Thread: Forging Perceived Value

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I was assuming I could sift out quite a bit of Charcoal from the wood stove all winter long...

Sure, why waste it? Charcoaling is essentially heating the wood to a temperature that out-gasses all the volatiles. Any wood that fell into the ash layer of a fire will be starved of oxygen and cooked by the heat in the stove forming charcoal.

I used to do the same thing and then take the charcoal fines and mix them into the garden compost. That made for some very good dirt that would hold nutrients and water quite well. See Terra Preta.

Originally Posted by Mike Blue

Sure, why waste it? Charcoaling is essentially heating the wood to a temperature that out-gasses all the volatiles. Any wood that fell into the ash layer of a fire will be starved of oxygen and cooked by the heat in the stove forming charcoal.

I used to do the same thing and then take the charcoal fines and mix them into the garden compost. That made for some very good dirt that would hold nutrients and water quite well. See Terra Preta.

that is exactly where the Ash and Charcoal hod has been dumped for all these years, I think from now on I will sift out the larger stuff

I actually have a screen sieve box that will work perfectly for this