Burning Bit in a Base Burner?

fig wrote:That sounds like some kind of racket. It's around $90 a ton here isn't it?

I think someone said in one of the other threads you visited, that 90 was the price in indiana or illinois. But that would depend on what type of Bit coal you purchased. Kentucky lump will be more.
I'm paying 85 per ton, and they said it was Pittsburgh Coal.

fig wrote:That sounds like some kind of racket. It's around $90 a ton here isn't it?

Not blacksmith coal, their requirements are unique. Blacksmiths, most, will gladly pay the premium to get the qualities they desire.

Sunny Boy wrote: I'm guessing it's a matter of degree of volatiles volume changes the level of risk.

Getting a fire really hot before adding more coal is exactly what some anthracite users have learned works best to get a faster recovery. So, is it quicker recovery ? Or ....QUICK, take cover.

Paul

I just noticed this.

No, it's not Quick, take cover. It's that the burn characteristics are different between the two coals, so they must be treated a little differently. Anthracite is a very hard coal, slower to light, with less volatiles. Bituminous is a soft coal, faster to light, with more volatiles. This is why you don't want (or need) a really hot bed of coals when using Bit.
Even with Anthracite, I've noticed you guys telling others to let a small spot burning when adding coal, so as to avoid a puffback. It is the same with Bituminous coal, and I'll even say it may be more critical that this advice be followed.

I hope this made sense.

Was doing some reading on this old thread...

...and I read that the Florence Hot Blast stoves and the Radiant Home Hot Blasts were specifically designed for burning bituminous coal and were the best for burning this type of coal.

I'm planning on burning anthracite and have my sites set on getting a Glenwood. However, having read the quote below...

SWPaDon wrote: ...there are baseburners out there that are strictly for anthracite, I've seen a lot of them here on the forum that are marked as such.

...I was wondering what the best stoves for anthracite are, besides the Glenwood's, since I'm new to these antique stoves.

Crawford, Stewart, Magee & Kineo all made top notch examples.

Hoytman wrote:Was doing some reading on this old thread...

...and I read that the Florence Hot Blast stoves and the Radiant Home Hot Blasts were specifically designed for burning bituminous coal and were the best for burning this type of coal.

I'm planning on burning anthracite and have my sites set on getting a Glenwood. However, having read the quote below...

SWPaDon wrote: ...there are baseburners out there that are strictly for anthracite, I've seen a lot of them here on the forum that are marked as such.

...I was wondering what the best stoves for anthracite are, besides the Glenwood's, since I'm new to these antique stoves.

I don't know much about Anthracite , but the word on here is something like this is about the best there is:
Restoring My Wehrle 112 Acme Sunburst Baseburner

Radiant stoves are certainly beautiful but I would never want one to use like a cylinder type baseburner. Too much mica to clean and too much worry about the very fragile "window frames".
This does not mean that I'm not keeping my eye out for the right deal though

scalabro wrote:Radiant stoves are certainly beautiful but I would never want one to use like a cylinder type baseburner. Too much mica to clean and too much worry about the very fragile "window frames".
This does not mean that I'm not keeping my eye out for the right deal though

He asked for the best anthracite only stove, so I had no choice but to let him know about the these. They are beautiful

I'm with ya Don! I'd just hate to have to keep after and replace all that mica $$$

scalabro wrote:I'm with ya Don! I'd just hate to have to keep after and replace all that mica $$$

Aw hell. You would do it in a heartbeat just to have one of those........who ya kiddin

SWPaDon wrote:

scalabro wrote:Radiant stoves are certainly beautiful but I would never want one to use like a cylinder type baseburner. Too much mica to clean and too much worry about the very fragile "window frames".
This does not mean that I'm not keeping my eye out for the right deal though

He asked for the best anthracite only stove, so I had no choice but to let him know about the these. They are beautiful

Don,
Thanks so much for posting the link to that thread. I've been reading a lot here lately and hadn't yet ran across that one. I read the entire thread and it's exactly the type of thread I've been looking for...someone willing to share information...and boy there was plenty of it.

Yes, that thread was very thorough. Right down to where he used piston rings from an engine as welding rods.

I already posted this in another forum but I believe it would be better in the

Bit Forum. The pictures are in the hand fired forum under HOTBLAST.

I have a European bottom combustion boiler that can burn just about any coal.

You load it from the front top door and the coal falls down and only burns on the

bottom,above the grate,and the ash falls to the grate.Combustion air comes from

underneath the grate and goes up to the top and the smoke it produces has to go

back through the the hot coals and combust nearly completely with the secondary

air admitted in the side port. When I show a picture of a blue flame from any coal

Bit or Anthracite I am looking into the secondary air inlet. This works similar to a

wood gasification boiler only with a single chamber for all combustion.

It will burn any wood or coal in the same manner. When you open the upper front

door all you see is raw coal,unless the coal is down all the way, you can actually

handle the coal it is warm but not hot,because only coal at the interface of the ash

and raw coal are burning.This small burning area is where the gases and smoke all

burn up and produce a lot of heat with the hot gases and air coming up and down

with extra secondary to get the blue CO flame. I get very little soot because everything

burns up even the carbon will produce a blue flame at high temperatures.It is best to

keep plenty of coal in the boiler because that keeps the process smooth and does not

disturb the combustion.

BigBarney

And here is that post from the other thread...complete with pictures:

Hotblast Year 3

Lightning:

I'm answering your question in this forum to elaborate more.

Side view of boiler shows the essential parts to make this a

Bottom burning Boiler.

The smoke and heat get the combustion air from beneath the grate

and move up into chamber #7 and mix with the excess air and are drawn down

to the bottom outlet and more secondary air is added through #23 to finish

the combustion.The gases coming down are hot so this air/CO mixture

really burns hot and takes care of the volatiles and smoke and goes into the heat

exchanger section. The port #23 is where I take the pictures of the burning flame

is burning coal that supplies the heat for this burn. All the burning components

have to go through the hot bed of glowing coal, where they are combusted to

ash. I get very little soot because of the complete combustion.If you burn wood

the moisture and creosote go the same way and some will collect in the upper

part of chamber #7,and eventually be drawn down through the glowing bed.

When burning coal the chamber is divided by the ash section,glowing layer and

the unburned coal at the top being warmed by the hot gases flowing up, and only

a small amount is burning at any one time depending on the primary air setting.

BigBarney