How to crush, grind, pulverise charcoal

[Michaelangelica]

mathuranatha sent me this private email. Unfortunately I am unable to reply to him
So does anyone have some suggestions?

[Flapjack]

I had the problem of crushing charcoal. Firstly I reduce the size by hammer and then I live in hope that my wife does not want to use the coffee grinder.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Flapjack

I had the problem of crushing charcoal. Firstly I reduce the size by hammer and then I live in hope that my wife does not want to use the coffee grinder.

i used a mortar & pestle; it's effective , but only suitable for small amounts. in mulling this over, i think for any large scale crushing the best method is to use large rollers. even smooth rollers should work, and once the limiting size(gap between rollers) is set, then you ought to get varying sizes from the limit on down.

so what existing machine might work? machine for rolling oats? ore grinders? gotta be sumfin'!

ps note to self: next anniversary gift ...>>> coffee grinder! yeah...that's the ticket.

[Philip Small]

Originally Posted by Turtle

... grinders? ...

I am progressing through larger and larger mortars and pestles. My current pestle is a small oak trunk section 3" x 6'. My mortar is a 2'x1.5' wide plastic bin with a plywood floor insert. Good for coarse crushing a cubic foot or two of charcoal at a time. For producing 50:50 fines:gravel size, it works well, but not quickly.

A soil laboratory sized hammer mill would be my first candidate for transitioning from the human-powered pestle approach, especially if a mostly fines product is the goal. Hammer mills come in many shapes and sizes. Considering the $$, it would be nice to come across a used one.

[erics2112]

How well would a 55-gal drum attached to a water-wheel axle and having 6-10 rocks (2-5 kg) work? Would the tumbling action be enough to grind the charcoal?

[Flapjack]

Originally Posted by erics2112

How well would a 55-gal drum attached to a water-wheel axle and having 6-10 rocks (2-5 kg) work? Would the tumbling action be enough to grind the charcoal?

I suppose it would but the problem would be where to put a 45 gal drum. The garden/yard is full of plants. I am a plantsman and not a gardener

[Flapjack]

Originally Posted by Flapjack

I suppose it would but the problem would be where to put a 45 gal drum. The garden/yard is full of plants. I am a plantsman and not a gardener

Another thought is that we are totally smokeless and my chequebook can't take it

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by erics2112

How well would a 55-gal drum attached to a water-wheel axle and having 6-10 rocks (2-5 kg) work? Would the tumbling action be enough to grind the charcoal?

what a totally unique & most-excellent idea erics! while it may not suit particular circumstances such as flapjack's, it has a lot of appeal. automatic, green, effective, to name a few. i have used rock tumblers to polish stones before; i bet your big drum would make one heck of a racket! that's another bonus...it's a deer-chaser for the garden too!

[freeztar]

I think it would work, but a waterwheel is a bit hard to come by.
Perhaps a small motor could be installed for us less fortunate gardeners.
I can already see Turt sketching up the blueprints.

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by Turtle

what a totally unique & most-excellent idea erics!

I agree.

Terra Preta - The parent thread which started it all

Originally Posted by InfiniteNow

I might suggest you find a metal drum or some sort of barrel, get it on a spinning mechanism (think rotisserie chicken), put in your charcoal along with several heavy square bricks and round stones... spin and repeat.