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OK I had a look at my charcoal forge just now after it had cooled off and I have noticed a serious design flaw. Namely no way to clean ash that drops in the air pipe. On the plus side the charcoal I use isn't leaving huge clinkers. Only a handful after a full days work. Any tips on a work around for the ash problem would be appreciated. So far it seems to mostly be filling the gaps between the hebel bricks and acting as extra refractory.

Hello, this axe is now going up for sale, i did a work in progress on it over in the edged tools subforum of bushcraftuk (http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141510) This axe was forged entirely by hand, and the haft handcarved from a locally sourced piece of ash. Here are some specifications: Edge length is 100mm (4") - total length is 475mm (18,7") - weight is 885 grams (just under 2 pounds) The head is forged from a solid block of mild steel, with a slit and drifted eye. The edge has a laminated ck60 cutting edge. The price is 170£ / 200€/ 1500Dkk / 225$ + shipping If interested you can contact med at: visti.knifeworks@gmail.com or send me a PM Next to a GB sfa for reference Best regards Peder Visti

Hello, i recently finished my journeymans-test, and so have a bit of time to focus on axes again. So here is another one: Edge length is 100mm (4") - total length is 475mm (18,7") - weight is 885 grams (just under 2 pounds) The head is forged from a solid block of mild steel, with a slit and drifted eye. The edge has a laminated ck60 cutting edge. The haft is ash from the local sawmill. As forged: A bit of grinding later: and finished: a comparison with the well-known GB sfa: Best regards Peder Visti

I've been thinking too much about ash lately. I hope it won't bore anyone, but I thought i'd share some of what I've found about the chemical composition of various types of ash. I hope you guys find some use for it--maybe in choosing charcoal types, or an appropriate ash for forge and smelter floors.. None of these numbers are hard and fast, varying from place to place and between each individual members of species. If the numbers don't add up to 100%, assume a loss on ignition. All data is taken from Digitalfire Ceramic Materials Database(link: http://digitalfire.com/4sight/material/ ) Hardwood ash (specifically Oak): CaO: 21.51% MgO: 15.85% K2O: 33.44% Na2O: 2.30% P2O5: 16.34% SiO2: 0.67% Fe2O3: 0.58% MnO: 2.60% SO3: 6.71 Softwood Ash (Pine): CaO: 41.10% MgO: 8.21% K2O: 10.96% Na2O: 0.77% P2O5: 4.67% SiO2: 2.00% Fe2O3: 0.07% MnO: 2.54% SO3: 6.69 Loss on ignition: 23% Applewood Ash CaO: 54.14% MgO: 4.20% K2O: 9.01% Na2O: 1.45% P2O5: 3.43% SiO2: 2.06% LOI: 25.70 You'll notice that there's very little silica in any of these ash types, the bulk being lime. Cherry and Eucalyptus contain some silica: Cherry Ash (water soluble portions washed away) CaO: 41.00% MgO: 12.00% P2O5: 10.00% SiO2: 33.50% Fe2O3: 3.50% Eucalyptus Ash CaO: 20.26% MgO: 11.94% K2O: 10.33% Na2O: 10.83% P2O5: 3.41% Al2O3: 2.21% SiO2: 32.90% Fe2O3: 3.50% MnO: 0.51% SO3: 4.11% But rice husk and rice straw ashes are nearly pure silica. I think these ashes could serve very well in applications requiring refractories. Rice Husk Ash CaO: 0.49% MgO: 0.22% K2O: 0.91% Na2O: 0.26% P2O5: 0.01% TiO2: 0.16% Al2O3: 1.01% SiO2: 96.70% Fe2O3: 0.05% MnO: 0.19% Rice Straw Ash CaO: 2.74% MgO: 1.49% K2O: 3.29% Na2O: 0.56% P2O5: 1.29% Al2O3: 10.78% SiO2: 77.26% Fe2O3: 0.53% MnO: 0.70% SO3: 1.35% Bamboo is also a source for nearly purely silica. I have been unable to find data of a similar kind for more commonly available straws (wheat, rye, oat, etc.), but they too are high in silica, though not as high as rice husk and straw ash. I hope you guys get some use out of this information.