the village idiot

2:1 ratio on a hazel burn is a volume measurement. You would get very much the same with any species of wood seasoned to the same level. If I put freshly felled hazel (or any other species) into the retort the volume ratio would be closer to 3:1 and I would be emitting more steam than Skyhuck after a taxing day! I sell by volume now, but if I sold by weight and had all species available at the same cost, I would choose the densest species to convert to charcoal to maximise my weight ratio. I suppose it is likely that the 'heavier' woods would produce more emissions as there is more 'stuff' to burn off. This is fairly irrelevant with a retort as the vast majority of gasses are burnt off, whatever the species, making a retort much cleaner than other production methods given the same charge wood. Accurate emission measurements would be incredibly difficult to obtain, so I can't help you with that. I would imagine that they are comparable across all species. Embodied energy is a good point and well beyond my intellect. I would be interested to hear people's thoughts on this as it is something I hadn't considered. Agg221, Openspaceman, can you help?

Hi jaymo, Are you Tregothnan? I would love to come and see your setup at some point. Do you do visitors? (I will only ever be very small scale, so not a competitor)

Do they really! Presumably they are all returned once the vote's been counted?

Agreed. However, the tree hugging hippy in me is tempted to say that if our governing bodies and society in general were more sympathetic towards people looking for a simple, low impact existence, charcoal production would transform from a labour of love for the deranged into a nice little earner, with huge benefits for our woodlands and the global environment. End of ridiculously long sentence!

Not sure I understand the question Steve, but I'll give you an answer anyway:biggrin: Traditional ring kilns are reckoned to have an input to output ratio of around 7:1. My exeter retort is thought to have a ratio of around 4:1. It is hugely dependent on the moisture content of the wood, unfortunately I have never weighed the charge wood so can't give my opinion on this. In terms of volume, if I stack the charge chamber (1.7 cbmtrs) with hazel in the round, I reliably get about 0.9 cbmtrs of charcoal out. Giving a volume ratio of around 2:1. From memory there was never a day when I opened the ring kiln to find it 50-60% full of premium charcoal like I get with the retort. As you suggest, an insulated retort is certain to be dramatically more efficient in terms of heat retention and, due to the burning off of the wood gas, will be massively less polluting. Some people believe that charcoal burning in ring kilns and pits may well be outlawed before too much longer.

Are they standing up well to heavy duty use? I have not yet encountered an affordable non-warping kiln. I might have opted for the pressvess, but mobility was high up on my priority list. Where are you based?

Thanks Steve, That's interesting. I'll give Robin a bell.

Do they?? Tell me more!

Yup, sorry folks, been away for a while. A particularly virulent plague of the pointy hat brigade materialised on my woodland boundary. The battleaxe is away at the polishers, and the deer stalkers could only pick off a couple so I have had to resort to anti mystic fencing. The only metal inert enough to resist their meddlesome spells is gold, so I have been away mining under the Welsh mountains. I need 4 kilometers of fencing to surround the wood, and only managed to mine 6.5 grams of gold ore, so any donations gratefully received! But I digress! I do indeed have an Exeter retort in Suffolk that you would be very welcome to come and see (especially if you bring gold). I am very excited about the potential of biochar and firmly believe that before too much longer it will eclipse the price of BBQ charcoal. The regulations on production of commercial char are quite strict and you would need to be using a suitable kiln. Do come for a chat and a biscuit if you are ever venturing South. All the best, TVI

I'm with the gaffer on this one.

Quite so! But there's 'slightly bonkers' and then there's John Fish! I'll have an ask around the top fruit growers I know.

Yup, I'd second that. Mildly bonkers, but in a good way!

Guaranteed to bend your bar I would think.

Sement?

Superglue?

You'd think so wouldn't you, but Mothercare wouldn't have me?

Is there a dress code?

He could call it 'Jon-athon':thumbup:👻😸

Presumably Miles would like it back before too much longer?

If I was to gurn 'ard as I could, I still wouldn't be as ugly as blenny out of Motorhead. He was even less attractive than my bottom-potrusions.

If we were dace to dace I'd be tenchted to give you the fish finger!

Or grayling that, a fillet o fax.

If I believed in Cod I'd have to say it's a mackerel that we haven't been told to sling our hooks.

Sorry Steve, we're not doing it on porpoise.