Met a guy at a hammer-in in Ohio who swore by coal over gas forges

He said he gets better heat control and it's cheaper long run, but I've always used gas and like the convenience. He showed me his setup with a hand-crank blower and I gotta admit the color on his steel was way more even than mine. Anyone who's tried both see a real difference in day to day work?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_beth13d ago

Tried coal for about 6 months after getting tired of gas prices spiking. The hand-crank blower takes some getting used to but once you find that sweet spot the heat stays dead even across the whole billet. I will say it's way more work than flipping a valve. You gotta tend the fire constantly and the cleanup is a mess. But for pattern welding I actually got better results with coal because the temp didn't bounce around.

blake_smith13d ago

The thing about coal is it forces you to pay attention in a way gas never does. People have gotten so used to instant heat and forget that real craft demands a slower rhythm. It's like the difference between a microwave and a cast iron skillet. You can set a timer on a microwave and walk away but a skillet will burn everything if you don't stand there and watch it. The world is full of things that work better when you commit to the mess and the hassle.