Good vid , we do this with a twist . I capture the wood gas to run a generator. When power goes out make charcoal and power for cabin. I have not perfected it yet , work in progress. When I get to a place where I can store . The pump for flammable gas is crazy expensive 😳. But I can run a lot of things then
Back in the 60's we had a neighbor who was always cooking char coal. Since then I have always had an interest. I toured the Kingsford plant in Southern Missouri.
Hello from Gilmer County (central WV) I recently watched some videos on making charcoal on another channel & just got a few barrels from my brother’s work, gonna give this a try.
Troy just a suggestion, leave the barrel whole and punch a hole in the sealed lid and put dirt around the bottom inch and stack wood around the barrel and wait for the smoke to turn to flames and then stop and you should have good biochar. Also thats a good build you did. Thanks for your awesome videos. I look forward to the videos every time you post. You have become one of my favorite channels. Charcoal needs to heat without air and a small vent to let gas out. You will have charcoal that sounds like glass when it hits one another
I built one similar to this. I sealed my 30 gallon drum but gas piped from near the top to underneath in a plus shaped form…drilled holes in the plus and it allows the flammable gasses from the wood to self heat and burn itself. Yes smaller and evenly works better. I stuff the sides and underneath and am able to get finished in one durn….I guess it depends on how wet the material is.
Wow dude! I just made charcoal today myself! Great minds think alike my friend. I use a simple easy method… I use 1 single 55gal barrel with lid and ring, then build my brush burn pile around and over it. So I get 2 jobs done at once… Barrel only got a screwed-in steel pipe for the various burn-offs that occur, no other holes…
We've found we can generate charcoal faster we we use smaller chunks of wood which translates to less effort in the "firing" process. Your design is very similar to ours. We really enjoy videos. Thank you.
Nice job! If you would split the wood that you're making charcoal out of, into smaller "chunks", it wouldn't take as long or use as much wood to cook the charcoal. You'd be surprised how much more efficient it is and you're able to get more wood into the charcoal chamber!
I haven't tried making activated charcoal capsules but imagine yours is the first step. I burn punky wood, bones and anything carbon based in mine. Then soak it in worm or rabbit teas for the garden. 🌱 Excellent results. -KJ
Great info here. As always, Troy. A friend of mine made charcoal "pencils" in my wood stove once. It worked great! And it's easy to size up if needed. Thanks
Definitely better than charcoal briquettes. I grew up in northeast WV, near a Kingsford plant. There is quite a bit of actual coal mixed in the briquettes. One would assume that they try to use "clean coal" but I imagine that they still get some funky impurities in there.
I follow a lot of cooking sites, especially in SE Asia. Many of those people use chunk charcoal to cook their meals, and it seems to burn much hotter than wood. It's also cleaner that wood alone. No smoke, only subdued flames.
Perhaps instead of cutting the legs shorter (due to to much heat loss under a cross wind) maybe you could make a sort of fire pit around it…. Stack rocks or chb about 16 or 24 inches tall around a large portion of the circumference about oh…say 10’ in diameter….?
Troy check some of the TH-cam videos on retort burners which is what you made for some ideas on an improved design. But a great idea and video as always👍
Several TH-cam video's on "Retort Charcoal Kilns". Also, I've been reading where some gardener's claim that adding carbon into their gardens massively improves the soil and the garden's output of vegetables. As a kid my father would always burn his spring/late winter fruit tree pruning in the family garden, and then plowing the ashes into the garden plot. After a few years that garden could really produce massive amounts of vegetables.
There a big difference between "ashes" and charcoal, which has been "loaded" with nutrients and life. Ashes are used to add minerals a bit and lower the ph, "bio-char" is to add carbon and microscopic spaces for water, nutrients and microscopic life to remain where you want it. Both can help, but do different things completely.
