Look What I Found...

In preparation for the upcoming snow, I broke open another one of those 100 lbs bags of egg/stove coal we got through "basement mining" last fall. The bags have a lot of dirt and fines in them so I need to sift the coal. About 1/2 way through the bag these nuggets fell out just missing my toes.

I think I'll put them in the middle of my coalbed and see how long they burn. Lisa

If that's anthracite, those are huge chunks! Multiply their size by about 3-4 times and I'd think I was looking at premium lump grade bituminous.

That is just Dinosaur sized nut. Everybody knows that

I suspect that those huge chunks will cause you more grief than they are worth if thrown into the stove whole.They would be better if broken into smaller pieces b4 throwing them in.
I remember burning huge chunks of un-splittable wood in the Outdoor wood burner,the huge chunk would only burn if we kept small pieces around it,which meant rolling it around at each tending to keep it on top of smaller pieces. Coal is not fond of being played with like that tho.

Since I've never seen bituminous coal this could very well be it but it sure looks like anthracite and it was in a bag that is clearly anthracite. The majority of the coal is much smaller, slightly bigger the egg coal and it burns very well - a slow, steady heat with no unburned coal, just very fine ash. Once I get it burning I'll let you know how it does.

I wish I knew where it was mined from but alas that's not to be. The elderly woman no longer remembered the source or the company who delivered it. That was 40 years ago.

I really liked how the larger coal burned in the Marks Brother's. The stoves require much less attention and burned at lower stove temperature all the while keeping the house a toasty 74*. We have one week of winter left and I still have about a ton of the coal to start me out in the fall. Yea!. Take care, Lisa

windyhill4.2 wrote:I suspect that those huge chunks will cause you more grief than they are worth if thrown into the stove whole.They would be better if broken into smaller pieces b4 throwing them in.
I remember burning huge chunks of un-splittable wood in the Outdoor wood burner,the huge chunk would only burn if we kept small pieces around it,which meant rolling it around at each tending to keep it on top of smaller pieces. Coal is not fond of being played with like that tho.

That crossed my mind, too. I may just keep them as a display. As long as they don't fall on my toes they can sit on the hearth for a while.

lowfog01 wrote:I may just keep them as a display. As long as they don't fall on my toes they can sit on the hearth for a while.

They will make a good conversation piece.

That's a handsome heat shield behind the stove. Can you tell me how it was constructed? I see there's a space at bottom for air circulation -- space behind it, too? What is the backing for the tile? (I assume it IS tile?) Is it built-in or removable?

It appears to be stamped metal, notice the seams every 4 squares?

coaledsweat wrote:It appears to be stamped metal, notice the seams every 4 squares?

Yup. Lisa just describes it in this thread.

Very Excited About Our Coal Stove - Thanks King Coal!

Neat idea for an old house like mine. Looks much better than just a plain sheet of metal. I've been wondering what would look "Victorian" enough for my living room base heater install. I think Lisa just gave me the answer.

Paul

rberq wrote:

lowfog01 wrote:I may just keep them as a display. As long as they don't fall on my toes they can sit on the hearth for a while.

They will make a good conversation piece.

That's a handsome heat shield behind the stove. Can you tell me how it was constructed? I see there's a space at bottom for air circulation -- space behind it, too? What is the backing for the tile? (I assume it IS tile?) Is it built-in or removable?

It's movable but it would be a pain. There are a lot of screws. DK designed it from ideas he got off the internet. It's made of 1 inch cement board covered with tin ceiling tiles.

The cement board is held from the wall by 2 inch metal nipples, creating a space through which the heat is dispersed. He recessed the screws so the tiles fit flat. Notice the shield doesn't go all the way to the floor; that's to maximize air flow. The sides and top are open, too. DK did bend the tiles to sort of cap the edges. The county code inspector barely glanced at it.

We lived with the cement board for over a year before deciding to go with the ceiling tiles. I also looking at skinny bricks that matched the hearth. The tin tile was easier to work with - no mortar - and comes in a variety of designs. It was also very affordable which was the driving factor. I painted it because the unpainted tiles created a glare.

Bottom line - it was easy, the material was less expensive and looked nice and the county blessed it so we could place the stove 18' from the wall. Lisa

A buddy of mine got this straight from a miner friend of ours. Just for reference, that coal is laying on a trailer with six inch boards. He was excited but I was a little concerned mostly that it would be uncontrollable.

Seems to work fine though.

Will someone fix my picture??

lowfog01 wrote:DK designed it from ideas he got off the internet. It's made of 1 inch cement board covered with tin ceiling tiles.

Very nice. I wanted to build something sort of like that, but all I could think to use was ceramic flooring tiles, and couldn't figure out how to mount them and manage the weight. Now I'm thinking of your tin ceiling tiles on a lightweight frame that could disappear into storage for the summer. Thanks.

rberq wrote:

lowfog01 wrote:DK designed it from ideas he got off the internet. It's made of 1 inch cement board covered with tin ceiling tiles.

Very nice. I wanted to build something sort of like that, but all I could think to use was ceramic flooring tiles, and couldn't figure out how to mount them and manage the weight. Now I'm thinking of your tin ceiling tiles on a lightweight frame that could disappear into storage for the summer. Thanks.

I wonder if the 1/4 inch cement board would pass the code inspection. It would be easier to handle, especially if you designed it to come apart in sections. Just a thought, Lisa

Mine is 1/2" I've seen to many 1/4 inch sheets get broken just from handling.

Varnish a big chunk of that and set it on an end table or something. That's what I'd be doin with it.