Old timer in Ardmore told me to use a coal forge for my first knife

He said gas forges make blades too brittle, and after 4 blades cracking on me I finally built a coal forge and got a solid heat treat on my first try. Anybody else run into old blacksmiths with strong opinions that turned out to be right?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia_miller241mo ago

Read the coal smoke though. Gas forges let you get distracted by the gauge, but coal smoke tells you exactly when your fire's running neutral or reducing. That's something guys who've been doing it since the 70s just know, and they're usually right about it.

bennett.noah1mo ago

Yeah that "gas makes blades brittle" thing sounds like something an old timer would say, but honestly? He wasn't wrong about coal giving you better control for heat treat. I fought with gas forges for months before a guy at a hammer-in showed me how coal lets you see the soak way easier - you can actually watch the color even out through the whole blade. The real trick is getting your fire right so you're not overheating the edge. I still use gas for stock removal stuff but for anything with a proper heat treat cycle I'm team coal all the way.