A talk with my grandpa about his old coal forge

I was helping him clean out his garage last weekend, and he pulled out this rusty old rivet forge from the 1950s. I asked why he never switched to propane, and he just said, 'You can't feel the heat with gas.' He explained that with coal, you learn the fire's mood by its color and sound, and you have to work with it, not just turn a knob. It's not about being old school, it's about the connection. I've only ever used my modern two-burner, so I never thought about it that way. Has anyone else made the switch from gas back to solid fuel, or am I just hearing a cool story from a different time?

3 comments

3 Comments

carter.gavin2d agoProlific Poster

Your grandpa's onto something. That connection he talks about is real. I tried a coal forge once and it felt like a whole different skill, like you're part of the process instead of just running a tool. My gas forge is easier, sure, but it's kinda boring now. Makes me want to drag that old thing out and give it a real shot.

val9492d ago

I mean it's just heating metal, right? Maybe we're overthinking how deep the connection goes. It's still just a tool at the end of the day.

graydavis2d ago

That coal forge feeling is hard to explain to someone who hasn't tried it. It's more about reading the fire and the metal's color than just setting a dial. Do you think that extra step is what makes it feel less like a tool?