I was wondering what type of coal is the best to forge with. We heat my house with a coal stove and buy coal in bulk for that purpose. I was told that coal comes in 3 sizes and that there are different types of coal with their own properties. I want to know if the coal we order for our stove is good to use in a forge or just generally what coal is preferred by blacksmiths. We get chestnut sized pieces and they are smooth in texture and shiny in appearance, Im not sure if that helps but thats all I know about it. Im sure the coal we get would be able heat the material but I don't want to use an inferior type that could cause problems with my forge or my work piece. Any advice or explanation on what coal to use and how to identify it would be very appreciated. Thank you very much.

Hi Vincent, basically you can use any type of coal to forge with, some perform better than others and all have their own chracteristics, some give a radiant heat, others a more local intense heat, some produce loads of clinker, others a smaller amount.

I would suggest trying it and see if it works for you, if there is someone local who has some smithing experience have a word and possibly a demo with them using the fuel in question

Good luck on your new journey

You might want to PM stewartthesmith, on IFI. he gets his coal from Pa and can probably answer your question from his experiences with that coal. Hope this helps. :D

No guarantee that "stove coal" in PA is anything like "stove coal" in NM. In general you want a high BTU, good coking, Bituminous coal; but as mentioned folks have forged with everything from peat to anthracite (though the farther out from the "good coal" center you go the more "interesting" it gets to make it work.)

Out where you are Pocahontas and Sewell seam are names to conjure by!

Thank you everyone for your response, I guess the only way to know for sure is to try. I will ask around and see where other local smiths get their coal from. Thanks again.

Vincent: Give it a try . . . if you already have it in your basement - what's to loose ?

Do you have a forge or are you just thinking about getting into blacksmithing ?

I have a great little hand cranked forge and a terrific anvil, but sadly I don't have a place to set them up. I've done a few very basic projects at a friends house and really enjoyed the experience and immediately decided this is something I want to do. Right now Im at the point of gathering what I need to start at home as well as looking for classes in the area but need a little guidance.

We, as American's, put a lot of emphasis on the type of coal we use. The master smiths from the past used whatever fuel they could get. And look what kind of work they turned out. I use "blacksmith" coal, stove coal, and some boiler coke that is over 100 yrs old. Use what you can readily get at an affordable price.

Hi, I'm new to these forums. I wanted to add in here that when I was a chemical inspector I had access to free refined coke by the trucks full, and now that I'm out and started getting into smelting Iron, I have none. Right now, I've found some natral coal, but it's a slight inconvience to get as It's in the mountains. My question is that would it be best to take these coals and put them in as rock forums, or crush them? Would the same amount of coal work more effent as coal or small grain?

Also a master blacksmith told me he wanted to try pouring raw unrefined crude oil into his project as a test to turning it into carbon steel. Anyone know if this is infact a proven method? Right now I'm all curious ears.

I was wondering what type of coal is the best to forge with. We heat my house with a coal stove and buy coal in bulk for that purpose. I was told that coal comes in 3 sizes and that there are different types of coal with their own properties. I want to know if the coal we order for our stove is good to use in a forge or just generally what coal is preferred by blacksmiths. We get chestnut sized pieces and they are smooth in texture and shiny in appearance, Im not sure if that helps but thats all I know about it. Im sure the coal we get would be able heat the material but I don't want to use an inferior type that could cause problems with my forge or my work piece. Any advice or explanation on what coal to use and how to identify it would be very appreciated. Thank you very much.

Hey Vincent-I'm in SE PA, picked up some nut coal from a stove guy, it was anthracite- not the best for smithing. There's a supplier in Smoketown, just down the road from Intercourse who has good smithing bituminus in bags or bulk. Don't recall the name now, but shouldn't be hard to find. You would do well to look into PABA (pablacksmith.org)- good group of guys, full of info and know-how.

Steve

you can use any fire thats hot to heat steel,...even a camp fire. hard coal has a tendency to pop when to much air is introduced but a hand crank blower should be ok. When you get going you will need soft coal or coke to get large pieces to a welding heat, if you already have anthracite use it !!!..... get started,....I used to set it up in front of my house in the street I even have a picture of me forging horse shoes at columbus circle in N.Y. city,...(when my hair and beard were black)