Charcoal Making In Clay Stove

Charcoal Making in Clay Stove

A. Clay Preparation

1. At the center of the oven, stand a 2 meters straight wood which will serve as support for wood to be arranged perpendicular to the oven.

- Shorter cuts of wood will be arranged around the center until it reaches the wall of the round pit of the oven.

- Use only woods which grow easily like ipil-ipil, bakauan, pototan, kakawate, kamachile, anabiong, tangal, agoho and alibangbang.

- Add small cuttings of wood on top of the first layers of wood in order to help mold the top walls or roof of clay.

2. Place grass, worn sacks, or banana bark around the sides and top layers of wood.

3. Burn more clay, crush and mix it well proportionate to the fresh, glutinous clay.

- In this mixture, make clay balls about one foot in diameter size.

- Arrange the clay balls on top of each other and press hard around the wood filled with grass wood to serve as walls of its sides and top portion..

4. Beat the clay walls repeatedly with large wood so it will become durable. This has a round shape with rounded roof.

5. If the walls around is completely molded, place two adjoining holes about 10 cm wide at the upper side of the oven. This will hasten the charcoal production. This will last up to two weeks The drying of the oven will last up to two weeks before it can of use.

B. Charcoal Making in Clay Stove

1. The first ignition must be done when the two chimneys and the other holes are still open. The wood inside will become charcoal within seven days.

2. At the beginning white smoke will come out from the two chimneys. On succeeding days black smoke will be seen and up to the seventh day when the smoke is completely clean which means the charcoal processing is finished.

3. To put off the fire of the oven, close completely with stone and clay its fire hole.

After two hours, close the two chimneys and other holes or air outlets.

After a day when the fire was put off, let the oven cool by pouring water with clay twice.

4. In getting the charcoal, make an opening at the side of the two oven (between its firing hole and its chimney). Do this by the use of a "paet" or any pointed object. The yield of charcoal is about 20-27 sacks.

5. In the initial use of the clay stove, cracks will be formed while the clay is not yet fully dried. Seal the cracks with fresh clay.

K. Reusing Clay Stove

1. Clean and fix well the clay stove holes, like the firing holes and the chimneys.

2. On next charcoal making, arrange the wood just what you did before. Leave a 10 cm space open opposite the chimney.

3. Return the door cover of the stove by closing it with fresh clay. Make sure the holes for air are open so with the two chimneys.

4. Ignite the stove again.

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