Picked a coal forge over gas for my first setup, kinda regretting it

I went with a coal forge because it was cheaper upfront about $200 versus $600 for a gas one, but after 3 months of fighting with airflow and clinker I'm wondering if I made the wrong call. Anyone else started with coal and switched to gas later?

2 comments

2 Comments

angela_dixon1mo ago

Man I was totally with the gas-only crowd for years. My buddy Mike had a coal forge and it drove me crazy how much time he spent babysitting the fire. But then I actually spent a whole weekend at his shop working with it and something clicked. The heat just feels different, more consistent once you get the airflow right. Took me three tries to get a decent fire going without clinker problems but now I get why people stick with it. Definitely not easy at first but man once you get it dialed in it's really satisfying.

parkerkim1mo ago

I heard a master smith say coal forges teach you more about steel in one month than gas does in a year.