Finally came around on using a coal forge over gas

I've been running a gas forge for about 5 years now and always thought coal was just messy and outdated. Then last month I was at a hammer-in in Nashville and watched a guy named Bill do a demo with a coal forge. He said 'gas forges heat the air around the metal, coal forges heat the metal itself' and it just clicked. I tried it myself on a small billet and the center of the steel got hot way faster than my gas forge could manage. Has anyone else noticed a big difference in how coal handles thicker stock compared to gas?

2 comments

2 Comments

james5331mo ago

Gas heats the whole billet fine. Coal just burns your hands more.

coleman.jamie1mo ago

I burn my hands on gas too, I think it's me not the coal.