Gas or coal forge?

[Bass Angler]

I am 17 and trying to get into blacksmithing but my biggest issue is whether to get a gas forge or a coal forge. I saw on Majesticforge.com a 5 burner LP gas forge for $600 and was wondering if this would be a good forge for knifesmithing/swordsmithing. But i have started the old brake drum forge project but the price of coal is too expensive. I just need some advice to get started on this wonderful hobby.

[MattBower]

Where do you live, and how much does coal cost there? Coal forges are much simpler and cheaper to build than gas forges, but that doesn't do you much good if you can't get coal at a reasonable price.

A 5-burner is much more than you need for knives. Most bladesmiths I know do just fine with one or two burners. And I'm not a swordsmith, but I suspect some of them are going to say that a 5-burner is more than you need for that, too. There's only a certain length of blade that you can forge in one heat. Something that size might be useful for heat treating or a few other occasional tasks, but right now there are probably better uses of your money. And anyway, you should probably spend time on knives for a while before trying to progress to swords. By the time you're ready, you'll probably have a better feeling for what you may need.

If you tell us where you are, you may discover that there's an old hand nearby who can shorten your learning curve a great deal.

Welcome to IFI!

[Bass Angler]

I live in Utah and i have checked around for coal but is there a certain kind of coal i need?

[MattBower]

I recommend finding some reasonably local smiths and talking to them about what's available in your area. There's coal in Utah, but I don't know the quality, or how easy it is to get. A good quality bituminous coal is what you want, ideally, but I've forged just fine with some pretty bad coal.

[Randy]

Check out the Bonnevile Forge Council in Utah: www.bfcsmiths.com

They can help you. They have classes, hammer-ins, a newsletter, etc.

[ThomasPowers]

As was mentioned, except for heat treat---a very small part of forging a blade, you only want to heat up as much as you can work at one go. Otherwise you get extra unnecessary grain growth, loss of mass through scaling and decarburization. So a 5 burner forge would be like driving a huge dumptruck that gets 2 miles per gallon to go back and forth to school---sure you could and maybe once or twice a year it might come in handy but most of the time you are throwing money away doing it!

Have you read Hrisoulas' books yet? "The Complete Bladesmith, The Master Bladesmith, The Pattern Welded Blade" You can ILL them at the local public library; but if you want to bladesmith you'll want to own your own copies...*especially* if you want to do swordsmithing!

If you live in town: a propane forge and a Fisher Anvil will really cut down on the unruly mobs of neighbors with pitchforks and torches.

[Backwoods Blacksmith]

I strongly suggest a coal forge. This way you can learn to control your heat in a forgable area. You can wear yourself out by heating too much area and trying to forge it all. Bladesmithing is about control. Don't heat more than you can beat. Now if your neighbors object than coal is out. If so build yourself a small gas forge and purchase a good burner. There are several examples of home built forges on this site. As you skills grow than your equipment can grow with it. It is not what you have but what you can do with it.