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Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Mon. Oct. 13, 2008 5:19 am
by oliver power
Sounds like you're going through what we all know as the learning curve. Most people who burn wood go through this when first trying to burning coal. People here will give you good advise. Wait till you finally get a coal fire going , and you can't keep it going around the clock. Once you get the hang of it , you'll think , How Simple.

Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Mon. Oct. 13, 2008 6:37 am
by Devil505
How are you making out Brin?

Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Thu. Oct. 16, 2008 8:39 am
by brin
Well, I keep trying.......have used all my kindling wood; have to scout up some more. No luck with coal yet. This caboose stove has a very small grate area, it seems to me. Very easy to block off the airflow from underneath, when I build a wood starter fire. Seeing that coal needs air from the bottom, I don't know how to allow that and still get a substantial bed of hot coals for the coal to be placed on.
I will keep checking back to this blog and see if I missed something........

Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Thu. Oct. 16, 2008 5:28 pm
by Razzler
Brin, Get your self a bag of matchlight cover the hole bottom of the stove with a good layer of it then put about three or four shovels of coal on top of it. Light the charcoal close the load door and leave the ash door open let it go for 15 minutes or so till you see some of the coal burning (Don't shake the grates poke or prod the fire) just put another three shovels on top close the load door and let it go for another 15 minutes or so. repeat till you have a fully loaded stove. If that dosen't work for you there maybe other problems with your stove. ;)

Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Thu. Oct. 16, 2008 6:57 pm
by Cap
Use a solid hardwood such as oak or ash for your starter fire. Good hot oak fire works every time.

Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Thu. Oct. 16, 2008 7:30 pm
by Devil505
This way will save some Matchlight for you:

I put about 10 Matchlight briquettes in a coffee can (with both sides cut open & pack coal around the can. Then remove the can & light the briquettes. But I found it much faster to add a little wood (very little) on top of the briquettes & then, when the wood is burning well, carefully add a little coal on top of the wood fire. (making sure not to smother the fire)
The briquettes alone don't burn hot enough to get the coal burning quickly so adding a bit of wood kindling speeds things up allot!

Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Thu. Oct. 16, 2008 10:18 pm
by coalmeister
Get yourself a coal mouse or better yet half a dozen, pile the coal around and over one, light it, close the door, you're good to go. It's that simple. The best $.05-1.00 you will ever spend

Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Thu. Oct. 16, 2008 10:28 pm
by rockwood
Brin,

I agree with Dallas and Ed.A. For this type of stove I would use a pipe damper to keep more heat in the stove once the fire's burning well.

Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Fri. Oct. 17, 2008 8:52 pm
by brin
Got a fire, finally. used 6 old bricquetts, with 2 ounces of kerosene, which the charcoal soaked up. lit that and layered with coal...........that did it.
oh, what are those mouse things?

Re: Can't Get a Fire!

Posted: Sun. Oct. 19, 2008 6:55 pm
by Ed.A
Got a fire, finally. used 6 old bricquetts, with 2 ounces of kerosene, which the charcoal soaked up. lit that and layered with coal...........that did it.
oh, what are those mouse things?
:clap: Glad to hear it, feels good don't it? I remember my first failures, and the people here came to my rescue...great bunch. The "Mice" are basically 2 x 1" little bricks of magnesium, burn like the dickens. I still (as in today ) use Charcoal, fired her right up.