Had to pick between a coal forge and propane for my shop, no regrets but heads up

William Price · 2026-09-07T13:25:27.648205+00:00

I ran a coal forge for 6 years back in Ohio, then had to set up a new shop here and the budget only covered one setup. I went with propane because of the garage venting situation, no smoke complaints from the neighbors, and I can fire it up in 10 minutes instead of 20. But the heat is just different, coal gives you that soft, even glow that makes drawing out leaf shapes feel natural. Propane hits hard and hot, I burned two blades last month trying to match my old rhythm. If you are switching, take a weekend to relearn your heat colors, don't just trust the gauge. Anyone else make the jump and find the soak time on thicker stock is way trickier?

Librear

Loading…

Had to pick between a coal forge and propane for my shop, no regrets but heads up | Blacksmiths - Librear