17 replies to this topic

[Mortartube]

I was wondering if anyone had tried making or found a reference to using cork as a charcoal for BP. I am aware that it is bark rather than heartwood, but it is very pourous like balsa and seems to have the possibilty of making a fast BP. Got a few wine corks (I am a coinesseur, not an alcoholic. Honest!) around so may give it a go, but willing to hear if anyone else has tried it first.

Edited by Mortartube, 12 October 2009 - 08:46 AM.

[digger]

Sounds interesting.

I wonder how easy it will be to charcoal, it certainly is very difficult to burn. It expands when it burns so I guess it will when it is charcoaled. It may be one of the very few cases when you end up with more volume than you stated with, unlike when using wood.

Keep us posted with how you get on.

[Mortartube]

I will. I might have to drink a lot more wine though to get enough corks. Oh how I suffer for my art. Lol.

[pyrotechnist]

You can buy nice big cork cup holders from IKEA pretty cheap, better than using all that precious wine . I also have a supplier someone that sells wine bottle corks, cork boards and cork sheeting etc, will find it for you.

[Mortartube]

Thanks Pyrotechnist. Whilst I appreciate your advice, non e of it seems quite as much fun as drinking wine. Lol. I will ask local pubs and restaurants to save any is probably the easiest way.

[a_bab]

Just be aware that nowadays most of the corks are just an imitation of the real stuff (made of cork material, from the cork oak bark), and they are made of some sort of expanded plastic, with the same texture. They look almost like the real thing, but on a closer inspection it becomes obvious they are not cork (they have an harder outer shell; I'm assuming they are manufactured as "rods" and cut to dimensions).
Burning would make a good test.

[Mortartube]

I have real cork. You only have to char the end with a lighter to tell the difference. You can usually tell where the corkscrew goes in too. Real cork tends to flake a little.

[cooperman435]

Ok so if no one has tried it already what are peoples guesses as to its ability? I personally think its going to make fast BP.

[pyrotechnist]

You can buy large cork pin boards on ebay for like 5 quid, much cheaper than buying balsa wood. I suspect that it will also burn fairly fast cooperman due to its very light and spongy nature like balsa wood, may mean the end of balls in making BP lol I wish, even though I dont have one .

[pyromaniac303]

Don't we normally cut the bark off wood when charcoaling though? I'm not sure why that is but I guessed due to it slowing the charcoal down, and as cork is all bark I'd imagine it wont be all that great. Also oak charcoal is fairly awful, and the cork oak tree will probably share the same properties.

Having said that though it is really light and soft, so should make some decent fluffy charcoal.

Will be interesting to find out.

[cooperman435]

I believe we cut the bark off for 2 reasons, its slower in BP than the willow wood charcoaled and also because it can contain grit which would be a bad thing in a ball mill or processing room.

That said though not all woods are as we know equal so cork may be faster than willow wood even though it is a bark.

I think the main help it will give is that it is a very fluffy wood to start with and when charcoaled will fall apart easily meaning it will combine with the other components very easily too.

[pyrotechnist]

May the reason for cutting bark off also be due to the fact that it can become rotted, contain bugs and have all sorts of crap grow on it. Cork bark is stripped of its outer layer leaving just the cleaner cork wood behind so I am sure there is not any crap that can ruin your BP though dont hold me to that. Willow bark is also much much thinner than cork bark, look on Google images for cork trees and you will see just how thick the bark is.

[a_bab]

What we know as a cork IS the bark of the cork tree, so it's going to be a charcoal purely made out of bark.

But, since it's clean and light it does't matter.

[pyrotechnist]

It is also fairly cheap for large amounts though I assume just like Balsa a large amount will yield a much smaller amount but still good value if it works out.