Coalpail.com Forum

The nail that holds my coal bin hatch up dissapeared. The door stayed up so I didn't notice it missing. It probably ended up in the stove. What's the chances of it melting? Stove is barely burning right now with the warm temperatures.

I had what was left of a Clark .32 pistol, real junk, even worse than when it was new. I didnt want anyone to ever try to shoot it again and realize I could have smashed it and junked it but thats no fun. So I threw it in my coal stove. Did a lot of popping and sizzling, whatever metals it was made of, but yes it melted.

Was that an alloy?

The melting point of low carbon steel is about 2500 Deg F. Which is what I believe common nails are made of.

And is a main reason why Olaf Scholz of Germany tore down a wind farm, that was built on an abandoned coal mine & reactivated the coal mine. Seemed wind & solar just wasn't up to the task of the industrial requirements of German production.
So, yes it takes a lot of heat to melt a nail.

Jim

I wouldn't risk that, get a magnet.

I'm letting the stove go out soon. If the grate jams I'll know what it is. Mean while I've been watching every shovel full. A magnet is a good idea.

nut wrote: ↑Sun. Apr. 21, 2024 11:40 am Was that an alloy?

Likely cheap chrome over cheap steel. maybe some nickel too.

A metal detector might find it if still in the bin too.

Richard S. wrote: ↑Sun. Apr. 21, 2024 11:55 am I wouldn't risk that, get a magnet.

The heat is likely to demagnetize the magnet before it ever finds the nail.

The heat melts the pyrite iron that is in some coal. If you burn nut or larger size coal you'll sometimes see it melted and fused in with chucks of ash.

I've thrown in scrap wood with nails in the coal stove and never found a nail in the coal ash, but I have found nails in ash from just a wood fire.

Paul

Sunny Boy wrote: ↑Mon. Apr. 22, 2024 2:57 pm The heat is likely to demagnetize the magnet before it ever finds the nail.

I wasn't suggesting to put it in the heat. Use it around the coal, ash inside the stove (after it's gone out) or wherever it may possibly be.

Richard S. wrote: ↑Tue. Apr. 23, 2024 6:07 am I wasn't suggesting to put it in the heat. Use it around the coal, ash inside the stove (after it's gone out) or wherever it may possibly be.

If the magnet can't, a tire can always find it.

Paul

Sunny Boy wrote: ↑Tue. Apr. 23, 2024 5:23 pm

If the magnet can't, a tire can always find it.

Paul

Ain't that uncanny?

nut wrote: ↑Tue. Apr. 23, 2024 6:08 pm Ain't that uncanny?

It's not all tires. It's just that some are special because they are good at finding a nail. The other tires are just too lazy.

Paul

So far no sign of it. I'm leaning towards it melted. After all I found plenty of melted iron in the Blaschak I used to burn.