henry101•29d agoMost Upvoted

Coal vs propane for beginners: which one do you push?

I started on coal a year ago and couldn't get the fire even. Switched to a propane forge I built from a kit last month and my welding improved fast. Is it better to learn on coal for the skill or just skip to propane like I did?

3 comments

3 Comments

terrymitchell29d ago

Propane's just cheating with training wheels, isn't it?

linda_clark28d ago

My uncle tried to get me into coal forging when I was 15, showed up at his place with three different types of coal and a lecture about how propane would ruin my "feel" for the metal. I spent three hours that day trying to get his forge hot enough to do anything and ended up burning through a whole bag of charcoal briquettes by accident. Next week I bought a beat-up Mr. Heater from a garage sale, hooked it up to a propane tank from my grill, and made a halfway decent bottle opener my first try. I mean, I get the appeal of doing it the old way, but maybe your training wheels should have working brakes before you start judging other people's setup.

marymorgan29d ago

Not gonna lie, that "training wheels" take feels a bit gatekeepy to me. Plenty of folks get into smithing later in life or with less time to mess around with finicky fires. If propane gets a beginner making good welds and actually enjoying the craft instead of getting frustrated, that's a win in my book lol. Coal definitely teaches you some valuable lessons about heat control and patience, but it's not for everyone right out of the gate. The important thing is you're learning and making stuff, not how you heat your metal.