I used 2 55gal drums cut one down for the lower fire area. Stacked the full barrel on top confine the fire. Then used a hole saw on the bottom of the top barrel to cut vent holes in the upper barrel floor. Took my 30 gal put it upside down in the top 55 gal barrel.Drilled a vent hole in the 30 gal barrel. I could make a full charcoal run in 4 to 5 hrs or burn time. It sounded like a quiet rocket when the wood gas lit and burned off. the wood gas is the chimney area added to the heat in the charcoal can. Also makes it charcoal faster if you use smaller starting material size. I was making my own for black smithing forge
That's fantastic. You can also make BioChar that way. Great stuff for the garden. You'd want smaller pieces to break up but good stuff. Always better when you can make from Resources you have than to buy. Peace from Potomac Highlands of WV
Also biochar for gardens, cure all medicine for pigs, and can use for homemade black powder 😳💥. Been watching for a while because I'm a WV boy as well,lol. Own a place in Hampshire county but currently at mother's farm close to,uh, Spencer area. My bugout spot! Lol. Doing good job with content man!! 🍺🍺🤙🤙
Turn the 30 gallon barrel around. Opening in the bottom. You can put clamp back on loosely. Then the off gas will burn and heat and it is self warming.
Living web did one of these they just cut vents in the bottom of the 50 then filled around the the 30 tight lid on the 30 loose lid on the 50 it worked really well , I think it would take a lot less wood to get to the product
Great process! Could you save yourself some work by putting a pressure valve, with tubing, in the lid of your inner barrel? Then run copper tubing (insulated) into the bottom of the outer barrel, allowing the out-gassing to power the process of making charcoal. You would still need to supply some extra fuel, but it might cut the amount of extra wood needed to run the entire process. The only thing that you would need to look out for is to make sure the gas vapor cannot blow back into the small barrel...which means it could become a bomb....which would really make life more exciting!
You need to connect a pipe to the lid of the inner barrel and feed the gas, emitted by the wood down into the fire as additional fuel. Btw: From where did you buy these barrels? - Tried to find some and only RK was selling some for an arm and a leg…
put a few holes in the 30, the aromatics vent out easier, and they catch on fire and help heat the barrel themselves. Not too many, but the inner wood won't catch easily unless there is an actual spark, not just heat.
That would be a great way to rectilinear some of your sawmill off cuts. I don't think tulip tree would be good but if you're cutting some hardwood lumber you could take the slabs and very easily cut them down to make some charcoal. Also l, to help concentrate the fire close off 3 sides on your fire box. This will keep the wind from blowing your heat away and force more of the heat up your chimney increasing your efficiency. Downst need to be metal but a 6 or 8 cinder blocks lined up around the outside would work pretty good as a wind brake.
There is a youtube channel called "Big Family Homestead" that did videos a few years ago about making charcoal and then mixing it with "worm tea"(Wormcastings) that they use in their garden for fertilizer. If you want or maybe you already know about this process. Just a fyi so you know about that too since you are making the charcoal...
Get rid of the 55gal barrel. Simply get a fire burning then roll your 30 gal barrel directly into the fire. The faster you bring the char/wood up to temp, the faster your production, and less wood burned to get you there.
🤣 Me too! - You buy a poorly welded hay fork and the welds start to break, that small shovel breaks loose from the handle,… So far i could not justify the expense for a welder and the protection gear to the minister of treasure (aka wife), but i will buy a cheap welder from HBF sooner or later.
@@KevinSmith-gh5ze Good Point! - I will definitely check out all sources from the Bog-Box stores to the internet when it is time to buy a welder. For now i just need a good miter-saw… It never ends...)
How might it go if you cut your legs down to 3 inches, build up the same amount of wood you just used inside the drum and stand the inner drum in the top before you light it? You would only get one chance to light it. 😁
Seemed to be too large of chucks in the inner barrel, smaller cuts even twigs. Also, they usually add wood up on the sides, between barrels to quicken the process
I do this for Bio-char in an open angled pit & have to use different sizes dry woods, adding quickly. 3 hour burn, extinguish, & then harvest & smash 2-5 inches worth in a bucket with the top of a sledge. I also extinguish with a urine/clay/rain water slush to start charging sooner.
collect the hydrogen gas that is given off and run your generator off it to power the barn while your're down there to charge your batteries and for lights!.
