Well Combusted

The Charnwood area or Leicestershire was once under a tropical sea.

You realise some consider that a good thing?

That is true about volcanoes but I do not take any of the stuff we are being told today that is happening that we are causing and in fact many scientists have said it is un-true and only a stage our climate goes through every so often. I see global warming as a new means of taxation and levying of money. People now also believe fireworks are causing a big impact on the climate which is fuelling the anti-firework idiots. (not aimed at you Authur just idiotic low life's who want to destroy anything that is good)

I doubt anyone could put up enough fireworks to make a significant difference to anyones climate. It MIGHT be possible to seed rain over a large city, but thats about it.

I am starting to have serious doubts about global warming as well, ever since it emerged that a) Anglia University was fiddling the data, b )theres been no significant rise in global temperatures for 10 years, and c) The Met Office, who cant even get nexts week's weather right with its computer modelling, uses the same faulty computer models and the same faulty data from University of East Anglia to predict global warming patterns. They said last summer was going to be a barbecue summer, and the winter was going to be mild!! Then they use the same model to tell us were all going to be basking in 60C in the UK and under 200 foot of water in 50 years time !!! I dont think so.........

Volcanoes create tons more poisonous gas and volatiles and yet make no difference to our atmosphere in the long hall.

Umm not wanting to rain on your parade, it was the CO2 from volcanic eruptions at the end of the Pre-Cambrian that broke the stranglehold of Snowball Earth and allowed darwinian evolution to proceed beyond the amoeba stage. There was also the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, which was a massive warming of the planet in 20k years, probably caused by volcanic activity degassing 15Gt CO2 into the atmosphere and causing the global temperature to rise for 20 million years.

Also, what about the Eruptions of Pinatuba (1993) , Tambora (1815) , Krakatoa (1883, Katmai (1921) and the Laki Fissure systems? (1783) All of them destroyed the summers for years afterwards and affected the climate.

The Laki eruptions produced about 14 cubic kilometers of basalt (thin, black, fluid lava) during more than eight months of activity. More importantly in terms of global climate, however, the Laki event also produced an ash cloud that may have reached up into the stratosphere. This cloud caused a dense haze across Europe that dimmed the sun, perhaps as far west as Siberia. In addition to ash, the eruptive cloud consisted primarily of vast quantities of sulphur dioxide (SO₂), hydrogen chloride (HCl), and hydrogen fluoride gases (HF).

The gases combined with water in the atmosphere to produce acid rain, destroying crops and killing livestock. The effects, of course, were most severe in Iceland; ultimately, more than 75 percent of Icelands livestock and 25 percent of its human population died from famine or the toxic impact of the Laki eruption clouds. Consequences were also felt far beyond Iceland. Temperature data from the U.S. indicate that record lows occurred during the winter of 1783-1784. In fact, the temperature decreased about one degree Celsius in the Northern Hemisphere overall. That may not sound like much, but it had enormous effects in terms of food supplies and the survival of people across the Northern Hemisphere. For comparison, the global temperature of the most recent Ice Age was only about five degrees C below the current average.

Sorry to disagree, but the climate of the planet is ultimately driven by only volcanoes and ocean currents, and all the rest just follows.

Yes originally charcoal was made in a pile covered with turfs, which had to be replaced as they burned through, and the airflow controlled to give minimum combustion with best charcoaling.

However it's impossible to remove all the hard grains of cooked earth so the charcoal will always contain sharp particle which will sensitise any powder made from it.

Modern charcoal seems to be made in metal pans up to 3m across and the smoke just pollutes the atmosphere. The better way seems to be to put dry wood into a can on a fire with the fumes directed into the fire so that the volatiles are actually burned rather than left in the air.

The way ive been shown is:

1) interlaced logs make a pile with a hole down the middle, vertical stack logs round outside, leave vent holes at bottom
2) cover with damp hay
3) pile soil over
4) drop burning embers down hole
5) fill hole with logs dropped in vertically
6)??????
7) Profit!

Interesting also is the use of the word 'clamp'. I have an allotment as well, being and old fart, and the best way to store potatoes is exactly the same way, an earth covered pile interlaced with hay, and also called a clamp.

If it not worth knowing, its not worth knowing well.

pardon me from chipping in (charcoal - wood - chips.......................little jokule there) Charcoal is usually made in a Clamp, ive had a couple of goes.

The charcoal is ready when a change in the colour of the smoke is detected. As the fire drives out the water the smoke is grey/white. When the charcoal is ready the smoke changes to a blue haze. At this point all holes are blocked up and the clamp is starved of air, and left to go out and cool down