Put down the induction heater, picked up a coal forge

I was set on buying an induction heater for my small shop in Ohio, figured it was cleaner and faster. Then a guy I know who's been forging since the 70s let me try his coal forge at a demo last month. The way the heat soaked through a 1 inch round bar and the control I got with just the draft, that sold me. I got a used forge for $150 at a farm auction and spent a weekend rebuilding the firepot. Anyone else stick with coal after trying electric, or am I the only one who likes the mess?

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jadej501mo ago

Read a blog post last week from a smith in Kentucky who swore he could never go back to propane after trying coal for the first time. He said the coal lets you feel the metal in a way that gas just doesn't, something about the way the heat comes from all sides. I get that, even though I've only messed around with a friend's setup once. That draft control you mentioned is no joke, getting that even soak on a thick bar is way trickier with a gas burner.

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evan_cooper731mo ago

Do you really think switching from propane to coal changes the actual metal in your hands that much? I've seen plenty of guys get great results with either fuel, and a lot of it comes down to what they learned on first. The Kentucky guy's blog post sounds like it's heavy on feeling and light on any real proof that coal makes better steel. Heat is heat, and if you can read the color and the scale, you can feel the metal just fine with gas. All that talk about "heat from all sides" is true, but a good forge fire does the same thing if you set it up right. I'm not saying coal is bad, but I'd bet ten bucks that smith would go back to propane if his draft went wonky on a cold morning.

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