Finally gave in and tried a propane forge after years of coal

I always thought propane forges were cheating somehow, but my buddy Dave let me use his at his shop in Akron last weekend. After 4 heats on a 2 inch round bar, I was really surprised how even the temp stayed across the whole piece. The quiet was the weirdest part though, no blower noise at all. Has anyone else switched and actually stuck with it long term?

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skyler_craig4mo ago

I read on the blacksmithing subreddit last week that a guy switched to propane after 20 years of coal and said he'd never go back, mainly because of the temp control. That quiet part you mentioned got me too when I tried my buddy's setup, it's almost unsettling not having that blower hum going. But man, the even heat across a 2 inch bar is no joke, I can see how that saves a ton of time on big stock. Still feels a little like cheating to me, but I keep eyeballing those Mr. Volcano kits online.

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taylor.betty4mo ago

That quiet takes some getting used to, just like when they switched from manual to automatic transmissions.

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