Visited the Biltmore Estate forge and got a reality check

Watched their smith draw out a 1-inch bar into a hinge in about 8 heats. Made me realize I've been wasting time on the anvil with bad hammer control. Anybody else get humbled watching a pro work?

2 comments

2 Comments

keith_rivera1915d agoMost Upvoted

Bet that pro learned on a coal forge too, which hits different than gas for heat control. What kind of setup are you running?

alice_hart15d ago

You know what, @keith_rivera19, I used to be a total gas forge snob. I thought coal was just messy and old school. But then I watched a buddy of mine forge a whole set of tongs on a coal fire, and the way he could dial in a specific heat spot way faster than I ever could on my propane burner totally made me rethink everything. Now I'm running a hybrid setup with a small gas forge for light work and an old rivet forge for heavy stock, and I'm still getting the hang of it.