That’s awesome, but a ton of work.
If you just take an unmodified open top drum and tip it at an angle it will also burn without smoke.
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And your’s technique ChuckW. is to preserve the wood carbons as recoverable charcoal
Regards
Steve Unruh
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I’ve been thinking about that Chuck. I looked up your videos but the only one I saw was doing apple branches. I’m not really concerned with smoke. Is the tilted barrel more efficient than use cooking hardwood in a open top barrel. I pump air from a leaf blower into the bottom of the barrel to get it all burning real well and starting from full and adding more, probably as much as the original barrel full I end up with about half a barrel of good char.
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Tilted barrel is basically the Flame Cap method. Burning wood on top keeps oxygen from burning up the just made coals. Keep topping it off until it’s good and full then cap/snuff it out.
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Made another charcoal batch in a TLUD again. I think this is the best way for me. I cant get the hookway or the system with a barrel in barrel, hot enough to make charcoal. What do you guys on the dark side prefer?
Btw, system Leitinger is to big for me…55 gallon is super.
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I’ve really been enjoying Matt’s way to make charcoal. You aren’t stuck with doing single batches as long as you have enough catch containers. His website has in depth pictures showing how he makes them.
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Here is the tutorial of the kit I offer. Just look at how its made and make your own version. Could but it on stilts and place a shield around it.
This weekend I played with putting chips in it. That is the way to go!! You fill it with slat wood or what ever about 1/3 the way up and then fill it the rest of the way with chips. Put few large pieces on top. Then just let it go once the larger pieces are consumed and fall through the grate the chips start processing and just fall through. Then those pieces on top get going so you can add an another layer and keep going.
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Yes, of course. I should make my self clear. No smoke is the first, second is batch wise. Lite it and come back when it is done. Or even better, is is self shutting down like the barrel in barrel.
I have to fill my Atmos boiler three times a day and it isn’t winter yet. How nice would it be to start a batch, go to work and have charcoal in the evening? And if this system is coupled to the house, that is warm too, without burning the house.
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That is the goal and something Im working on. Then you have no losses. All we really have to do is make any existing wood burning technology produce charcoal before it can fully burn to ash. Just some type of grate system to allow the fuel to be harvested and then a means of getting it out. (auger)
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Matt, it works more then ok for you, You use the wasted heat for your shop. I leave the place and can’t refill.
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No not this stove its outdoor use only that was only an experiment. Im working on other tech for inside heating
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I use a giant TLUD for pyrolyzing classified hardwood chips. TLUD likes classified, uniform feedstock for optimum performance. Top Lit Up Draft or Totally Likes Uniform Dimension feedstock.
I believe my Kiln/Retort (Charcoal Making Anecdotes posts 101-104) is the best for random sized feed stock. Since wood out-gasses up to 10X through the end grain, shorter pieces pyrolyze/carbonize much better than long pieces. Next to feedstock preparation, using a variable speed fan is the most helpful for startup and smoke control.
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Haha, looking in this thread instead of the Anecdotes. Thanks, found it. I will try it. Will it be better then a TLUD? Best results with that so far. Barrel in barrel or Hookway didnt go to well.
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Don’t forget to look at the posts further down in Anecdotes where Eddy does a better sketch and a more detailed explanation of my kiln/retort. I have also used a section of 55 gallon drum underneath as a firebox with good results. That setup is easier to close up for cooling since i don’t have to take it off blocks.
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Decided to make some of these red oak chunks into charcoal. They had been bagged and stored in my carpentry shop for a few weeks now. Good God I had enough steam to power a traction engine. I was afraid of having the fire department called on me. Pure white thick smoke coming out of the retort. I removed the tripod legs and instead opted to prop the retort over a 55 gallon catch barrel with an 1.5" gap between to let air flow upwards. I may need to open up the air holes to entice faster afterburning because when I cap the top like Matt does it doesn’t force the pyrolysis gasses to burn between the inner and outer walls.
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Dealing with the initial moisture is a BIG deal that must be addressed in any effective charcoal making process. I remember the shock it gave me to realize how much water is stored in cordwood that has air dried to15-20% moisture.
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Hey Cody just go out and buy some smoked meat and have it out on the table when the fire department shows up. They will know you like smoked meat. Not that you are smoking any meat. My retort can actually smoke meat the way I set it up. It is about time to start smoking some meat now that it has cool down.
Bob
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Matt’s design is awesome for dry wood. Great if you have loads to do and is relatively dry. I might try to make an afterburner with a door so I can just throw my buckets in. Works very rapidly without the lid. Need to build a true bottom for it so I can put in catch buckets to throw into a cooling barrel.
I think for this firewood dry oak I’ll just go for Flame Cap method. Split it up into long slivers.
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Keeping my eye out for one of those good oblong shaped heater oil tanks. Plan to use it as the firebox for a charcoal retort. Sorta like the Charcoal Charlie found on YouTube. Cut a hole to fit a 55 gallon drum but not weld it into place so I can change it out when the barrel eventually rots away. In his latest changes to the Charcoal Charlie he did away with his pyrolysis gas return line and instead drilled 4 1/2" holes inside the wood chamber that he covers with angle iron to prevent ash plugging.
https://youtu.be/v18o_xe7hfA
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Minus the internal chimney it’s not far off of @KristijanL Kursk. Smaller batch size yes but that gives me ideas for a few of the oil drums I have laying around, IV got 4 of them. Hmmm…wood chunker first, need to keep the beast fed. Then charcoal for a @Bobmac rocket fuel mix. Just had a apple tree giving to me, would make some great feedstock
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