barney Posted December 28, 2008 Report Posted December 28, 2008 I agree with Philip Small about the electric garden chipper/shredder.I purchased a small electric garden chipper/shredder i have found using this very affective at breaking up charcoal,i put through contents of a 40 liter bin filtered it through an onion sack which has a coarse weave and cheap, largest bits are 2.5-3mm,50-60% of the 40 liter bin passed through the filter i then reground the larger bits filtered again about 45% went through filter reground remaining what didn't go through the filter was very small in size and quantity so i just added it to the garden.If i had been pounding the charcoal it would have taken about 1-1.5 hours to get the same result that took 20 minutes. Quote
pangavamanos Posted January 4, 2009 Report Posted January 4, 2009 I think I will make a crusher out of a couple 2X4's and a hinge. A giant pinch point if you will.I think is would be catagory 1 type lever used to crush rather than lift. For larger pieces a 4X4 and could be used. I'll keep you posted if you like. JL Quote
barney Posted January 29, 2009 Report Posted January 29, 2009 UPDATE I agree with Philip Small about the electric garden chipper/shredder.I purchased a small electric garden chipper/shredder i have found using this very affective at breaking up charcoal,i put through contents of a 40 liter bin filtered it through an onion sack which has a coarse weave and cheap, largest bits are 2.5-3mm,50-60% of the 40 liter bin passed through the filter i then reground the larger bits filtered again about 45% went through filter reground remaining what didn't go through the filter was very small in size and quantity so i just added it to the garden.If i had been pounding the charcoal it would have taken about 1-1.5 hours to get the same result that took 20 minutes. UPDATED The shredder is a Ryobi rgs 2100.Using to much water to control dust can cause clogging.After the first filtering the oversize charcoal i process 3 times through shredder before filtering again this increases the amount that goes through the filter saves my back.Using this method i processed the contents of 2.5 x 44 gallon drums or 520 liters in 4 hours. You should use a dust mask or respirator when crushing filtering charcoal even with water to control dust its still dusty work. Photos : processing charcoal ImageShack - Image Hosting :: shredderwm7.jpgImageShack - Image Hosting :: oversizegj0.jpgImageShack - Image Hosting :: oversizeingardenex9.jpgImageShack - Image Hosting :: onionsackfiltervv8.jpgImageShack - Image Hosting :: finalproductlightvk0.jpgImageShack - Image Hosting :: finalproductinshadowcv1.jpgImageShack - Image Hosting :: filteredgi2.jpgImageShack - Image Hosting :: filtersy5.jpgImageShack - Image Hosting :: dustcontrolpw5.jpg Cheers Quote
mavrickjohn Posted January 29, 2009 Report Posted January 29, 2009 Impressive beats my hand grinder in speed and volume.:lol: Quote
roaldgold Posted November 5, 2009 Report Posted November 5, 2009 This is a great thread. I recently have been using a coffee grinder. First I mash up the bigger chunks of charcoal (Cowboy brand) with the end of a baseball bat in a big yogurt container. Then I just pour in as much as I can fit in the coffee grinder, it never takes more than 6-8 seconds for everything to be turned into powder. With this method I can produce about 1 gallon an hour. I'm wondering though, what is the general consensus on the final size of the charcoal? Should I go for small pieces, powder or a mix of the two? Quote
Flapjack Posted November 5, 2009 Report Posted November 5, 2009 Hi Roaldgold I overcame the problem of crushing charcoal by a chance locating a company that import and grade charcoal for BBQ's, restaurants etc. They have to have scrubbers on their extractor fans to collect any dust produced by the process and I have free access to this dust. I have also started adding Nutrimate to my compost. This is minerals that were locked up in high altitude lakes. Lots of humus from an age of plants and algae settling on the bottom. It is very high in Fulvic and Humic acids. Fulvic has a small molicular string that links to the N. P. K. molecules making it easy for plants to use every bit of fertiliser added. Quote
roaldgold Posted November 6, 2009 Report Posted November 6, 2009 Flapjack, I just checked out that Nutrimate. Looks like some good stuff. Have you thought of maybe just adding some of that right into your charcoal along with a fertilizer. I am currently making a batch of charcoal that is treated with fish emulsion and liquid seaweed solution. I'm thinking maybe I should get some of that Nutrimate and add that into the solution. Quote
Flapjack Posted November 6, 2009 Report Posted November 6, 2009 Hi Roaldgold I should have said I add just a small amount nutrimate with the charcoal and alpine grit. Depending what I am potting on I may also add calcified seaweed. Quote
Flapjack Posted November 11, 2009 Report Posted November 11, 2009 Hi Maikeru I was not too popular when I used kitchen appliances to grind and crush charcoal. The wife just would not believe me that coffee grinders without blades were a new fashion. The she found the other appliances had no blades either, she took me to the hardware store to exercise my plastic. In this I do not think that size matters. I think it is more that you have a relative even spread throughout the compost. If your using it for crop purposes than just pot it where you are planting. Continual cropping and soil turning will give the even spread. Quote
maikeru Posted November 15, 2009 Report Posted November 15, 2009 Hi Maikeru I was not too popular when I used kitchen appliances to grind and crush charcoal. The wife just would not believe me that coffee grinders without blades were a new fashion. The she found the other appliances had no blades either, she took me to the hardware store to exercise my plastic. In this I do not think that size matters. I think it is more that you have a relative even spread throughout the compost. If your using it for crop purposes than just pot it where you are planting. Continual cropping and soil turning will give the even spread. Hah. I have no wife yet, so I might avoid that problem for now. Thanks for the tips. Quote
Flapjack Posted November 15, 2009 Report Posted November 15, 2009 Hah. I have no wife yet, so I might avoid that problem for now. Thanks for the tips. :phones: Please remember your plastic still gets warm replacing items:) Quote
Getting A Life Posted November 15, 2009 Report Posted November 15, 2009 I only use tiny amounts at once. To this effect I find grinding far more effective than pounding. Wet it all in bucket, use piece of lumber, lean weight on it and corkscrew down into the char. Busts up really fine. When I pound on it it makes a layer and the stuff underneath is protected by surrounding mass. Another trick is to char small sticks. Then just lay them out and smash them up as they get dug in. Quote
Freerangefarmer Posted November 15, 2009 Report Posted November 15, 2009 Excuse me if this has been mentioned, but what about spreading it on a concrete slab and driving back and forth over it with a car tire, then just sweeping it up? Quote
erich Posted November 15, 2009 Report Posted November 15, 2009 I like a poly tarp, and if no concrete, soak in tarp first and it crushes fine on the ground Alterna Biocarbon and Cowboy Charcoal Virginia field trials '09 | BioEnergy Lists: BioChar (or Terra Preta) Erich Quote
Freerangefarmer Posted November 15, 2009 Report Posted November 15, 2009 Erich, I checked out your link. It looks like the ag tread tractor tires do a pretty good job with a tarp on soil. FRF Quote
erich Posted November 16, 2009 Report Posted November 16, 2009 The 16'x16' tarps (heavy gauge) did not even puncture.2 opposite edges I rolled up with 2 - 2x4s, with 2 more 2x4s screwed across on top, then purse strung the other two edges. Didn't spill a drop Erich Quote
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