evan51•11d ago

Changed my mind about coal after visiting a shop in Kentucky

Honestly, I always thought coal was outdated and gas was the way to go for welding. Then I stopped by a little forge in Bowling Green last month and watched a guy work a piece of railroad spike into a knife. The way the coal fire let him keep consistent heat without fiddling with regulators really caught my eye. He told me he pays like $40 for a ton of coal that lasts him 6 months. Has anyone else gone back to coal after trying gas for a while?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren30111d ago

Read something similar on a blacksmithing forum a while back. This old timer was saying how with coal you can really feel the heat soaking into the metal, not just blasting it with a torch. He broke down the cost difference too. Gas gets pricey if you're running a forge for hours, but a scoop of coal goes a long way. Plus you don't have to mess with noisy regulators or worry about a tank running out mid project. Kinda makes me want to try a coal forge myself just to see if the control is that much better.

barnes.kai9d ago

That old timer's got it right. I did the same thing a few years back, switched to a coal forge for a weekend project and never looked back, the heat control is just so much more forgiving when you're shaping thicker steel.