Jim;
European Charcoal Block.
Is that the brand name? Where can they be purchased at?
Eric
Hello Sam Kaffine,
Thanks for the heads-up re: natural brush sticks from Rio. Any idea
what kind of material they’re made from? Have you found that they
are more efficient at applying flux? How about durability. do they
last? What length are they?
Thanks for any and all
Linda Kaye-Moses
European Charcoal Block.
Jim - are the charcoal blocks the ones from Otto Frei?
TY
Barbara
Hi Barbara,
Mine are from Otto Frei and are available in three sizes as well as
a round block.
I am sure that other suppliers sell them as well though I haven’t
looked.
Jim
You can also use the Hard charcoal. It is the same stuff just not
called European or I’ve seen it called Swiss as well. I have two
charcoal blocks in use, and two still in boxes that I haven’t opened.
I use them constantly and have had both since finding the difference,
for nearly 10 years now. Most charcoal sold is not designated as soft
or regular verses hard. I taught one class and most had the
regular/soft stuff. They had their charcoal keep buring, and crack
just in that class. Thea cheap Dane, hard ones cost more, and being a
cheap Dane, I resisted at first buying one. Best extra expense I’ve
ever made.
Aggie Where it is getting cold enough to need to put shoes on.
One thing about the European charcoal blocks is that they are not a
solid wood and have a grain (like traditional charcoal blocks). They
are a composite of some sorts that is compressed, which might answer
their hardness and ability to hold up so well over years of use.
Linda - Rio’s description - "When heated over a soft flame, the end
fibers of this stick separate like a brush. The inert natural fibers
ensure contamination-free application of flux (or other liquid or
paste) to your workpiece.
c Shape the end (taper for a tapered-end brush or blunt-cut for a
flat-end) c Trim off a worn end to expose fresh fibers and heat the
stick again to expose a new brush surface."
Haven’t had them long enough to know how long they last, but they’re
7 1/4"long and used like a pencil - that is, all the way to the end,
so I’m assuming they’ll last awhile, depending on how bad you are
about burning up your brush end.
And yes, I find them much more efficient at carrying the flux than
the $.50burnt up Chinese paint brush I had been using. (Not as
efficient as paste solder/flux, applied w/ bamboo kitchen skewer for
teeny wittle delicate stuff.)
Hope this helps
Sam Kaffine
This morning I experimented with a new method of preparing a
charcoal block from scratch. What I mean to say is that I
inadvertently created my own block from scratch.
I discovered that the charcoal block I made was a little too firm
for holding anything but well planted teeth and strong jaws!
Item required for my project included:
2 - Slices of L’oven Fresh Swirl Raisin Cinnamon bread
1 - 4 slice bagel toaster
1 - 1/4 stick of Countryside Creamery Sweetened Butter.
Set the darkness dial to midway on the toaster (This will produce
nicely toasted raisin toast) Depress the toaster lever and wait for
toaster to release toast.
Forget about toast and make a trip to the store.
Return from store and see nicely toasted but cold toast.
Depress toaster lever again and forget that the toaster has a
re-warm feature.
Wait for toaster to release toast.
Examine released toast.
Ascertain that released charcoal and ascertain that it may be
salvageable as a meal.
Apply butter and taste to test.
Consider applying iron binding wire and checking availability of
dental insurance.
Laugh at results and come post this in the current “Preparing a
charcoal block”
Keith (aka MadJeweler)
Hi Jim,
One thing about the European charcoal blocks is that they are not a solid wood and have a grain (like traditional charcoal blocks). They are a composite of some sorts that is compressed, which might answer their hardness and ability to hold up so well over years of use.
In my experience, the Euro charcoal blocks are nice. But… (always
a but!) they are so dense that they act as a heat sink, so one of the
advantages of charcoal–that it acts as a sort of secondary heat
source, for sweat soldering, for instance–is mitagitated by that
mass.
They do hold up well, though…
Take care,
Andy
Hey Andy,
In my experience, the Euro charcoal blocks are nice. But..... (always a but!) they are so dense that they act as a heat sink, so one of the advantages of charcoal--that it acts as a sort of secondary heat source, for sweat soldering, for instance--is mitagitated by that mass.
You are correct in that they do act as a heat sink. For situations
where that would be an issue I have come across a fine stainless
steel screen that supports even small pieces well while lifting them
up off of the surface, nearly eliminating heat sink issues. but you
are right in that there is always a but.
Thanks!
Jim
LOL. I have had an AGA stove (from UK) since 1972. It has four ovens
that each are insulated and cast to hold a range of temperatures for
what you want to do.
My Auntie kept warning me about how you cannot smell anything
burning in the oven.
My sons wanted to bake some brownies shortly after we had it
installed, so we made a very large pan of brownies and put them in
the baking oven. We got involved in something outside, and one of
the boys came into the house and checked on them. To him they looked
fine, so we finished (I think we were covering an area for the
chickens with chicken wire so they could use the tree next to their
’house’).
I think we were more concerned with containing the chickens from the
hounds, than the brownies and the time rolled on…
When we came in the house, there was no smell (a large 8" cast iron
pipe vents to the outside from the stove), and when we opened the
door, a puff of smoke came out, and when we took out the pan the
brownies were solid, couldn’t be cut, and were totally
’charcoalized’…we laughed so hard about that. We tipped the pan
upside down on the counter and they took it outside broke the thing
up with a hammer and used them as field hockey pucks…
I thought of that the other day when this discussion started,
because the old AGA is still with me, warming the house and drying
the towels and making the best brownies-although now they are
watched carefully. 
Dinah