Rant: Spent 3 hours on a forge weld last Tuesday before realizing my coal was way too wet

I've been forging for about 5 years now, mostly hobby stuff. Last Tuesday I'm out in the shop trying to do a simple weld on a pair of 1/4 inch round bars. Couldn't get it to stick for nothing. Kept getting that crumbly sparky mess. After about 3 hours of frustration, my buddy stops by and asks when I last checked my coal. Turns out I left the bag sitting out in the rain last week and it soaked up a ton of moisture. Dried it out for an hour and the weld took on the first try. Felt like a total rookie. Anyone else deal with moisture problems on their fuel and have a better way to store it?

3 comments

3 Comments

hayden4661mo ago

Have you tried throwing a bag of silica gel or those little moisture absorber packs into your coal bin? I picked up some at a hardware store and just toss one in whenever I seal a new bag - really helped cut down on that soggy coal headache.

henry6041mo agoMost Upvoted

Silica gel just turns to mush when coal gets wet though.

terry_thomas10d ago

Huh, never really thought about that angle. People always talk about silica gel like it's this miracle cure for everything damp. But you're right - the moment coal gets wet and starts breaking down, that gel is probably going to turn into a paste or something. I've seen guys try those moisture packs in gun safes and toolboxes, they work fine there because it's just air moisture. Coal's different though. Once it gets wet it's not just damp air, it's actual water trapped in the material. The gel can't keep up with that. Might be better off just focusing on keeping the coal dry in the first place rather than trying to fix it after.