Tried a gas forge vs coal forge for the first time last weekend

I've been using a gas forge for about 6 months and borrowed a buddy's coal forge to try. The coal forge got my steel way hotter way faster for my damascus billet but dang the smoke and cleanup took forever. Anyone else prefer one over the other for certain projects?

2 comments

2 Comments

sammurray1mo ago

Did you get the same insane scale buildup on your steel?

michael6931mo ago

oh man, my buddy rick had that exact problem. he was forging a set of railroad spike knives and the scale was coming off in thick flakes, like tree bark. his whole shop floor looked like a zombie apocalypse of metal crust. he tried scrubbing it off with a wire wheel and it just kept coming, layer after layer. finally he just gave up on that batch and tossed them back in the forge to burn it off again. said it was the worst he'd ever seen, like the steel was allergic to air or something.