Had to choose between a gas forge and a coal forge when I started out, went with gas and honestly regret it a bit

Tbh when I first got into blacksmithing about two years ago, I had to pick between a gas forge or a traditional coal forge. I went with gas because everyone online said it was cleaner and easier to control, which is true for the most part. But ngl, after watching a buddy at a local shop in Denver use his coal forge, I realized I was missing out on that deeper heat for heavier stock. My gas forge works great for smaller stuff like hooks and knives, but when I tried to forge a 1 inch round bar for a gate project, it took forever to get it hot enough. Coal gives you that focused heat zone that gas just can't match for bigger work. Has anyone else felt like they picked the wrong setup starting out?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_david24d ago

Man have you tried messing with the burner setup at all? I ran into the same problem with my gas forge when I tried to heat up some 1.5 inch stock for a treadle hammer project. What finally helped me was adding a second burner and some kaowool to really trap the heat in. I still think coal has that raw stubborn heat that gas just doesn't quite match for the big stuff though.

rowank6924d ago

@the_david kaowool is great but you still need rigidizer on it or that stuff gets in your lungs bad.