Switched from propane to coal last spring and wont go back

I used to fight with my propane forge all the time trying to get even heat on longer pieces. After 6 months of that nonsense I grabbed a $60 coal forge off Facebook Marketplace and the difference in control is night and day. Anyone else make the switch and find it way easier to manage?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_aaron22d ago

You know, @nora_park, I used to think coal was just too dirty to bother with. But after fighting with propane for a year on big projects, I picked up an old rivet forge for $40 and never looked back. The soot is real, sure, but I found a cheap attic fan and open both garage doors while I work, plus a magnetic strip on the forge catches most of the dust. The heat control on a solid coal fire beats propane hands down for me.

nora_park22d ago

60 pounds of coal dust in my garage every month and soot on everything within 20 feet made me go back to propane pretty quick. Cleanup alone is a dealbreaker for me.

the_aaron22d ago

Tell you what, @nora_park, the soot talk reminds me of when I helped my uncle clean out his old blacksmith shop after he passed. The place was thick with it, like walking into a chimney. He swore by a bucket of water sitting right next to the forge, said it kept the fine dust from floating up. Your 60 pounds of coal dust would've filled his whole shed twice over, but he'd probably just tell you to shovel faster and stop complaining about a little character on the walls.