Primitive Technology: Making Charcoal (3 Different Methods)



Primitive Technology: Making Charcoal (3 Different Methods)
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About This Video:
With more iron smelting experiments coming up, I demonstrate 3 different methods to make charcoal, ranked easiest to hardest.

The first method was in a simple clay lined pit where a pile of wood was neatly stacked over and lit from the top down. The pile then completely carbonizes without turning to ash. When the sticks at the bottom burn the coals fall into the pit and are extinguished with water. This method is the easiest and takes the least time. But the charcoal is wet and smaller pieces are made as it tends to over burn before extinguishing.

The second method is the mound which involves making a conical pile of wood and coating it in mud leaving openings around the base and one n the top. Again the pile is lit from the top and the fire burns back down against the draft carbonizing the pile. The fire is then snuffed out by closing the openings. This method produces better quality charcoal of larger lumps with less fines. But it takes more time and labor to make as the mound is demolished each time a batch is used.

The final method was the charcoal kiln. This was a cylindrical furnace with holes in the base that was filled with wood and only the top was covered with mud. It works the same way as the mound method but instead of coating the whole mound with mud each time, only the top was covered. This makes good quality charcoal with less labor once the kiln has been built.

About Primitive Technology:
Primitive technology is a hobby where you build things in the wild completely from scratch using no modern tools or materials. These are the strict rules: If you want a fire, use a fire stick – An axe, pick up a stone and shape it – A hut, build one from trees, mud, rocks etc. The challenge is seeing how far you can go without utilizing modern technology. I do not live in the wild, but enjoy building shelter, tools, and more, only utilizing natural materials. To find specific videos, visit my playlist tab for building videos focused on pyrotechnology, shelter, weapons, food & agriculture, tools & machines, and weaving & fiber.

#PrimitiveTechnology #MakingCharcoal #Charcoal

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35 Comments

  1. The second method is close to what German charcoal burners used, but in a larger scale and not on the inside. The mounds were big enough to climb up onto, or even into at the end, basically using proper big tree logs on the inside. As a kid I once saw some on a school trip, so I guess it is still used in some rural places.

  2. It would Probably be a better decision to sift the coal on top of where you’re putting the smaller bits instead of transferring from place to place

  3. I’ve seen videos of people who make charcoal for a living and it’s seems like they don’t let the flames touch the wood that they’re making in to charcoal like it just cooks it. Wouldn’t that create more yield or is it more complicated?

  4. I know it's not nice to kill things and it doesn't feel good doing it, but that centipede is venomous and could really hurt you, just grabbing some wood off the pile or walking through some weeds. So, do you do pest control or do you really just let them come and go as they please? i don't kill small spiders or most snakes, but with kids and a dog around, i'll kill anything that could hurt someone.

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