coal or gas?

T

tuesday

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Mar 10, 2009
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I was recentley told that a gas forge is a much better to use for a beginer than a coal forge for knife making? Is this true and why is it better?
 
I began my Bladesmithing career with a coal forge, and after almost 10 years switched to gas. Why? Because at that time I moved to Montana, and could not find decent forging coal. After using gas for a short while I wish I would have made the switch years ago. Cleaner, consistent, easy to control, easy to acquire, and just all around better for forging blade steels.

There is a fairly large learning curve with coal. By that I mean that just tending the fire, is a art unto itself. A gas forge will give a beginner a huge leg up, simply because once you acquire/build a gas forge, and get it setup/tuned, there is very little you will have to do, which means you can concentrate on learning how to heat/forge the steel, rather than dividing your attention between what your working on, and maintaining a coal fire.

I remember a statement I read back when gas forges first came on the scene, and it has stuck with me to this day.....

"The best thing about gas forges......no more black boogers!!" :)
 
I got the black..boooger...blues...

images




http://www.beautifuliron.com/thefire.htm
 
Ed covered it quite well, and I would only add that maintaining a coal fire is indeed an art unto itself, and sadly it is an art that we are losing, so many new guys are going with gas or rushing through the learning with coal that the fire skills are suffering. And this itself is giving coal an undeserved bad rap. A really good smith using coal well is something to behold and admire, and is an art worth preserving.

One other side note on the cost thing. Coal forges can be quicker and cheaper to build, and when gas forges first came out many sold them as cheaper to run (perhaps they were at the time, I cannot remember the price of LP at the time, but now...:eek:), but I found that if you have a nearby source of coal there is not a significant difference in the cost.

Since I am actually a bit of a romantic I stubbornly held out for years, but just 3 months ago I finally gave up the struggle and in order to reclaim precious shop space I wheeled my coal forge outback and covered it, I will probably sell it (anybody in MI lokking for a good table forge;)) and just keep a couple of rivet forges around for when I get nostalgic. I hadn't lit the thing in over 5 years and that floor space is too valuable. Fire tending is a wonderful art, but I don't get paid to make coal into good clean coke, I get paid to make steel into blades and I can do that at least twice as fast if I am not spending all my time cleaning and fussing with a solid fuel fire. :(
 
Kevin, it may sound weird but when you talk about coal I get all teary eyed :(

i have been recently getting my fix "volunteering" at a historic colonial fort that is only 15 minutes away from my house, they even have a full size double lung bellows!
 
I have to agree that there is a certain level of romance with coal. I will admit that I still have a 5 gallon bucket of the "good" Cumberland/Elkhorn coal that I cut my forging teeth on. Every now and then I will take a couple of nuggets and set them just outside the opening of my gas forge so that the smell of burning coal fills the shop.....it takes me back to my beginnings.
 
I still run coal and have no gumption to change over to gas due to the cost of gas in my area. I pick up my pocahantas slack coal once per year at a ABANA blacksmith show here in Tipton county. I paid 15.00 per 50lb bag this year. I keep a 60 gallon barrell full of it year round. but I only forge on the weekends or maybe 3-4 hours through the week if it's cool enough. So I dont run through it like you full timer's would.

Jason
 
I have been working with Gary Eagle, who owns Knob Hill Forge. He has over 30 years experience as a professional blacksmith. He started on coal, then went to gas. However, he still always fires up the coal forge when he wants to forge weld. He swears that coal is cleaner for forge welding. He doesn't use coal though. He uses old wood charcoal that he scrounges after a logging operation does their slash burns. Apparently, letting the charcoal sit for a year before harvesting it makes it better. This is in Easter Washington where there isn't much rain, so you might not want to let it sit that long if you live somewhere that is wetter.

I didn't believe him until I made a damascus billet at his forge. I have been using propane for all my smithing and damascus work, however, I think I'm sold.

I know it contradicts what most people say about coal, so take it for what it's worth...about 10 cents! :)
 
My boys in Eastern Ky use coal 'cause it is FREE or nearly so. 'seems if you work for a mine the bosses look away at anything you can haul in your own PU truck. :D Plus all sorts of scrap steel free for the takeing, If you want to work at it, you can get all sorts of old WI from the old mines and narrow gauge RRs. Plus old scrap slate bars and stuff.
 
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