Coal vs propane forge, one taught me the hard way in February

I switched to a propane forge after burning through 80 pounds of coal in a single weekend at my shop outside Austin. The coal got hotter faster, but I spent more time cleaning clinkers and adjusting airflow than actually moving steel. Anyone else find that propane wins for small work, or am I just missing the old-school touch?

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danielwhite3d ago

Burning 80 pounds of coal in one weekend sounds like a lot, but that's kind of on you for running it that hard, not really proof that coal is worse. Coal and propane just do different things, and the clinker and airflow stuff is part of the deal with coal, not some hidden flaw you missed. Plenty of guys run coal for years because it hits welding heat for free once you figure out the fire, so the problem might just be the setup at your shop.

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