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Author Topic: Favorite smoker fuel  (Read 80651 times)

Offline Horns Pure Honey

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Favorite smoker fuel
« Reply #40 on: January 26, 2005, 11:16:50 pm »
I was at my grandpas friends house and his farm is like ares and he uses a little of this and that like damp dead leaves and green ones, some old mamoth grass, pine straw, old cotton, and twigs, it burnt pretty cool for how he did it and it lasted for a long time and lit pretty easy to. bye
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Offline golfpsycho

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Favorite smoker fuel
« Reply #41 on: January 27, 2005, 12:47:23 am »
Are you all putting an old soup can in the smoker?  Take a soup can, punch holes all in it... put something made of metal like a nut  in the bottom so the can is held off the bottom... the fuel goes in the can.. it can breath.. it keeps smoldering for a very long time... ...no relights.. no emergency and the smoker is out... works like a charm

Offline Horns Pure Honey

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« Reply #42 on: January 27, 2005, 12:51:01 am »
good idea, I will have to try that. bye
Ryan Horn

Offline eivindm

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« Reply #43 on: January 27, 2005, 08:12:01 am »
Quote from: golfpsycho
.. put something made of metal like a nut  in the bottom so the can is held off the bottom...


Michael Bush (a guy at beesource.com) bends some of the bottom out to make the same effect as having bolts in the bottom. He also bends out small parts at the side, so it will allways have some air space at the sides too. Great idea!



He also have some other interresting things at his page thats' worth a look

Offline lively Bee's

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« Reply #44 on: February 06, 2005, 02:28:51 am »
I use burlap and end rolls off the hay baler always end up with a few extra feet.  Some of my hives set in the woods and i have used green or wet leafs in the smoke.  The trick i have found with the burlap is to roll it up tight and light it before u put it in the smoker.

Offline justgojumpit

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« Reply #45 on: February 07, 2005, 07:30:57 pm »
I've been wondering about using dried horse dung in the smoker, as a top layer to cool the smoke.  Throughout the season I have used hay, which produces a very thick green smoke with a very strong scent, pine shavings, which gunked up the smoker due to the resin in pine trees, newspaper, which burned too fast and produced a bad-smelling white smoke, and old blue jeans, which worked well but were in short supply.  I think I will go back to they hay, and perhaps some shelf fungus as mentioned or rotten woodchips or horse dung for a cooling top layer.

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Offline dr_wag

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« Reply #46 on: February 19, 2005, 06:24:27 pm »
I am new here....nice to meet ya. am also new to beekeeping...my only experience is reading about them, okay, im way new to it. and i have a question (make that a million!). reading through this section on what to burn...i wondered is there anything you should NOT burn...or anything that affects them in a harmful way?....i dont mean trash-man-made things, but naturally occuring burnables. just curious, thanks.

Offline Beth Kirkley

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« Reply #47 on: February 19, 2005, 06:31:03 pm »
This may have been covered in these LONG posts :) but what comes to mind is that you don't want to burn things that stay too hot. You don't want FLAMES going on in the smoker - only smoke. Of course when you start it, you have to have flames, just a little. But then it needs to just smoulder. If you have flames, when you pump the smoker, you are basiclly using a torch. :) You most definately don't want to torch your bees. It needs to just be cool smoke - no flames - no masses of hot air.

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Offline beemaster

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« Reply #48 on: February 19, 2005, 06:45:16 pm »
Hi Dr_Wag:

First, welcome to the forums - I think you found a great place to start your beekeeping experience here. Hundred and hundreds of beekeeper of all experience levels from around the globe, most of us could only dream of such access when we first started this wonderful hobby. Back in my beginning at 14/15 I had a schoolmate for a mentor and hands-on experience that realy interested me.

Today, we live in a much different world and having the resources available today can really get you off to a great start - but no resource is better than interaction with others as in this and other forums. Learning through trial and and errors of others gives you a tremendous advantage when starting in this hobby.

Keep away from anything that has man made fibers, plastics, petrol fuels in old rags. Also, keep away from these fireplace starter sticks (usually packaged at camping supply stores) and always make sure your fuel source is clean and mildew free.

