Coal vs gas forge debate - I'll take my $40 coal forge any day

Everyone in my local group swears by gas forges, saying they're cleaner and easier. But I picked up a used coal forge for 40 bucks at a farm auction last spring and it changed my whole setup. Thing is, coal gives me way better heat control for damascus billets and I don't have to deal with propane lines freezing in winter. Sure, I spend an extra 15 minutes cleaning clinker out each session, but that's worth it to me. Anyone else running coal and getting hate for it?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanec618d ago

Dang, you got a coal forge for forty bucks? That's a steal... I remember my first forge was an old brake drum I found at the dump. Took me two weekends just to get the draft right in the chimney. But you know what, that thing taught me more about heat treating than any fancy gas setup ever could.

wilson.olivia7d ago

Gas forges do have one big advantage though. You can walk away from them for a few minutes without worrying about your fire dying or getting too hot. That extra time you spend cleaning clinker might not be worth it if you need to multitask in the shop.

wendy_lee487d ago

Man thats exactly how I feel about my old coal setup. Picked mine up from a retired farrier for 30 bucks and it came with a hand crank blower. Yeah I get crap from the gas guys too but honestly the heat soak you get from coal is just different. I can stack billets in there and hot spots don't mess me up like they did on my friends gas forge. And that winter freeze thing is real - nothing worse than a regulator icing up when its 10 degrees outside.