Crushing Coal?

[Madman]

I like Greg's idea of using a vice or maybe something of a similar nature. It's kind of like a controlled explosion.....

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I would have put it in a burlap or canvas bag... the key again is that the vise jaws will not "follow through" once they crack the lump like a walnut.

Using a hammer, you cannot stop the "follow through", which normally causes more crushing and finer shards than is desired.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking with it, ha ha!

Greg

 

[David Palmeter]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I tried several but this Virginia USA coal was only about another week from being compressed into diamonds when it was mined. As mentioned earlier, hitting it hard enough to break it made a mess.

So I wandered though our local chain giant 'Hobby Lobby" (mostly crafts for the ladies) and found the suggested canvas pouch for less than a quid. (Note the coal bucket in the background; I did more damage to bucket than I did to the 1000 carat coal lumps.)


Starting with a full lump, I went through several squeeze cycles:



I then sorted the chunks though a 4" diameter 'training' sieve (from Amazon, about 5 quid, they called it a 'training sieve' because of the large number of complaints bout the 'uselessly small size'). I had to put an finely crafted extension on the sides to keep the coal in the sieve during vigorous shaking:


The result was three grades -
Fines - engine house ballast
Medium - a little small but useable
Larger - a bit larger than ideal but still useable:


By the time I crushed the coal shown above plus one more round, the bag became divinely holy. Since all my tenders have a platform for the coal, I have a decent supply for the time being. Maybe I will lay on a few more canvas bags while they are available, a buck twenty-nine plus 7% tax fits the coal crushing budget - and I end up with genuine 1:24 scale Chesapeake and Ohio coal!

Thanks again.....

 

[phils2um]

A smashing good job!

 

[Greg Elmassian]

There's still a lot of abuse that bag can take, and at that price, I think you have a viable method.

Greg

 

[justme igor]

Old topic i am aware, but nobody thought of a "arbore press"?
I think you can control it a bit more, without the need of a bag?
Use your hand as a sort of mortar to prevent the chips flying away?

I forgot that we have a forging smith in the village, so i obtained some coal from him.
Sometimes he is working for me for my chisels of my jack hammer to get them back in shape.




This was with the coal of the smith.



Above the ruler is the coal, below the ruler on the right side is some char coal for the bbq, on the left the active coal from a air filter.

Both coal where very easy to crush and no "explosion" force.
The active coal i will skip, i don't like the cylindrical shape.

I think for decoration as cargo i will go with the charcoal.
For fuel the coal afcourse.
I must admit this was way easier than i thought it would be.

To shift (for decoration) to size i think a mash of 1x1 mm (musqito net) and smaller will be out, and below 5x5 mm will stay.
Thank you David


With best regards, Igor

 

[LGB-Sid]

Old school here, I just sit outside with lump in plastic bag and hit with said hammer to achieve desired reduce lump size As I bought a bag of barbecue coal about 10 kgs it will last my life time so different sizes wasn't a problem as I just use the lumps the size I like.

Do not try this in the House

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Igor, actually the press does not control more than a vise, but more than a hammer.

With the vise, while tightening, when a chunk breaks, the vise only closes a fraction more, since it is controlled by the screw thread.

But with the press, you are continually pressing down, and when it releases, you continue pressing with the same force until your human reactions release.

So, that was the theory where the "cracking" process stops automatically once the chunk cracks.

The press is similar to the hammer, as a human, you cannot remove force in microseconds.

Greg

 

[Rhinochugger]

Lump hammer and a couple of polythene bags does me, but you need to be able to collect the bits that escape from the holes that soon form in the bags.

For the sort of quantities that we indulge in, unless you're looking to fill a train load of bethgons, it doesn't really matter how unscientific you are.

If you look at the footplate of many locos, not all loco coal is graded, and it certainly isn't on my railroad

 

[justme igor]

Igor, actually the press does not control more than a vise, but more than a hammer.

I have all three in all different shapes and sizes, presses vices and hammers..up to a 50 ton press, a 50 kilo vice and up to a 15 kilo sledge hammer.
The smallest i have is a 100 kilo press 0.5 kilo vice and a 50 grams hammer(0.050 kilo)
In pounds you must double the numbers? right? in the imperial system i must calculate, i will do this tomorrow for you.

In my experience i find more comfort in the arbour press of "500 kilo" pressing force then i would have with a vice.
As a carpenter i can control my blow with my hammer pretty good, but the chunks are not equal in hardness.
Btw Estwing, us of a, the best hammers that money can buy.

With best regards Igor

 

[justme igor]

f you look at the footplate of many locos, not all loco coal is graded, and it certainly isn't on my railroad

As long as it looks good and has a "look a like" to the real thing

 

[Greg Elmassian]

First used Estwing when I was 5 years old.

 

[justme igor]

I have 2 simulair designs of that one, one is more for scaffolding work(brand Stanley), the other one is more for stone cutting(brand Estwing, i have the lighter one).

The one with a broken claw is almost 30 years of age and abused in the concrete construction for almost 15 years....wtf you mean quality....
The "new" one i have for 15 years for "normal" carpeting, yes both are the "extended versions" try Estwing one time and you are done...
My first estwing i don't have anymore, was stolen, i will see him again, i am still waiting.





With best regards Igor

 

[Rhinochugger]

First used Estwing when I was 5 years old.

That's more like a slater's hammer - the pointed end for making the hole, and the flat end for hammering the nail

 

[justme igor]

That's more like a slater's hammer

Roofing tiles? and thin marble (ect) tiles? right?
Or am i completely wrong?

I thought the hammer that Greg and i were talking about was more for stone and ore research?

 

[Rhinochugger]

Roofing tiles?

I thought the hammer that Greg and i were talking about was more for stone and ore research?

Yes, but only slate roof tiles, as they do not come with the holes ready made.

I forgot about an archaeologist's hammer - yep

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Yes, collecting rock specimens, a "rock hound" is the vernacular here in the US.

Many beautiful specimens to be found.

 

[dunnyrail]

In pounds you must double the numbers? right? in the imperial system i must calculate, i will do this tomorrow for you.



With best regards Igor

That is pretty close, I tend to think of a Kilo bag of sugar in UK as being about the size of the 2lb bag we used to get before we were force fed Kilos etc. Trouble is my mind still thinks Pounds, Ounces and Tons plus Pounds, Shillings and Pennies.

If someone were to ask my weight in Kilos I would not have a clue without doing the Pound to Kilo thing then I would get confused trying to remember how many pounds to a stone as I always got that confused with Ounces to the Pound so any calculation in the head would be well out.

Oh since you asked I am 11 stone. I know you did not but now you know.

 

[Paul M]

Oh since you asked I am 11 stone. I know you did not but now you know.

Why do we always say 11 stone, when it should be 11 stones?

 

[Northsider]

Why do we always say 11 stone, when it should be 11 stones?

I don't know the answer to that, but I do like the story that they are derived from Chedworth Buns: Fossils used to weigh butter

And, pedant that I am, Igor's coal will be coke, I think: coal has too much sulphur in it for forgework.