Homemade Breaker

I'd like to read and learn what are some of your methods of cracking coal into rice size? In the past, I've gotten some stove coal very cheap, but the problem is that my stoker will operate with rice coal. Another member suggested to me that I should smash the bigger size coal with a hand tamper. However that method doesn't break down to rice size. I've also read other posts of using vehicles and driving over the larger pieces to break it down to size. That won't work to bring most of the pieces to rice size. I don't own a jaw crusher, but is there a way to produce one that will break coal into rice size?

How did I break down the stove coal into rice?? I used a sledgehammer and placed 4 or 5 pieces of stove coal on leveled cement then place a 3'x2' box (bottom and top removed) over the coal and banged the crap out of them for about 15-20 minutes before I got a unified amount rice bits. At this rate It takes me a FEW HOURS to get 5 gallons. This is definitely not efficient!

Is there a factory that can accept and grind the coal for a nominal fee? I'm Interested in reading any ideas on breaking anthracite into rice size.

2DeXtreMe wrote:I'd like to read and learn what are some of your methods of cracking coal into rice size? is there a way to produce one that will break coal into rice size?

I think the sizing is done after the crushing by a series of screens. I don't believe rice is crushed to size by intent but by being the scrap from larger sizes, it used to be waste before stokers designed for it came into being.


More here.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&expIds=172 ... fc6f926f13

This is really fruitless effort because you're never going to be able to consistently crush it into rice coal sized pieces. Supposing you were able to crush it down to rice you're going to have a significant amount of waste.

I don't believe rice is crushed to size by intent but by being the scrap from larger sizes

Exactly, the breakers are set so it will crush down to the maximum size they want which is going to be nut or stove. The smaller sizes are by product of this. You're also going to have significant amount of rice and smaller sizes in the raw product.

I just checked this site from the google link you gave http://www.flsmidth.com/~/media/PDF%20F ... Sizer.ashx Those are some serious teeth! So rice, barley, and granular
coal are the scraps. I thought their might of been a better way to manually down size. I guess I can say so long to free or dirt cheap nut/stove coal.

coaledsweat wrote:

2DeXtreMe wrote:I'd like to read and learn what are some of your methods of cracking coal into rice size? is there a way to produce one that will break coal into rice size?

I think the sizing is done after the crushing by a series of screens. I don't believe rice is crushed to size by intent but by being the scrap from larger sizes, it used to be waste before stokers designed for it came into being.


More here.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&expIds=172 ... fc6f926f13

Yes, I do get some granular coal, but not a lot. As far as waste goes, I am able to pick up most the coal pieces with the granular coal included. So during that time my channing would burn a mix of mostly rice with buck, barley, and very little granular coal. The burn wasn't as good compared to having a hopper with 99.9% rice, but it was close.

It's a shame that some people will offer their coal for free, and that I really won't be able to take advantage. Most of the times those who are offering coal just to get rid of it are offering the larger size pieces.

Richard S. wrote:This is really fruitless effort because you're never going to be able to consistently crush it into rice coal sized pieces. Supposing you were able to crush it down to rice you're going to have a significant amount of waste.

I don't believe rice is crushed to size by intent but by being the scrap from larger sizes

Exactly, the breakers are set so it will crush down to the maximum size they want which is going to be nut or stove. The smaller sizes are by product of this. You're also going to have significant amount of rice and smaller sizes in the raw product.

Find someone who needs and uses the large size coal, and have them 'buy' it from you with bags of rice coal for your stoker.. or just sell it and buy your own rice size..

Or,, buy a handfed stove to take advantage of your 'found' coal..

Greg L

Yep trade the found coal for the size you need...

As far as trading is concern, the likely hood of finding someone to barter with their less than desirable rice coal in exchange for my nut/stove coal is a crap shoot. I think i've got a better shot at selling the coal, and then using that money to purchase rice coal at normal (not dirt cheap) prices.