We acquired a very second hand Exeter Retort in 2021 and have been using it ever since, to make very good quality barbeque charcoal. It has needed a fair amount of work to get it running and takes a lot of effort to close it successfully before each burn. But it does work and here's proof. This is the middle of the process - it is running on wood gas and needs to be regulated to prevent it from heating up or cooling down too much.
