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Been told propane forges are lazy, but I switched from coal 6 months ago and my work got way more consistent
I learned on coal in a little shed behind my uncle's place in Ohio, and everyone online acts like propane is cheating. But after fighting with inconsistent heats and clinker for years, I grabbed a Devil Forge off Craigslist for $150. The first few weeks I felt guilty, like I wasn't really blacksmithing. But the truth is, I can hold an even temp for folding damascus now without babysitting the fire every 30 seconds. My welds are cleaner too because I'm not guessing if the heat is soaking through right. Has anyone else made the switch and felt that weird shame about it, or am I overthinking this whole purist thing?
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jana_davis906d ago
My uncle would call me a traitor, but he also burns his coffee every morning.
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tylerr296d ago
Oh man, I feel this in my bones. I grew up on a hand-crank blower and a coal forge that was basically a hole in the ground, and I thought electric or gas forges were for people who didn't want to "earn" it. But after about ten years of fighting with wet coal and watching my steel get wrecked by hot spots, I finally bought a propane forge off a retiring smith. I felt like a traitor for a solid month. The thing is, my work got way better, and I stopped spending half my forge time just managing the fire. You're not overthinking it, that purist guilt is real, but at the end of the day, it's about the metal and what you make with it, not the fuel.
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