Switched to a coal forge after 6 years with propane, huge difference in steel feel

I finally made the jump to a coal forge last month after running a propane one since I started. Man, the heat control is totally different - with propane I had to mess with regulators and nozzles, but coal lets me just pile it on or spread it out. I picked up a used rivet forge from a guy outside Dayton for $150. The first knife I did was a 1084 chef blade, and the steel seemed to soak up the heat way more even than my propane setup. I had to learn to read the fire color better, took about 5 heats before I got it right. The scale is different too, flakes off easier when I brush it. Anyone else find the switch changes how your steel moves under the hammer?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_faith1mo ago

Nodded along reading this because I had the exact same learning curve when I tried coal a few years back, except I set my shop on fire twice before I realized I was piling it on wrong. The heat control thing is real though, I still occasionally forget and end up with a glowing horseshoe shaped like my own incompetence. What really got me was how much quieter the hammer ring sounds compared to propane, like the steel is actually happy to be there instead of just tolerating me.

the_derek1mo ago

Tracks the heat different too, coal leaves a softer spot in the steel if you're not careful.