Switched from coal to propane for forging and I'll never go back

I was a die-hard coal guy for 8 years. Thought propane was for hobbyists who couldn't handle a real fire. Then last month I took on a rush order for 30 gate hinges and the coal fire kept giving me inconsistent heats. Broke down and borrowed a friend's propane forge for the job. Finished all 30 hinges in 2 days with maybe 5 minutes of scale clean up total. Coal leaves so much scale and you waste half your time managing the fire. Anyone else made the switch and found it changed how they work?

2 comments

2 Comments

rubyschmidt28d agoTop Commenter

Wait, you're telling me Dave actually kept a coal forge just for showing off? I can't get over how much time people waste managing a coal fire when they could be actually making stuff. How long did it take before he admitted propane was better for real work?

west.henry29d ago

My buddy Dave was the exact same way. He swore by his coal forge for almost ten years, said propane forges were for people who couldn't build a real fire. Then he got a big commission for some fancy fireplace tools and the coal kept messing up his heats. He finally caved and bought a propane setup just for that job. He called me after the first day laughing at himself, said he couldn't believe how fast he was working and how clean the metal came out. The scale difference was the thing that got him too, he said he spent more time scrubbing coal scale off than actually forging before. Now he only fires up the coal forge when he wants to feel nostalgic or show off for new guys at the shop.