As you have read, there are a lot of things you can burn, but the one thing you can't burn is your bees - as Beth said, smoke, not fire and keep the smoker back far enough from the hive entrance so that it can air-cool a little as it is bellowed in.

Again, welcome to the forums - I hope we see you here often.
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Offline Michael Bush

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« Reply #49 on: February 20, 2005, 11:39:25 pm »
I used to buy my chicken feed in burlap sacks just so I'd have it for my smoker.  Still nothing beats burlap.  Now I have to buy it at the fabric store by the yard.  But when the smoker goes out I burn whatever is natural and handy.  Leaves, grass, pine needles, sumac berries, dry sticks etc.

It's interesting to see a picture of my smoker insert above.  :)  Glad someone found it.  If you have the money, buy the Rauchboy.  It's stainless steel and has a stainless steel insert.  But mine will work just as well and when it rusts out, you can get a new one for the same price.  Free of course.
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Offline lively Bee's

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« Reply #50 on: February 27, 2005, 09:10:59 pm »
Well I would think the glue in the card board wuld be unhealth.

I just pine needles and burlap.  I will also use sawdust that I end up with after making my hive parts I take a peice of burlap pour a little wax on it and the put the sawdust on then a little more wa etc.  Then I roll it up and it is ready for the smoker.  Last for quite a while If I will be in the yard for some time I will stuff it as full as i can get it wil pine starw aka realy long pine needles.

Offline organicfarmer

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smoker fuel
« Reply #51 on: March 02, 2005, 12:50:06 pm »
I like to use free stuff as there is plenty around us. i have tried many things and usually use a mix. i like to use staghorn sumac dried flowers (it's been mentionned already) and it has a great smoke.
As far as hot smoke (as in pine needles), the remedy is to top your smoker with a handful of green grass. It stops the flames, sparks and cools off the hot smoke.
a word of caution about both baling twine and burlap as these are often treated with fungicides to prevent rot of the material. There are untreated burlaps, hard to come around. and more expensive.

But since we work with Nature, she has much to offer...

Offline amymcg

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sumac
« Reply #52 on: March 02, 2005, 04:27:30 pm »
OK - I'm not real familiar with sumac. Can someone post a picture or tell me what this stuff looks like?

Offline Jay

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« Reply #53 on: March 02, 2005, 05:29:38 pm »
Amy, here is a picture of staghorn sumac. It grows along the highways and biways all around this area. Once you recognize it you'll say "ooohhhh, that's what that stuff is!" :D

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Offline amymcg

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« Reply #54 on: March 02, 2005, 07:25:50 pm »
AHHH, That's what that stuff is. . . ROFL

:-D

Yes I do recognize it now, I just never knew what it was called.  Very good. Thank you.

Offline Lesli

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« Reply #55 on: March 02, 2005, 09:01:10 pm »
Where I live, staghorn sumac is a weed. I use the pods in my smoker, too.
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Offline Michael Bush

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« Reply #56 on: March 02, 2005, 09:28:49 pm »
You can also make tea from the sumac berries.  :)
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Offline TwT

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Favorite smoker fuel
« Reply #57 on: March 03, 2005, 12:12:42 am »
i use smoker fuel from mannlake , heck it aint but a dollar for a half pound bag and it will last a while as long as you don't "SMOKE IT"
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Offline Jay

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« Reply #58 on: March 03, 2005, 12:58:07 am »
You can also make wine from sumac berries. Yes, even though the berries are very bitter, they make excellent wine similar to eldeberry.
By the rude bridge that arched the flood
Their flag to Aprils breeze unfurled
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world
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Offline kolob

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Re: Favorite smoker fuel
« Reply #59 on: April 20, 2011, 09:40:26 pm »
I am new here and need to post at least once in two weeks to stay registered. I use alfalfa cubes for fuel. I like cubes that have gotten wet and expanded a little. Then they have to be dried out again. The number one cubes are too hard to get lit easily. These cubes make a cool smoke and they burn very slowly.

 

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