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My coal forge went from sluggish to roaring after one grate change
I fired my old rivet forge for three summers and always fought with poor airflow. Clinkers would build up and the coal would just smolder, no real heat. Last month I finally pulled the cast iron grate and found it was warped maybe an eighth of an inch. I swapped in a cheap steel replacement with wider bars, around $35 from the local supplier. The difference was night and day, the fire hit welding heat in about half the time. I also started adding a handful of wood ash to the fire bed before each session, it seems to keep the clinkers loose. Has anyone else tried that trick or found a better grate material for anthracite coal?
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david_adams7d ago
My buddy ran a similar setup in his shop for years and found his old grate had cracks you could barely see letting ash clog everything up. He switched to a heavier cast one and stopped fighting the fire every morning.
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lucas_price837d ago
Eh, I gotta disagree on the cast iron thing. That warped grate on mine was cast and it lasted three summers before it got bad, while the cheap steel one's been fine and it cost way less to replace. Spending more on heavy cast just means more money when it warps anyway.
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