4
Showerthought: I just found out how much coal a 19th century forge used in a day
I was reading an old journal from a smith in Pittsburgh, and he wrote that his shop burned through 500 pounds of coal on a normal day. That's a quarter ton just to keep the fires hot. I never really thought about the sheer volume of fuel needed before machines did the heavy lifting. Has anyone here worked with a coal forge that big and can confirm the numbers?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
adamellis2mo ago
Yeah, that tracks. I mean, you're not just heating the metal, you're keeping the whole hearth hot enough to work all day.
8
holly_perez952mo ago
Exactly, and that's the part most people don't get. You need that whole thermal mass just soaking up heat so it stays stable. Trying to do it with a small, direct flame is a total nightmare, the temperature swings are crazy. From my own time trying to learn, keeping that consistent background heat is everything. It's less about the instant blast and more about building a proper heat bank you can work from.
5
bettyk531mo ago
Tell me about it. My first forge was a disaster.
1