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Switched from coal to propane for my forge last spring
Used coal for 8 years at my shop outside Portland, got tired of dealing with clinkers and the smoke from neighbors complaining. Bought a Whisper Baby forge from Diamondback in March and it took me a month to get used to the heat control difference. Has anyone else here switched fuel types and struggled with the learning curve for a bit?
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paul28621d agoOG Member
Six weeks after I switched I went to adjust a hot piece with my bare hand. Not my glove, my bare hand. The brain just forgets after eight years of touching hot metal with leather on and expecting it to be fine. Coal let you get away with a lot of dumb stuff because the heat was so damn lazy. Propane will remind you in about half a second that you are a soft meat sack. My left thumb still has a little white scar from that day. It's my reminder to slow down and let the gas valve do the work instead of my instincts.
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theac6328d ago
First week with propane I melted a pair of tongs because I forgot how fast that flame ramps up compared to coal. Went from a nice orange heat to puddle in about 45 seconds. My neighbor saw me staring at the molten tips and asked if I was making abstract art. Took me a solid three months before I stopped treating the gas valve like it was a coal shovel.
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