Poker

My poker is a rear brake rod for a '87-'12 Yamaha TW200. Works great! All the threads have worn off & it's become tapered from the 2 years of poking. I just need to weld a 3" piece of round metal to the end in order to get a better grip on it.

SMITTY wrote:My poker is a rear brake rod for a '87-'12 Yamaha TW200. Works great! All the threads have worn off & it's become tapered from the 2 years of poking. I just need to weld a 3" piece of round metal to the end in order to get a better grip on it.

Dude, that recycling at its best! Your Mass neighbors will be proud o you!

coalkirk wrote:Does anyone besides me use a poker to condense the ash in their stoker ash pans? I do it through the combustion door. The ash builds up but has a lot of dead air space. So once a day I use the poker to tamp it down. Works great.

Definately Kirk, I have found that certain coal does it more then aothers but all of it, at high temps will start to do just as you describe. After I have added a couple scoops and my fire is back and strong, I will poke before the shake down. I can see it move (collapse) when I do. Usually just the middle of the pot will do but on occasion I've had some sidewinders where the ash has stuck to the side and grown a tumor. One every other day seems to work for my cylinder stove. This morning, when I came down, the stove had been running at 600 all yesterday. I looked in and the pot was white and ashy and small even though the termo still read 600. I "Tebowed" in fron of the stove and gently added two scoops with everything wide open. When those caught I added another big scoop and waited again. At this time the pot looks heaped full. Then I shook it down and poked it! After that, the pot looked like it only had 3 scoops of coal burning in it cause thats all it did have. Never poke those fused ashes down till you've added fresh coal and let it get burning hot! Not only saved myself from losing a fire, but actually had hardly any recovery time!
The Glenwood in the kitchen never does this. I think its just the shape or size of the box and the bar grates that shake pretty hard that prevents it.

I just throw a cat into the stove ... it usually cleans it out before it gets "tired"

Here is my homemade poker. I poke from under the grate of my Hitzer 30-95 after every shake. I try to floss the teeth that don't show any light. Keeps the fire burning over the entire stove . Doesn't take much work , just need to get down low, poke up and dig a little. I made this poker from a 30 " 5/16 rod from a filing cabinet file support. Just bent it in a vise. I had an old tool handle laying around , so I just cut off about 4 " , drilled a hole smaller than 5/16 and pounded it onto the end. Primitive but effective, just like me.

The early style "wire handled" pokers - that match the cover lifer handles of my Glenwoods - I've been finding are about 18 inch long. Seemed rather short, so I made a longer poker to use when I get my #6 base heater installed. Plus, my Modern Oak 118 grates need an even longer reach to the rear of the grates.

Here's the thread about making one in stainless steel rather then having it nickel plated.

Post by Sunny Boy - Stove Tools - Off Season Projects

Took a while to repeatedly heat, hammer, and form the mushroom head end that retains the wire coil handle. However, at 24 inches long, it's worked out so well for reaching the back corners of the kitchen range firebox that I'll have to make another for the #6.

Paul

Smokeyja wrote: Here are just a few of mine:

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These would be fantastic to show to your teenage daughter's new boyfriend.

Tell him they're your pig gutting tools.
While showing the stove of course.

Ask him:
"Kin yew jist imagine this thang atwisting out yer innards jist like spaghettis?
"This thang burn bone straight to dust, boy. Yew look pale, boy."