light it with the splinters and bark that come off from cutting logs a full drum will yield a feed bag full of charcoal and I can get £15 a bag for that but as it takes 6 hrs for a burn its not going to pay well I just do it as a way of using up hardwood waste