Fireplace

[Wigan]

Well I really love smoking a cigar in front of the fire and wondered if anyone on here gets to enjoy the same pleasure.



I am actually going somewhere this and managing to make it cigar related. The lower the humidity of the wood the better it burns. I wonder if a could build a type of humidor to get the humidity really low and really quickly. Nothing that would use a heap of electricity as that would part defeat the point of taking free wood from work so would be a passive method. Or if there interesting ways of doing it with electricity I would like to hear but purely for intellectual pursuit

[ValeTudoGuy]

Small pieces can be dried in the microwave, bigger pieces could be stacked by the fire.

Or in the Summer you could put them under a solar still and evaporate the water out of them.

[Wigan]

Microwave! Now I never thought of that one!

[ValeTudoGuy]

Yeah, I sometimes do it when I make catapults (slingshots) I can go from cutting green wood straight off the tree to working it in a very short time.

You wrap the wood in an old towel and microwave it for a minute at a time with 30 seconds rest in between. It Will sometimes hiss and crackle, just rest it for a bit longer if it's going really crazy. The towel Will get damp and hot (oooh errrr) Just swap it to a dry towel and give it a couple more blasts and your done!

Careful not to burn yourself though!

[ValeTudoGuy]

Oh and absolutely useless for big chunks of wood! Your going to need a kiln for that. Or as I said stack it near the fire.

[Ross.Co]

Microwave! Now I never thought of that one!

Firstly, you jammy so n so for having a fireplace!

Secondly, be careful with a microwave and the cost benefits. We all know how microwaves work (get those molecules moving!) and the energy involved in this may not warrant the subsequent benefit of heat....Christ knows if that makes any sense at all

[ValeTudoGuy]

But if it's just for kindling to get the big stuff roaring, shouldn't be too bad.

[Wigan]

Yeah ross that makes sense and I now have stacks either side of the fire, although worried they may catch

[ValeTudoGuy]

Shouldn't do with your guard up...., unless they are stupidily close!

[Wigan]

Think im good thanks. Seen wood for sale that was 20% humidity. I am too tight to buy it but would be interested how different it was.

[ValeTudoGuy]

If a fire is build properly, once it's going if you feed it in slowly fairly damp wood Will burn. The main part it having a good base of dry kindling.

[ValeTudoGuy]

It also depends On what wood your burning too.

[TJCoro]

Amateurs!

I am actually going somewhere this and managing to make it cigar related. The lower the humidity of the wood the better it burns. I wonder if a could build a type of humidor to get the humidity really low and really quickly. Nothing that would use a heap of electricity as that would part defeat the point of taking free wood from work so would be a passive method. Or if there interesting ways of doing it with electricity I would like to hear but purely for intellectual pursuit

Haha! It's called "seasoned wood" on this side of the planet. You see, like fine puros, fire wood is not very useful until it's been "seasoned" for at least one year. Otherwise, you'll waste valuable BTUs trying to burn "unseasoned" wood!

It's a standard practice in me beloved SoM. So, what the hell are you lads doing over there?


Jay, Ray Jay.

Ummm, Ray Jay. Apparently they microwave "unseasoned" wood!


(Hurumph!) God Bless the Americas.

[Wigan]

Yeah I read and now practice as treating it like a cycle rather than a continuous thing. Build it up then let it burn nearly to nothing and just glowing coals then build it up again. Works much better than continuously adding a couple of bits. The heat waxes up and down but think it works better over all.

On the humidity level. I remember when I first got the flat and was still working on it. Most of the walls were full of massive holes so ripped all the plaster off. Put insulation in and then put new plaster up. My flat is about 140 years old so it was plaster lathe and the wood from that burn amazingly after spending so long drying!

[Wigan]

Haha! It's called "seasoned wood" on this side of the planet. You see, like fine puros, fire wood is not very useful until it's been "seasoned" for at least one year. Otherwise, you'll waste valuable BTUs trying to burn "unseasoned" wood!

It's a standard practice in me beloved SoM. So, what the hell are you lads doing over there?


Jay, Ray Jay.

Ummm, Ray Jay. Apparently they microwave "unseasoned" wood!


(Hurumph!) God Bless the Americas.

Yes TJ I use dryed wood but was looking into a a way of speeding it up and maybe getting it dryer than would happen naturally to get more heat out of it