Mini charcoal retort - Mk2

[Chris Sheppard]

If your anywhere near Bolton I could let you have a couple of barrels with lids.

 

Cheers John, Don't get out that way much but if it looks like I will be I'll let you know

 

Very cool, good effort!

 

I read something on the 'net from a chap who was insulating his retort or oil drum to keep things even more efficient....

 

Cheers

 

Insulation is one of the things I'd liek to incorporate but don't know what would be easiest to use. Wondered about that exhaust packing stuff?

[face cord]

Perlite?

[smiles]

are there any rigid sheets of insulation that would cope with the heat being generated do you reckon?

[Nick Watkins]

0.22 shows the installation used on this retort, looks like he's simply cut it to shape and then held it in place with a metal sheet.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s3yevC9cB8]Double barrel charcoal retort - YouTube[/ame]

[csservices]

Looks good. I was at CAT yesterday and they have a home made retort. Have you seen it?

 

The CAT one is an oil drum inside a big metal tank. But they have a pipe for the wood gas to escape and feed into the fire.

 

Does yours have any way for the gas to escape?

 

Customer of mine was explaining to me a way of doing that, pretty sure he said he had built one himself reckoned it was more efficent as a heat source and cleaner and leaves charcoal as a useable by product rather than having ash with a log burner, can't remember all the exact details he lost me as he gets very technical

[smiles]

0.22 shows the installation used on this retort, looks like he's simply cut it to shape and then held it in place with a metal sheet.

 

 

Cheers Nick - wonder what it is though,was kind of hoping that someone was going to say Celotex would be fine!

[Paul Smith]

You could cast a sheet using vermiculite and concrete.

[agg221]

It looks to me very much like rockwool slab. Given that when I bought it the sideplate of my Rayburn had been hot enough to crack it but the insulation was still fine it should hold up for this job I would have thought.

 

Alec

[Goaty]

To resurrect an older thread. Was any advancement made with anyones charcoal making? I hope to have ago this year whilst working in the woods. I plan on doing a bit of blacksmithing. Therefore would like to burn brash to cook charcoal. Retort style. I also plan on using an airline from compressor to a homemade old brakedrum forge.

 

I also have many other dreams yet to realise:001_rolleyes: I will post if I get that far.

 

Also are you still after barrels with lids Chris? If I come across any.

[Woodworks]

My homemade one is here http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/58378-thinking-having-crack-making-charcoal-3.html

 

It's great fun but not yet financially rewarding.