I thought a coal forge was just old school hype until I tried one last fall

For the first 5 years I only used a propane forge, thinking it was cleaner and easier to control. A friend in Toledo let me use his hand-cranked coal forge for a weekend project. I was shocked at how fast I could get a precise, localized heat on a piece of 1-inch square stock, something that always took longer with my gas setup. The way you can push the coal around to focus the fire changed how I approach scroll work. Now I'm thinking about building a small coal setup in my own shop. Has anyone else made the switch and found it better for certain kinds of work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_eric1mo ago

Yeah, the smell is half the fun.

cora3651mo ago

I always figured coal forges were just messy and old fashioned. But that part about getting a fast, precise heat on thick stock is exactly what I found too. I borrowed one to fix an old gate hinge and the control was totally different, like painting with heat. It made me rethink a lot of my old assumptions.

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gibson.mark22d ago

Honestly it's just a different way to heat metal. I get the appeal for a one-off repair but setting one up for regular use seems like a huge pain. You're dealing with ash, storing coal, all that mess. For most stuff my little propane forge gets it hot enough, and I'm not cleaning up for an hour after. It's a cool skill but calling it a game changer feels like a stretch.