Science Forums 2

[davidgmills]

In earlier threads I have discussed my numerous attempts at making charcoal and it turned out to be quite decent. What it taught me is that making your own gives you a real good sense of what kind of charcoal to buy when you actually find some to buy. I now buy mine at Lowe's -- a brand called Cowboy Charcoal. It seems like exceptionally fine charcoal, better even than I could make. My own attempts to make charcoal really make me appreciate it. It is made primarily from pieces of scrap lumber. Quite obvious many times that what I am looking at looks like trim molding. Probably most is pine.

But the problem has been how to pulverize it since this is lump charcoal and in good sized lumps, many being several inches in length by a half inch in depth and a couple inches in width.

Here is the aboriginal method I "discovered" to make small particles.

Quite simple. Take a flat rock. Take a rubber mallet. Put charcoal on rock and pound. Imagine an aboriginal with a wood mallet instead of a rubber one.

Would not recommend a metal hammer face at all because of the danger of a broken piece of rock flying.

Works very well for the small garden. Sat right in the middle of the garden and began pounding chunks of charcoal. Very efficient at pulverizing the charcoal. Good therapy as well. I didn't have a very large mallet face. No doubt a larger mallet head would speed the process up.

I also discovered that taking clods of dried clay and breaking them with the mallet on the rock makes for a pretty good mix.

About time to begin planting my garden here in Memphis.