Rant: The old coal forge in my dad's barn is just sitting there now

Last week I was cleaning out that barn in Springfield, and I fired up the old coal forge just to see if it still worked. Three years ago, I was using it every day to make shoes for a big draft horse farm. Now, most of the guys I know have switched to propane rigs for their trucks. It's a lot cleaner and faster, but I miss the smell and the heat from that old thing. Anyone still running a coal setup for their regular work, or is it all gas now?

3 comments

3 Comments

black.amy2mo ago

My uncle in West Virginia still runs his coal forge for all his farrier work. He says the coal fire gets a better heat for welding and he can control the temp by feel. He tried a propane rig for a month but went right back. Says the new stuff is too quiet, misses the sound of the blower.

eva_rivera492mo ago

Hold up, gotta disagree here. Propane is way cleaner and you can start or stop the heat in seconds, no waiting for coal to burn down. That temp control by feel sounds like an old habit, not real precision. Plus, no breathing in all that coal smoke and dust all day is a huge win for your health. The quiet is a feature, not a bug, you can actually hear yourself think or talk to a customer. Sometimes nostalgia just gets in the way of a better tool.

jaken231mo ago

Yeah, that part about missing the sound of the blower really got me. It's not just noise, it's the whole rhythm of the work. That constant background roar becomes like a heartbeat for the shop. You get used to talking over it, and when it's gone the whole place feels empty, like something's wrong. It's hard to explain that feeling to someone who hasn't lived with it.