Went with a hand forge over a gas forge and it cost me 3 hours per shoe

I had to choose between a gas forge for speed or a hand forge for control back when I set up my shop last spring. Picked the hand forge because my mentor swore by it, and now every shoe takes me about 30 minutes extra to shape. The control is nice for tricky hoof angles, but I'm losing 3 hours a day on heat cycles alone. Anyone else switch from hand to gas and notice a big difference in their daily output?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_eric22d ago

Wouldn't you know it, I was the same way until I finally borrowed a buddy's gas forge for a week? Now I can't believe I spent all that time waiting on heat cycles.

scott.miles22d ago

Man, I've got a buddy who swore by his coal forge for years... said he liked the "tradition" of it all. Then he helped me move some steel one weekend and used my gas setup for maybe two hours. Next thing I know he's selling his coal forge on Craigslist and driving two towns over to pick up a used gas one. He called me later that night saying he couldn't believe he'd been messing with clinkers and waiting for heat for that long. Guess some things you just gotta try to see the light on, you know?