Dave wrote:
Guessing that's about the temperature the bonfire 2 years ago burned at its
height of heat. Cutoff lumber from the builder, juniper ashe, a little live
oak. All dried for about 2 months first. Pile was over 10 feet high, 30
foot around, teepee fashion. Fire laughed at the garden hose at its height.
Absolutely nothing grew there for a full year. Put a raised bed garden over
the site.

There was nothing within 50 feet that was a potential for burning, no wind,
overcast, drizzly off and on that day. Watered down the area around the
fuel dump anyway, prior to lighting off. Aluminum cans, and glass bottles
were melted flat. Some steel in some nails melted. Used magnetic pickup
tool to get all the steel remaining afterwards.

Sounds a bit like my annual event. Here's the before-and-after from
the 2005 one (the most impressive to date:

Befo http://www.otherpower.com/images/sci...36/bonfire.jpg
During: http://www.martyh.com/BTH_3rd_unaugu...es/image16.htm
After: http://www.martyh.com/BTH_3rd_unaugu...es/image20.htm

I used a big magnet in a sock to pick up a 20 litre bucket full of
nails from the site a few weeks later, and I'm still getting a handful
from time to time (I have a post there so that I know not to drive
over it).

This years was a little less impressive, but only a little:

http://hok.smugmug.com/gallery/2806294#149827229
http://www.smallsolar.org/BTH/Unaugural/
http://Peter-T.smugmug.com


BTH