We used a resin cast made from bituminous coal in a railroad museum in NC. I used the MSDS for coal to make my case: MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET<http://health.state.tn.us/Downloads/TVA_MSDS-sefa-coalash.pdf> <http://health.state.tn.us/Downloads/TVA_MSDS-sefa-coalash.pdf>It's not super dangerous but I think it can flake off easily and can be an irritant. Cheers, Shana On Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 11:10 AM, Anne Lane <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > Coal, at least anthracite, is black and shiny and tends to fracture in > flat planes. Lava is grey, porous, and dull and has a sort of bubbly > appearance. Too bad, though, as it’s nice and light. > > > > Anne > > *Anne T Lane, Collections Manager* > > *The Charlotte Museum of History* > > *where history has a home*** > > *3500 Shamrock Drive*** > > *Charlotte NC 28215*** > > *704-568-1774 X110*** > > *Fax - 704-566-1817*** > > *[log in to unmask]* > > > > > ------------------------------ > > *From:* Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On > Behalf Of *Barbara Hass > *Sent:* Thursday, October 14, 2010 11:19 AM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: Charcoal types for historic house museums > > > > how about lava rocks? > > these are sold in bags for gas grills and they look like chunk coal > > Pictured on this web site > > http://www.gasproductscompany.com/gas-products/lava-rock-20-lb.html > > > > found by diligent searching using the terms > > fake charcoal gas grills > > > > Barbara Hass, retired librarian > > > > In a message dated 10/13/2010 5:37:54 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time, > [log in to unmask] writes: > > Hello All, > > > > I work at an 1891 historic house farmstead with original coal burning > fireplaces and stove. However, we are not a living history museum and do not > use the fireplaces or stove for demonstrations. Some staff members want to > have bituminous charcoal samples in the fireplaces and coal buckets to show > children what would have been appropriate. I am hesitant to have actual coal > in the historic house instead of reproduction for fear of combustion, > off-gassing, and dust particles harming the collection. I have found that > lignite is extremely volatile, but have not found the likelihood of > combustion on bituminous. I would like to have some facts or statics to show > our director on why we should not, or if it is okay, should use actual coal. > Any thoughts or comments from those who have dealt with a similar situation > would be most appreciated. > > > > Thank you, > > Hillary Kidd > > Curator of Collections > > Heritage Farmstead Museum > > Plano, Texas > > 972-422-6481 fax > > www.heritagefarmstead.org > > > > > ========================================================= Important > Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed > information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message > to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to > [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). > > ========================================================= Important > Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed > information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message > to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to > [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "Signoff Museum-L" (without the > quotes).========================================================= Important > Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed > information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message > to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to > [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). > > -- Shana West Master of Arts, Museology University of Washington [log in to unmask] ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).