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My mentor told me to always use a coal forge for blades, not gas. He was wrong about that.
About eight months ago, I started making my first real knife under an old timer named Pete up near Flagstaff. He swore that gas forges make inconsistent steel and that real blacksmiths only use coal. So I spent a month building a coal forge from a brake drum and fighting with damp coal and smoke. I ruined three blades with hot spots and scale that I just could not control. Finally I went to a demo by a farrier who uses gas for everything, and he showed me how to dial in the air mix for even heat. Now I use a simple two burner gas forge I built from a kit for about $150, and my edges come out clean every time. Has anyone else had a traditionalist tell you something that just did not hold up in practice?
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sage_green20d ago
Oh man, that bit about "real blacksmiths only use coal" hits home. I had a guy at a guild meetup tell me I wasn't a real bladesmith if I used a gas forge, and it made me feel like I was cheating or something. But honestly, dialing in my gas forge (just like you said) changed everything for me, I went from fighting scale to getting clean heats in like ten minutes. Good for you for trusting what actually works, it takes a lot to walk away from what a respected mentor insists on.
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jason_lewis320d ago
Yeah, people get weird about gatekeeping stuff that really doesn't matter.
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