Finger Coals Question

[tranoid no ki]

Hey finger coal users! How do you guys use them? Snap them? on their sides? what do you do? I've been cutting them in pieces and placing them like I did on my quicklites. I have been playing around with them with mixed results. What do you think?

[Genie]

[quote name='tranoid no ki' date='13 December 2009 - 08:23 PM' timestamp='1260757413' post='438780']
Hey finger coal users! How do you guys use them? Snap them? on their sides? what do you do? I've been cutting them in pieces and placing them like I did on my quicklites. I have been playing around with them with mixed results. What do you think?
[/quote]

Don't know which ones you are using but I use Diamante's and Stargates. The Diamantes are easier to use in my opinion because they have such a large diameter and they burn for so long. On larger bowls, I snap them in half, heat them up, then use a serrated blade to scrape one side of each half flat so it rests easily on the bowl and set each half on the outer rim of the bowl, moving them as needed. On a smaller bowl I just use on half but do the same thing.

With the Stargates, which are easier to snap to whatever size I like, (scoring them with a serrated blade first) I pretty much do the same thing but have more flexibility with the size of the coals I want. Diamantes are just harder to snap for me. Half is easy, quarters are difficult.

I love Stargates, they are easy to ash (drop them in the tray to knock off the ash then put them back on the bowl) and burn so clean. Diamantes don't burn quite as clean IMO and are a pain to ash so I keep a serrated knife handy and ash them by scraping them--although the way I use them now, I don't have to ash them much, in fact, I usually only have to ash them once--near the end of the session when the ash has just built up to the point that they aren't letting off enough heat. Sometimes just lifting them with the tongs at this point is enough to knock off chunks of ash, just depends on what stage they are at when I feel the bowl needs more heat.

Sometimes Diamantes, after they are good and really hot, will form a kind of stress fracture along their length and by putting a poker into this fracture, the whole thing will split right in half along the length of the coal. When I first started using them, I always hoped they'd split this way but then I figured out about just scraping one side flat--they burn longer that way and I don't have to worry about them splitting wrong or crumbling.

Hope this was helpful!

[tranoid no ki]

it was! I am using Rolland Finger Coals, until I get my cocos. Found them cheap at a local shop (did a review about them), and I'm pleased so far. This does provide some input, as when I laid them on their sides, they almost rolled off the bowl a few times! :x

[Stuie]

got some Al Ajad coals to try, but i haven't had the chance yet. I use to do this when I started instead of using a wind cover. With Finger coals it's best to add a strip of foil around the bowl to make a lip to keep them from falling off.

[jeremyk]

i break them in thirds and then i split the thirds in halfs witha screw driver

[thatonethere]

I snap mine and lay them on their sides. I have a wind cover bowl combo, so they won't roll around.

[white_rabbit]

I use exoticas but I made a jig that can hold 2 sticks... I routed out a 7 inch piece of 2x4 closed off one end and i slide my charcoal into the slots and I use a 10" hacksaw to cut my coals... I can cut a whole box in bout 4 minutes... I cut my coals into about 1" pieces.