Thanks for the informative video. I have seen a lot of backyard biochar tinkerers complain that 1) their kilns all burn out in a fairly short period of time 2) if using a Kontiki or other flame cap system they have to quench with water - and if they want to sell the char that kind of spoils the party. So the Dartmoor Dragon ticks all the boxes - I love the concept.

I bought Jame's plans. But I ended up putting the burn chamber under the barrel. Had good luck with it. Chared good. All of it. No browns. But I insulated it too. And laid insulation on top of the barrel. With that, my burn time is about 3 hours. From the first match,to the last puff. I like it very much, so much less smoke and less waisted wood in the burn chamder.

I've watched more 'retort kiln' video's than I can count and I learn something more with every video I watch. And then there's the comments under the video's in which I learn quite a bit from too. I'm getting closer to my final design and it will be something similar to the dragon. There's a few finer points I seem to have picked up on from a lot of video's and comments that I'm going to implement in my design. I hope things go well for you.

Thanks for this !!! I haven’t even watched it yet but appreciate it !

Thanks ! Watched and appreciated !!

Hello Abell, vielen Dank für Deine Anregungen . Ich habe schon mal Schwarzerde hergestellt - mit eigens hergestellter Kohle. Diese wurde im Uplid down Verfahren hergestellt. Dabei wurde das Ölfass am Schluss, wenn es anfing weinrot zu glühen, mittels Giesskanne abgelöscht und anschliessend die Holzkohle in einer wassregefüllten Badewanne abgelöscht. Nun entwickele ich gerade ein geschlossenes System, weil mich die Aussage von James Hockway darauf brachte, dass mittels seinem Verfahren selbst Blätter verkohlt werden können. Nun lese ich von den Nachteilen - das ist sehr gut, da ich dann jetzt vielleicht schon entscheidende Änderungen am Design vornehmen kann. So ist der PAC Wert sehr entscheidend, ob ich damit Schwarzerde herstellen kann. Somit auch die Ablöschung in Wasser. Ich werde die beiden Methoden wohl unter Inkaufnahme von Verlust kombinieren, um dann damit saubere Holzkohle zu bekommen. Danke Ich denke, ich werde auf das Scenching - also das Ablöschen mit Wasser der noch glühenden Kohle nicht verzichten können, weil ich riche, wieviel Pak da noch rauskommt. Desweiteren bin ich immoment davon überzeugt, dass jegliche Verkohlung /Holzvergasung in einem geschlossenen Fass immer dazu führen wird, dass die frisch entstehende Holzkohle mit den Vergasungsabgasen mehr in Kontakt kommt, als bei den offenen Konstruktionen .Dies deshalb, weil der Rauch erst mal im Inneren des Faßes sich konzentriert und dann , bis er nach unten durch ein Rohr oder durch Löcher in der Unterseite geleitet wird. Dies alleine läd die Kohle schon mit Paks auf (Polyzyklische Kohlenwasserstoffe). Da dannach nicht sofort eine Ablöschung mit Wasser erfolgen kann, da das Fass ja erst abkühlen muss ( Explosionsgefahr), bleiben 1 . die Paks dort in der Kohle und 2. entsteht soll während des Ablöschens mit Wasser die Oberfläche der Kohle sehr stark aufgebläht werden, was ihren enormen Wert für die Scharzerde ausmacht. Versuche wären interessant - Wasserspeicherfähigkeit , Wein entfärben etc. um festzustellen, welche Absorberwirkung verschieden hergestellte Aktivkohlen wirklich haben. Danke für die Anregungen und viel Erfolg mit Deinem Produkt

Many thanks for explaining your methods and the links provided, much appreciated👍

Really good. Nashville Tennessee USA Thank you !

Very interesting - thanks. You're in a similar position to me - no need for a ring kiln but enough offcuts from copppicing, storm damage, etc. for the occasional 45-gallon drum-sized burn. My operation is definitely a "hobby with interest" rather than a commercial enterprise. I have made a hookway retort (steel not stainless) and found it works really well. I got a commercial welder to do the welding for me, and it was worth it, I think. The key for me was upping the insulation, which I did using second-hand fire blankets held on with chicken wire. Crude but it works! Sometime I'd like to re-do the insulation with ceramic insulation held in place by a proper metal second-skin like on yours, but it's expensive stuff. I'll probably do that when my present one finally rots out (it's nowhere near that stage yet). I also insulated the top of mine by cutting a ring of steel about six inches high out of the centre section of a 45-gallon barrel. I sit this inside the rim of the lid and put about 4 inches of sand in it. That insulates the top really well and made a big difference to having successful burns. Like you, I also learned to stack it with thin stuff at the bottom so there are fewer brown ends. I also put a 3-4 inch layer of chicken wire in the bottom to lift the wood to be charcoaled up off the deck a few inches. That also means the creosote doesn't contaminate the charcoal so much. A neighbour of mine has a Dragon and they have had a number of problems with it. These are mainly the metal warping because it wasn't manufactured from robust enough steel, and the "automatic" temperature regulation system being unreliable (again through warping). I can't speak from personal experience, though. I make enough from the charcoal to help offset the costs of maintaining the woodland, but no more than that, really. Horticultural charcoal (biochar) is my best seller by far, being basically the dust and debris left after you've extracted the larger pieces for barbecue and pizza oven / forge charcoal. Thanks again for the video.

Hello, love watching your videos. Keep up the hard work. Just wondering if youncould help us, your charcoal video has inspired us. Where do you get the bags from? Finding it hard to find bags! Many thanks Hannah

Hi, great video. I will be looking at getting a retort soon, as I have a lot of overstood hazel that I want to bring back into rotation. I have been interested in the Hookway. What is the percentage conversion rate of wood to charcoal for a burn? And how much wood, in weight, can it hold? Thanks

Hello, thank you so much for your nice and helpful video. I am just wondering what stainless steel you used to make the hookway retort, was it an austenitic stainless steel ( like 310) ? I just would like also to know as i am thinking to build one of those, how much steel did you use. I thank you very much for your help, best wishes, dami.

Hi, would like to buy plans for the production of commercial quantities of charcoal to produce briquettes.

Who is james and what is his website?

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Stop calling them retorts, IDK where you got the phrase from likely its an American thing and WRONG.... You are PYROLYSING in a PYROLYTIC CHAMBER (the barrel that is sealed) A retort is used in distillation and distilleries and you are not distilling anything... You are however, PYROLYSING an organic substance that is to harness the products gas and carbon remains. A PYROLYSER not a retort.