Good vid , we do this with a twist . I capture the wood gas to run a generator. When power goes out make charcoal and power for cabin. I have not perfected it yet , work in progress. When I get to a place where I can store . The pump for flammable gas is crazy expensive 😳. But I can run a lot of things then
If you put some 1/4 inch holes in the bottom of the inner barrel you will use even less fuel on the out side burn
Back in the 60's we had a neighbor who was always cooking char coal.
Since then I have always had an interest.
I toured the Kingsford plant in Southern Missouri.
Oh my you made me belly laugh pulling that bag of charcoal out... Thanks!
Hello from Gilmer County (central WV) I recently watched some videos on making charcoal on another channel & just got a few barrels from my brother’s work, gonna give this a try.
You caused my wife a great laugh. I chuckled.
Bagged and everything! That is seriously funny stuff. Glad I watch this.
Troy just a suggestion, leave the barrel whole and punch a hole in the sealed lid and put dirt around the bottom inch and stack wood around the barrel and wait for the smoke to turn to flames and then stop and you should have good biochar. Also thats a good build you did. Thanks for your awesome videos. I look forward to the videos every time you post. You have become one of my favorite channels. Charcoal needs to heat without air and a small vent to let gas out. You will have charcoal that sounds like glass when it hits one another
I built one similar to this. I sealed my 30 gallon drum but gas piped from near the top to underneath in a plus shaped form…drilled holes in the plus and it allows the flammable gasses from the wood to self heat and burn itself. Yes smaller and evenly works better. I stuff the sides and underneath and am able to get finished in one durn….I guess it depends on how wet the material is.
Wow dude! I just made charcoal today myself! Great minds think alike my friend. I use a simple easy method… I use 1 single 55gal barrel with lid and ring, then build my brush burn pile around and over it. So I get 2 jobs done at once… Barrel only got a screwed-in steel pipe for the various burn-offs that occur, no other holes…
We've found we can generate charcoal faster we we use smaller chunks of wood which translates to less effort in the "firing" process. Your design is very similar to ours.
We really enjoy videos. Thank you.
That looks great! Even just baking outside with the dutch oven like you did last summer would be nice to have your own hardwood charcoal.
I cannot wait to see the results of new batch, this was great
Great video!! When you pulled that bag of charcoal out of the barrel my dad and I cracked up!! That was hilarious 😂😂😂
Great video! This really is the most satisfying way to make charcoal.
I was working on this project and then saw your video. I guess it is charcoal season!
Nice job! If you would split the wood that you're making charcoal out of, into smaller "chunks", it wouldn't take as long or use as much wood to cook the charcoal. You'd be surprised how much more efficient it is and you're able to get more wood into the charcoal chamber!
I haven't tried making activated charcoal capsules but imagine yours is the first step.
I burn punky wood, bones and anything carbon based in mine. Then soak it in worm or rabbit teas for the garden. 🌱 Excellent results. -KJ
Great info here. As always, Troy. A friend of mine made charcoal "pencils" in my wood stove once. It worked great! And it's easy to size up if needed. Thanks
Definitely better than charcoal briquettes. I grew up in northeast WV, near a Kingsford plant. There is quite a bit of actual coal mixed in the briquettes. One would assume that they try to use "clean coal" but I imagine that they still get some funky impurities in there.
I follow a lot of cooking sites, especially in SE Asia. Many of those people use chunk charcoal to cook their meals, and it seems to burn much hotter than wood. It's also cleaner that wood alone. No smoke, only subdued flames.
Perhaps instead of cutting the legs shorter (due to to much heat loss under a cross wind) maybe you could make a sort of fire pit around it…. Stack rocks or chb about 16 or 24 inches tall around a large portion of the circumference about oh…say 10’ in diameter….?
