To Light A Fire...

     Before you can actually light a coal fire, you will need to know a bit more about coal and how a blacksmith uses the fire. There are many grades of coal available for use and the differences between them are quite beyond the scope of this lesson. If you want more information about coal, read the basic primer in the Blacksmith's Compendium as authored by Dave B.
     The blackish colored stones in the photo are the three different phases of coal as used by the blacksmith. Notice that the stone on the far left is very angular and shiny? That is a lump of soft, bituminous, coal. The fuel of choice for most blacksmiths.
     The stone in the center is coke. That is what is left of the coal after all of the sulfur and assorted "volatiles" have been burned off. It is much lighter than it looks and in many ways resembles popcorn. This is the material that is actually used as the heat source. It burns in a very hot and clean fashion. Raw coal (also known as green coal) is very sooty and smoky and leaves waste products stuck to the metal as a contaminant. Coke does not.
     Lastly, the stone on the far right is a "clinker". Notice its brownish markings and somewhat shiny appearance. It looks like a lump of melted glass with sand and cigarette ash mixed in. This is the final waste product of coal and the bane of the blacksmith. The phrase "cleaning the fire" refers to digging these gooey lumps out of the bottom of the fire pot, where they are blocking off the flow of air to the fire.