Came around on using a coal forge after seeing the heat control difference

I always thought propane forges were just easier and cleaner, no contest. But last month at the South Central Blacksmiths meetup in Tulsa, this old timer let me try his coal forge for a few minutes. I was surprised how quickly I could dial in a specific heat for a 3/8 inch chisel I was working on. The way you can work the fire in a circle around the steel really clicked for me. Has anyone else switched back after sticking with gas for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper7791mo ago

You mentioned "work the fire in a circle around the steel" and that really stuck with me. Were you actually moving the steel around in the fire or did you mean you were adjusting the coal bed itself while it was sitting still? I'm trying to picture that because with gas you're just kinda stuck with whatever the burner gives you. Did you have to use a wet rag or anything to keep the steel from scaling up on you while you were moving it around? Genuinely curious how that part worked compared to just pulling it out of a gas forge.

west.richard1mo ago

Oh man, I felt that same click you're talking about! That circle method is where it's at. You move both the steel and the fire - pull the coal in closer with your rake or push it away, basically chasing the heat around the piece. I mean, with gas you just shove it in and hope for the best, right? And yeah, I definitely had a wet rag handy because I got a little too enthusiastic and started seeing scale flake off like dandruff at a middle school dance. My scrap pile is living proof that I'm still figuring this stuff out.

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ruby_jones1mo ago

Yeah that whole "chasing the heat" thing is real, with coal you gotta keep the fire wrapped around the steel like a blanket. @west.richard I learned to keep a wet burlap sack nearby instead of a rag, it can handle more heat and you can drape it right over the piece to knock down scale.