| Black Mountain
Charcoal |
Charcoal Kiln |
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To make charcoal, the collier levelled a circular area (hearth)
and covered it with slabs of wood and bark. A chimney flue was
erected using either poles or stacked logs. Then the cordwood
was stacked around the flue. The woodpile was then covered with
dirt and wet leaves, and then set afire.
By controlling the airflow, charcoaling (destructive distillation)
took place and the wood was converted to almost pure carbon.
As the pile smouldered, it reduced in volume. The collier would
walk over the pile several times a day to tamp it down and close
air leaks that would cause the wood to burn up completely.
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Charcoal
Hearth (llustration ©American Iron, 1607-1900) |
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Charcoal Production is due to commence at Red Pig Farm in
November 2009
All enquiries to: colliers@redpigfarm.co.uk
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