My granddad's forge had me rethinking modern techniques last night

My nephew came by my shop and watched me work, then asked why I don't use a gas forge like everyone else. He pointed at my coal forge and said 'that thing looks like it belongs in a museum'. It got me thinking about how much the trade has shifted in just my lifetime. Has anyone else here gone back to an older method after trying the new way?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrew7781mo ago

Granddad's coal forge ain't a museum piece, it's a tool that still works fine. Sure, gas is cleaner and easier to light, but it mutes the fire. With coal you feel the heat in your bones, you read the flame colors, you know exactly where the steel sits. That stuff matters when you're doing a weld or trying to draw out a tang. Gas gets you hot, but coal gets you dialed in.

karenp111mo ago

Yeah, but come on, @andrew778. I respect the tradition, I really do. But saying gas mutes the fire feels like saying a modern oven mutes the flavor of a roast. It just gives you more control. I don't miss guessing flame colors in a cloud of smoke. I get dialed in with a regulator and a precise temp. Different strokes, I guess.