That week in '09 when the old forge finally gave out

I was working out of a rented shop in Lexington, and the old coal forge I'd used for 15 years just cracked down the middle on a Tuesday. It was the middle of a big job for a draft horse barn, and I had six sets of shoes to finish. I had to borrow time on a buddy's propane forge across town, hauling my steel back and forth for three days straight. The whole rhythm was off, the heat felt different, and I was sure I'd mess up the fit. But you know what? By Friday, I was getting a cleaner weld on the clips. It made me see how stuck I'd gotten in my ways. Anyone else have a tool break that forced a change you ended up liking?

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3 Comments

charlie_allen7mo ago

Did you ever go back to coal, or did you stick with propane after that?

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andrewross7mo ago

Stuck with propane after that first winter. The convenience won me over, even if coal gave a better heat sometimes. Been running the same propane setup for about five years now.

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rosel507mo ago

Andrewross has a point about propane's convenience! My old belt sander died mid-project and I switched to a disc grinder. Hated it at first, but the control is so much better. I was just used to the old way. Sometimes a broken tool is the push you need.

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