Went with a coal forge over gas and man did I underestimate the learning curve

I spent about 6 months saving up and went back and forth between a coal forge and a gas one. Ended up grabbing a used coal forge off a guy in Ohio for $300 because it was cheaper and I liked the idea of traditional fire control. First week was rough, I couldn't keep a consistent temp and burned through way more fuel than I expected. After about 3 tries I finally got a decent fire going and welded a simple hook without it falling apart. Anyone else start on coal and regret it before it clicked for you?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.taylor22d ago

Buddy I know exactly what you mean. I ran a coal forge for about a year before I felt like I could actually predict what the fire was going to do. That first month I was ready to just give the whole setup away because I kept getting frustrated with hot spots and cold spots. It's funny how something that looks so simple on YouTube turns into a whole battle when you're standing in front of it. Stick with it though because once you get that fire dialed in and know how to read the color you'll never want to go back to gas.

rubybarnes22d ago

Wait wait wait... you drove to Ohio and paid $300 for a used coal forge and you're telling me the guy just had it sitting in his garage? That's wild, I can't believe someone let that go for that cheap. @fisher.taylor is right about the struggle though, I remember my first coal fire I ended up turning half the shop into a smoke cloud because I didn't have the draft right and had to wave a piece of cardboard around like a fool. Once you get that sweet spot where the coal is coked and the fire's dancing blue you'll be hooking everything in sight.