Coal or Gas forge?

D

Deerpig

Joined
Oct 2, 2014
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When I first started building a forge, I automatically went for a coal forge, but I've recently been reading about how fast people use coal in their forges, and how many times people have to refill their propane tanks. I'm no longer sure which one suits my interests.
Coal is around 40$/40# bag.
Propane is about 129$/100lb tank.
Neither are very convenient to get, which would make refilling propane a pain. I'm a beginner bladesmith, and wouldn't be using the forge over 4 hours each day.
I wouldn't be creating Damascus, nor would I be forge welding.

Which is better for my needs?(and wallet)
 
Welcome to Shop talk. Filling out your profile is a good thing. It helps us give better answers.

Propane isn't anything near that cost here. At 100 pounds, many propane companies will come out and refill your tank. A 250 gallon or larger tank is also really cost effective in the long run.

This subject has been discussed many times. Propane wins every time.
here is the BF search engine:
https://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=011197018607028182644:qfobr3dlcra
 
Thank you for replying! I agree that a gas forge is probably the best way to go, but they're expensive to buy, and I don't know how hard they are to build. I doubt I could have refills out here, I'm pretty far away from civilization.
 
If you're into reenactments or historical blacksmithing then coal/coke/charcoal. You can use a very simple pit forge with these fuels. The fuel is easier to store than the gas tank.
Otherwise, the gas forges are pretty much the choice of most knife makers.
 
Propane forge is pretty easy to build. I just put one , actually 2 together, that are 4 times more efficient than the one I have been using for 15 years. If it were not for the fact my old forge is so controllable I would get rid of it. I spent less than $200 for everything and that includes a good regulator. Around here a 100lb tank can be filled, 20 gallons, for $60. My small forge will last me for 70-80 hours. Not sure how long my larger forge will last, probably 40-50 hours. My old forge was good for 16-18. So $60 for a full week or two of work is not bad at all.

When I was using coal I would go through at least 50lbs a day of heavy forging (damascus). Light forging half that.

I can get all my propane forges plenty hot enough to forge weld.
 
If you have internet, and electricity, and can get mail...I doubt any place in WA is too far away to get propane. What city/county do you live in? I bet they even deliver propane to Okanogan :)

I have observed that the rural places are regularly serviced by a propane truck, because they don't have piped in gas and electricity is often disrupted in storms. The folks out there usually have propane back-up power and heat...which makes a delivery route likely.

At the worst, you can take your 100 pound cylinder into town or to the local gas station ( many refill propane tanks and vehicles) when getting supplies for the month.
 
I'm pretty far off the beaten path and the gas man comes out to fill my 350 gallon shop tank once a year. That said, I really used to enjoy using coal, not for damascus, but general forging...
 
Learning how to use coal is great experience. It teaches you a lot about fire and heat control. Also if you have the opportunity to demonstrate sometime coal may be the only option. I like using coal but it is just not practical for me.
 
I just built a gas forge for the grand total of $70 and it takes steel to a brilliant orange within a minute or two. And I still have not put my ITC100 in there yet, I need more free time :( It is made from 8-inch stove pipe from the hardware store and the inside has a 2-inch layer of Kaowool coated with Satanite. The floor is a firebrick I convinced the ceramics prof at my university I needed for free :p That tuition money at work... The burner I also made myself out of a piece of 3/4" steel pipe and some 1/4" brass pipe. It is a venturi burner but still gets more than hot enough for what I need. As far as propane costs I have been running it off and on from a small BBQ tank for probably 5 hours total and the tank is still pretty heavy, though that is not the worlds best measure of fuel consumption. Best thing about it is how cool it stays, within 15 minutes of turning it off I can chuck it in the car and hold it in my hands. There is a ring of duct tape on the outside that is none the worse for wear after running it for a few hours. Supplies needed are 8" Stove pipe, 8" pipe cap, 2x12x24" Kaowool, 5 lbs of Satanite, a fire brick, and a few hours for the forge itself.

Pics!http://imgur.com/a/kM1fO
 
Taking all this into consideration, I think I'll try using coal for a while, until it gets too expensive. Then I might try switching to Propane. Thank you all for your help!
 
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