@@bobcriss600 or sink the legs into the ground a bit
Troy check some of the TH-cam videos on retort burners which is what you made for some ideas on an improved design. But a great idea and video as always👍
Several TH-cam video's on "Retort Charcoal Kilns". Also, I've been reading where some gardener's claim that adding carbon into their gardens massively improves the soil and the garden's output of vegetables. As a kid my father would always burn his spring/late winter fruit tree pruning in the family garden, and then plowing the ashes into the garden plot. After a few years that garden could really produce massive amounts of vegetables.
There a big difference between "ashes" and charcoal, which has been "loaded" with nutrients and life. Ashes are used to add minerals a bit and lower the ph, "bio-char" is to add carbon and microscopic spaces for water, nutrients and microscopic life to remain where you want it. Both can help, but do different things completely.
Great video. I need to build one of those wood cookers!
I used 2 55gal drums cut one down for the lower fire area. Stacked the full barrel on top confine the fire. Then used a hole saw on the bottom of the top barrel to cut vent holes in the upper barrel floor. Took my 30 gal put it upside down in the top 55 gal barrel.Drilled a vent hole in the 30 gal barrel. I could make a full charcoal run in 4 to 5 hrs or burn time. It sounded like a quiet rocket when the wood gas lit and burned off. the wood gas is the chimney area added to the heat in the charcoal can. Also makes it charcoal faster if you use smaller starting material size. I was making my own for black smithing forge
@ 7:08 that “mad scientist” laugh…. Perhaps a good name for that contraption would be Franenbarrel …
Beautiful!! Black Gold in my opinion. Stuff that sucker to the top and get cooking.
We use the proper hand, other people use the right hand!
Well that was interesting ,
Hahaha dang it Troy i love the humor but its cool creating your own charcoal
Hey, Troy maybe weld rings on the side of 30 gallon to hook lifting chains onto if it's heavy.
Use tractor to lift it out?
Great job!
Just like making char cloth for flint and steel fire starting.
That's fantastic. You can also make BioChar that way. Great stuff for the garden. You'd want smaller pieces to break up but good stuff. Always better when you can make from Resources you have than to buy. Peace from Potomac Highlands of WV
Also biochar for gardens, cure all medicine for pigs, and can use for homemade black powder 😳💥. Been watching for a while because I'm a WV boy as well,lol. Own a place in Hampshire county but currently at mother's farm close to,uh, Spencer area. My bugout spot! Lol. Doing good job with content man!! 🍺🍺🤙🤙
Turn the 30 gallon barrel around. Opening in the bottom. You can put clamp back on loosely. Then the off gas will burn and heat and it is self warming.
I think I would raise up the inner battel flush with the outer.
I've heard that Autumn Olive makes great charcoal. Might be able to get two birds stoned at once here.
Living web did one of these they just cut vents in the bottom of the 50 then filled around the the 30 tight lid on the 30 loose lid on the 50 it worked really well , I think it would take a lot less wood to get to the product
Great process! Could you save yourself some work by putting a pressure valve, with tubing, in the lid of your inner barrel? Then run copper tubing (insulated) into the bottom of the outer barrel, allowing the out-gassing to power the process of making charcoal. You would still need to supply some extra fuel, but it might cut the amount of extra wood needed to run the entire process. The only thing that you would need to look out for is to make sure the gas vapor cannot blow back into the small barrel...which means it could become a bomb....which would really make life more exciting!
Very Cool!!
Try a wind screen on 3 sides of fire to help direct flame better?
You need to connect a pipe to the lid of the inner barrel and feed the gas, emitted by the wood down into the fire as additional fuel.
Btw: From where did you buy these barrels? - Tried to find some and only RK was selling some for an arm and a leg…
Pretty good result , did you have any holes in the bottom of your retort ( inner barrel )
put a few holes in the 30, the aromatics vent out easier, and they catch on fire and help heat the barrel themselves. Not too many, but the inner wood won't catch easily unless there is an actual spark, not just heat.
4" cubes seem to be the ideal size/shape.
