How do you burn your coal?

[yogi41]

Hi i just bought the lemon wood coal.. i was trying to burn it on top
of my stove.. but it gets super messy and i burned them for over 14 min
and it still did not burn all the way through.. Do you guys have any
tricks so that i can get those coals burning faster? and have it
actually burn all the way through? Thanks for the help

[mushrat]

Welcome!
I use a small butane torch on mine, a la creme brule kitchen torch. But i've seen people start coals on their stoves. Is yours gas or electric?
The coals don't have to be burned all the way through, just white all over.let them get good and ashed, turn them over, etc. once they are white all over, you are set to go.
 Hope that helps.

[yogi41]

mine is a gas stove.. how long does it usually take you to burn the
coal? i just thought it was taking much longer than it was supposed to

[yashman19]

If you have a gas stove, this means that your heat source comes from a
few little flames? If so, then I agree that it would take forever to
light a natural coal. I have an electric stove with the coal thing that
gets super hot, and it heats up nats fully in 5 minutes.

But if this is the case, you can always go to a hardware store such as
Home Depot or Lowes, and get a torch of some sorts. I got mine and Home
Depot, and the package deal that I bought included a simple valve
connected to a canister of propane. To light, just open the valve and
light with a lighter.

One cannister of propane will last me a solid 4 months, and this is
with smoking 1-3 times per day, taking about 5-6 minutes each session
to light the coals. And you don't refill these cannisters, you just
simply dispose of it and buy a fresh one for 1.99, can't beat that

They also sell different package deals where you can get a nifty valve
system which has a valve with a push-button starter, so you don't need
anything to light the torch. They also sell mapp gas in yellow
canisters, and oxygen in the red canisters, each canister costing 1
dollar more than the next. Propane is the cheapest. I would go with
mapp gass, as it puts out more heat than propane thus lighting coals
faster, but I wouldn't recomend getting the oxygen. Its the most
flammable, and something you wouldnt want to accidently leak in your
room....

Heres a picture just so you know what to look for exactly at the store
[img]http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4849/thebeast6un.jpg[/img]

[mushrat]

If you have a gas stove, and dont want to have to stand there with your tongs holding each piece of coal until its sufficiently started to put on a tray or something to continue to burn on its own, you can get a large "tin" can, strip the lable off and clean it, punch some holes in the bottom, put your charcoal chunks in it and set that directly on the burner. This will also work with a regular old pot you don't mind sacrificing to the cause.
  I usually start my charcaol up first, get it going, THEN prep the rest of the hookah, by the time im done the coals are nice and white...standing around waiting to smoke while the coals get done is the fastest way to make time stop, next to being in your last class on a friday afternoon.

[ravi]

A butane torch will work well, also when if the charcoal is starting to get lit put it infront of any fan, and the flame will spread throughout the charcoal. Or if you live somewhere cold and are having an fire, throw it in for alittle.....or if its warm....BBQ

[Sonthert]

Its not quicker, but when lighting natural coals, you have to make a "pile". Flip some of the hot ones over, and keep rotating them. You'll find that the charcoals on the inside of the heap are going to light completely. I do this on a little hot plate at my lounge sometimes. 

[Highpockets]

I have a gas stove, so I bought a hot plate that has the electric coil