Playing With Fines

Wheelo · Post by **Wheelo** » Sun. Feb. 23, 2014 8:19 pm

Since my coal supplier was closed yesterday for some odd reason, I've decided to experiment with burning some wood, and the fines in the bottom of my coal bin. Having pretty excellent results, cleaning up my bin, and learning along the way.

I started by a complete shutdown and gave the stove a nice clean, along with my chimney. Then proceded to start a pretty hot wood fire with some old junk hickory I had laying around. After I got her really cranking, I threw on 2 square shovel loads of fines. And dang near put the fire out instantly! Should've known better! Hahaha started poking around a little, made a small flame. Then left the ashpan door open, sat and waited.. After 10 minutes, I thought I was gonna burn the stove down to nothing. But to my surprise, it was easy to regulate with the MPD and by choking the air down a little.
I got maybe 5 hours out of 2 shovel loads and 3 rather small pieces of hickory. Not to mention the fun and a little experience along the way. Plus, the boss lady is happy that the house is back up to the cozy 85 degrees. Win-win situation...
My question,
How do you guys with years of experience get rid of your fines? Easier methods? Tips and tricks that I need to know?
Thanks!
Wheelo

whistlenut · Post by **whistlenut** » Sun. Feb. 23, 2014 9:19 pm

Most of us sprinkle them on wheat toast and gulp them down, with a half gallon of Jack Daniels. I was skeptical at first, but Freetown Fred told me he sometimes adds a few pieces of pea to make it more crunchy. I do like it with my cheerios.......kinda like grits. Use about 20 lbs a week. A word of advice, they are rather abrasive in the large intestine and beyond, but add a banana or two, and things bring a smile to your face! Who the hell said Chuck Norris is tough.....let's get him up to NEPA for a 'Coal Miners Breakfast Special'. All that Kung-Foo won't save him here.

SWPaDon · Post by **SWPaDon** » Sun. Feb. 23, 2014 9:28 pm

whistlenut wrote:Most of us sprinkle them on wheat toast and gulp them down, with a half gallon of Jack Daniels. I was skeptical at first, but Freetown Fred told me he sometimes adds a few pieces of pea to make it more crunchy. I do like it with my cheerios.......kinda like grits. Use about 20 lbs a week. A word of advice, they are rather abrasive in the large intestine and beyond, but add a banana or two, and things bring a smile to your face! Who the hell said Chuck Norris is tough.....let's get him up to NEPA for a 'Coal Miners Breakfast Special'. All that Kung-Foo won't save him here.

I heard this special info was only for those of us with 50 or more posts.

I'm hurt

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Sun. Feb. 23, 2014 9:41 pm

Lots of times I just skip the fines and go straight for the Jack!

labman · Post by **labman** » Sun. Feb. 23, 2014 9:45 pm

SMITTY wrote:Lots of times I just skip the fines and go straight for the Jack!

I'm with you! But Doc says if I drink now it won't end well anymore." Breakfast of the Gods"

SWPaDon · Post by **SWPaDon** » Sun. Feb. 23, 2014 9:47 pm

Seriously though Wheelo, ain't no sense in wasting them, that's money down the drain. When you get extra time, just throw 'em on and work .em a little. That's what I do here.

Beeman · Post by **Beeman** » Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 4:50 am

Wheelo, I initially thought the fines that came with my bulk delivery were a pain in the neck and in some ways they still are because they have to be dealt with differently than the rest of the coal, but they are great to use to slow down a burn. For example, when weather turns warmer, by adding some fines along with regular coal into the hopper on my Hitzer 503 insert, the fire temp can be lowered without adjusting the ash pan vents. Great in fall and spring when you want the coal fire burning, but don't want to be driven out of the house by too much heat. The fines allow me to play a game with running as many days as I can without adjusting ash pan vents and keeping the stove optimized with how much heat is needed.

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 9:22 am

Having been warned about flash backs from throwing the fines onto a hot fire, at first I just dumped them in the garbage.

But then, I tried burning them by just carefully putting the shovel onto the fire before tipping them in. No flash back, and if not too much is used, they work very well for slowing down a too-hot fire. And as said, it's heat already paid for.

However, at some time they were not always seen as heat and were used for other purposes. When I tore up the wood floor of my carriage house to pore a radiant heat concrete floor, previous owners, being the local coal dealers, had used the fines as fill under the floor. It was a foot deep over the entire space under the 24 x 22 floor. Took many days of shoveling all that into a wheel barrow and dumping it as fill in the gravel driveway. But, it did work well to help stiffen up the deep areas of loose gravel - like using sand, or rock dust.

Paul

I'm On Fire · Post by **I'm On Fire** » Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 11:39 am

Hey if your looking for more fines just swing by my house. I can probably give you 1/4 ton of it. Seems every frickin' bag of Kimmel's I open this season is either rocks or plastic bags of friggin' 3/4 full of fines. Yeah, Kimmel's this season has been a real joy.

Meh...I'm still warm....just lots more work to get actual coal in the fire instead of garbage.

Post by **Lightning** » Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 12:37 pm

I would form a small hill of fines carefully on top center running the length of a fresh coal bed. By next shake time most were burned. The rest shook out into the ash pan.

Not much fines this year

...

They can be a nuisance that's for sure...

BPatrick · Post by **BPatrick** » Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 3:31 pm

we have so much ice up here, I've had to use them to get the Mrs. car out of the driveway!

Photog200 · Post by **Photog200** » Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 3:46 pm

I just hit a spot in the bin with a lot of fines, have already filled two five gallon buckets. I will try to burn some of them in the spring to slow the fire.

Randy

Post by **Lightning** » Mon. Feb. 24, 2014 6:33 pm

Photog200 wrote:I just hit a spot in the bin with a lot of fines, have already filled two five gallon buckets. I will try to burn some of them in the spring to slow the fire.

Randy

Wow, two full buckets of pure fines??
Seems like a lot... How many tons did it come from?

Photog200 · Post by **Photog200** » Tue. Feb. 25, 2014 7:08 am

Lightning wrote:
Photog200 wrote:I just hit a spot in the bin with a lot of fines, have already filled two five gallon buckets. I will try to burn some of them in the spring to slow the fire.

Randy
Wow, two full buckets of pure fines??
Seems like a lot... How many tons did it come from?

Yes, all fines...I used a 1/4" or 1/2" (didn't really measure it) screen to clean it out. I originally got 5 tons, and I know I already burnt a lot of fines in the fall. I have a small bin outside and that is where he dumped the last of the truck. Had a lot of fines in that too. This year when I order, I am going to point out the issue with all the fines I got this year. I ordered it in August last year so maybe I got the bottom of the pile? They gave me $10.00 off per ton if ordered off season.

Randy