Genius. Does he own any red tools??
Sweet!
Looks fun
That would be a great way to rectilinear some of your sawmill off cuts. I don't think tulip tree would be good but if you're cutting some hardwood lumber you could take the slabs and very easily cut them down to make some charcoal.
Also l, to help concentrate the fire close off 3 sides on your fire box. This will keep the wind from blowing your heat away and force more of the heat up your chimney increasing your efficiency. Downst need to be metal but a 6 or 8 cinder blocks lined up around the outside would work pretty good as a wind brake.
There is a youtube channel called "Big Family Homestead" that did videos a few years ago about making charcoal and then mixing it with "worm tea"(Wormcastings) that they use in their garden for fertilizer. If you want or maybe you already know about this process. Just a fyi so you know about that too since you are making the charcoal...
Get rid of the 55gal barrel. Simply get a fire burning then roll your 30 gal barrel directly into the fire.
The faster you bring the char/wood up to temp, the faster your production, and less wood burned to get you there.
so is a wood shed down by the barn in your future? so that you're not as dependent on the weather to get a fire going quickly?
cut your split logs into 3-4" length and they dry much much faster.
I've got 4 of the 55 gallon drums, but for the life of me can't find any 35's.
Is it an eventuality that all homesteaders eventually become welders? I've been holding off for 3 years now...
🤣 Me too! - You buy a poorly welded hay fork and the welds start to break, that small shovel breaks loose from the handle,…
So far i could not justify the expense for a welder and the protection gear to the minister of treasure (aka wife), but i will buy a cheap welder from HBF sooner or later.
hmm. mechanic, farmer, animal husbandry, veterinarian, gardener, electrician, plumber, fabricator, lumberjack. I suppose welder fits in their too.
@@fjuedes there are some decent little stick welders on Amazon for around the same price as HF flux core machines.
@@KevinSmith-gh5ze Good Point! - I will definitely check out all sources from the Bog-Box stores to the internet when it is time to buy a welder. For now i just need a good miter-saw… It never ends...)
How much did you get from a 3/4 filled 30gal drum?
First run was about 3/4 of a 100# feed sack (potato sack)
How might it go if you cut your legs down to 3 inches, build up the same amount of wood you just used inside the drum and stand the inner drum in the top before you light it? You would only get one chance to light it. 😁
Why didn’t you get a third in Barrow that in sections and then cut it in half then bend it out to make a shield around the fire so block the wind
Does it matter which type of wood you use?
You want to use hardwood for the charcoal. Soft woods would not be ideal.
less wood for the burn pile
14:44 The logo on the saw bar looks like "IMDUM". Not the greatest marketing.
Foster Brooks, lmbo. I know that joke is lost on the younger generations.
Lots of energy to make something give off energy.
Seemed to be too large of chucks in the inner barrel, smaller cuts even twigs.
Also, they usually add wood up on the sides, between barrels to quicken the process
I do this for Bio-char in an open angled pit & have to use different sizes dry woods, adding quickly.
3 hour burn, extinguish, & then harvest & smash 2-5 inches worth in a bucket with the top of a sledge.
I also extinguish with a urine/clay/rain water slush to start charging sooner.
are you trying to catch a red hot molten metal spark in your boots with your pants legs tucked in ?
More smoking and cooking videos request!
Double barrel retort kiln by living webs farm youtube. 3 hours 30 gallon drum full of char.
collect the hydrogen gas that is given off and run your generator off it to power the barn while your're down there to charge your batteries and for lights!.
Comment
3 legged works best
Now go build a smoke house and use some oak to smoke
Where's the piggies lol
Dude. I just use wood to cook my burgers and steaks.
Would be much better to recut this video just showing how you do it rather than the endless posing for the camera.
Hey Troy, At the risk of sounding like a dummie, you aren't talking about the lump coal that is mined to fire your smoker, are you?
No, lump coal is made from burnt hardwood. Bituminous coal is mined from the ground and is used for power generation, forging, etc
This is not the way.
Sure it is