Can you use wood in a coal forge?

What kind of wood is best for forging? Any kind of dry wood will work: scrap pallets, small branches, firewood, old boards, etc. Avoid wood that may have been exposed to chemicals like pressure treated woods or pallets used for hazardous materials.

What is cheaper gas or coal forge?

Depending on the type of smithing that your doing gas is also generally considered more expensive than coal. The biggest drawback to most gas forges is the limited size of the forge itself.

What is the best fuel for a forge?

Coal and propane are the most typical fuels used in blacksmith forges. On the East Coast, coal is readily available and therefore more affordable than on the West Coast. Coal burns more efficiently and hotter than wood. Because of its efficiency, the volume of coal needed is substantially less, too.

Can you use BBQ charcoal in a forge?

Charcoal is considered the least desirable fuel when blacksmithing. While readily available, charcoal may not even reach the necessary temperature to soften iron and steel without a lot of fuel and constant airflow. You can burn through a lot of charcoal quickly and still not achieve the proper temperatures.

What burns hotter coal or charcoal?

With this said, charcoal is said to produce an even more energy efficient fire which burns hotter and longer than coal ever could. Although carbon monoxide can be created during the incomplete combustion of coal, it is released in high levels when charcoal is burned.

Wood Fired Blacksmith Forge

Can wood fuel a forge?

As you prepare the fuel for your forge, consider the amount of surface area of the wood. A large chunk of wood does not have as much exposure to oxygen as the same piece will when it is split smaller. The more surface area you have, the faster your wood will become charcoal and make a hot fire.

How hot does a coke forge get?

Heating The Metal

The result is coke, a fuel that is almost entirely carbon allowing us to reach temperature of 3,000 to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the core of the fire! Fire this hot can quickly get the metal up to welding temperatures at about 2,500 degrees.

How do you make a homemade charcoal forge?

Is blacksmithing an expensive hobby?

Blacksmithing costs between $2,000 to $5,000 to start. It's a great hobby, but it can be a bit pricey. You need an anvil, hammers, a forge, tongs, vices, safety gear, and the right clothing before you begin. You will need a used metal or new steel.

What is the best refractory for a forge?

Highly flux resistant! This material works really well for coating an Inswool lined forge for protection against flux when forge welding. This is one of the most flux resistant coatings we have found to date!

What coal is best for blacksmithing?

Bituminous Coal

Bituminous is the coal-of-choice for the blacksmith. It is a soft, mid-grade, black coal. Mined from deeper mines than lignite, it burns much more cleanly. When burning coal in the forge, we keep a “stock pile” of wet coal on the sides of the fire.

What is forge coke?

FORGING COKE. Maximum heat, famously clean burning, and low clinker. Premium Metallurgical COKE burns much hotter and cleaner than coal. Especially processed and sized for use in blacksmith and farrier forges.

Can you forge with a propane torch?

For this weekend, it's time to build yourself a miniature forge out of a propane torch and a fire brick. You should be able to get most of the parts for this build at your local hardware or appliance store. Having a forge will allow you to anneal knives, or even take up the hobby of blacksmithing.

How do you make a coal forge hotter?

Do blacksmiths use coal or charcoal?

2. Bituminous Coal. What is this? This soft, black fossil fuel is the preferred forging coal of most blacksmiths.

How hot can a homemade forge get?

The maximum temperature of an atmospheric forge is 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit, reminds Heinz Glaser of Hypona Horse Care Products. “It makes no difference how many burners you have in your forge,” he says.