Used to think coal was the only way to forge. Got proven wrong.

I was dead set on coal forges for years. Thought gas was for hobbyists who didn't want to put in the work. Then a guy named Rick let me use his Venturi burner setup at a hammer-in outside Denver last fall. I welded a billet of 1084 and 15n20 in about 10 minutes with zero scale issues. That speed and control convinced me on the spot. I went home and built my own two burner forge the next weekend. Has anyone else switched fuels and found it changed how they work?

3 comments

3 Comments

hall.nora29d ago

Who else went full "coal or die" mode for years and then felt like an idiot after trying gas for the first time? I still have a bag of coal in my shed that's probably gonna outlast me at this rate.

gavin_reed29d ago

Oh man, you just called me out so hard. I had a whole coal setup in my garage for years, would spend every weekend splitting and stacking like I was preparing for the apocalypse or something. Then my buddy let me borrow his gas grill for a cookout and I literally stood there watching it hit temperature in like 10 minutes while my coal was still smoking and hissing and I felt so dumb. My shed still has a 40 pound bag of lump charcoal from 2022 that's probably gonna be a museum piece by the time I finally accept reality.

luna58929d ago

Bringing it back to @gavin_reed - have you noticed how nobody talks about the flavor difference in cold weather? I grilled a steak on gas in January and it still had that clean, even cook but my charcoal ribs from July always taste better to me. Something about the smoke just hits different when you mess with it. Maybe it's all in my head but I swear gas grills lose something in the winter months. Wonder if you noticed that switching over?