Poker

My poker is a rear brake rod for a '87-'12 Yamaha TW200. Works great! All the threads have worn off & it's become tapered from the 2 years of poking. I just need to weld a 3" piece of round metal to the end in order to get a better grip on it.

SMITTY wrote:My poker is a rear brake rod for a '87-'12 Yamaha TW200. Works great! All the threads have worn off & it's become tapered from the 2 years of poking. I just need to weld a 3" piece of round metal to the end in order to get a better grip on it.

Dude, that recycling at its best! Your Mass neighbors will be proud o you!

coalkirk wrote:Does anyone besides me use a poker to condense the ash in their stoker ash pans? I do it through the combustion door. The ash builds up but has a lot of dead air space. So once a day I use the poker to tamp it down. Works great.

Definately Kirk, I have found that certain coal does it more then aothers but all of it, at high temps will start to do just as you describe. After I have added a couple scoops and my fire is back and strong, I will poke before the shake down. I can see it move (collapse) when I do. Usually just the middle of the pot will do but on occasion I've had some sidewinders where the ash has stuck to the side and grown a tumor. One every other day seems to work for my cylinder stove. This morning, when I came down, the stove had been running at 600 all yesterday. I looked in and the pot was white and ashy and small even though the termo still read 600. I "Tebowed" in fron of the stove and gently added two scoops with everything wide open. When those caught I added another big scoop and waited again. At this time the pot looks heaped full. Then I shook it down and poked it! After that, the pot looked like it only had 3 scoops of coal burning in it cause thats all it did have. Never poke those fused ashes down till you've added fresh coal and let it get burning hot! Not only saved myself from losing a fire, but actually had hardly any recovery time!
The Glenwood in the kitchen never does this. I think its just the shape or size of the box and the bar grates that shake pretty hard that prevents it.

I just throw a cat into the stove ... it usually cleans it out before it gets "tired"