Is there any advantage to coal forges over propane? I currently have a Redco forge that needs new mantles. It works for what I'm doing so far but may have the opportunity to get a coal forge. I don't know anything about it but if the money is right would it be worth getting? I'm assuming that it would be somewhat similar to the 3rd picture.

Nevermind, found what I was lookin for.

Find a cheap fuel in your area and build a forge around that fuel.

The metal does not care how it gets hot, it just moves better hot.

 

Propane forges are limited to the forge design, while solid fuel forges can be modified for small or large fires depending on the size and shape of the stock being used. You can put a horse shoe into either forge if it will fit through the door. A 20 incvh scroll will not fit through the door of a propane forge. It will fit nicely on the coal forge.

As Glenn says there are advantages with a coal or coke hearth being able to heat one portion of a larger piece…but if you have access to an Oxy-Acetylene or Oxy-Propane torch that can sometimes be even more versatile.

It all depends upon the sort of work you do, your use and future use, and the other equipment you have, power hammer/press/ or purely hand work and etc. 

I still have a coke hearth but I have not lit it for a decade, I manage with a large and a small propane furnace. I just build a new furnace to cope with any particular project's requirements.

Gas furnaces (depending upon their design) can have huge advantages in being able to heat larger section and length workpieces evenly, to set and hold a given temperature and atmosphere so you can have a few pieces heating without worrying about burning the metal. Reduce the manpower/time required to tend a fire...

Propane is more expensive per kW than coke or coal but cheaper if you can capitalise on the convenience.

If you want a specific answer for your circumstances you will have to describe your circumstances...

Alan

Right now Lp is about $1 a gallon and won't rise much higher than that. Right now mostly what I'm doing is ornamental crosses, no welding, no tools. I may get the coal one to be more portable but that would be the only reason. Did more research that I should have done before I posted after I posted last night.

What size are the pieces you are working?

Forbidden

At the moment I'm making crosses that are about 8" by 16". This redco is probably too big for them but I can be working on 3 pieces at once.

That second one has been cleaned up a bit more.

Get the coal forge anyway.  They are fun to use.  

Did not get the coal forge, the guy we were talking to wanted to keep the tools in the family which is cool. Did get quite a bit of coal from him though which i shared with a dabbler friend of mine. What i did do was find this in one of our out buildings. Only problems are no grate in the coal pan and no fan in the blower.  Is it possible to get a fan for an old champion blower?

probably easier to make one.  It's a simple design.

I had thought about that. How critical is balance?

not very; it's a low speed system.  Though I did own one blower where they had put a rivet in a vane to help it balance better.

Thanks for the advice Mr. Powers

Keep your eyes open though, blowers like that aren't uncommon and that one can become a parts blower.

Air grates are simple affairs a few short lengths of round stock with a little spacer between them to make a little grate works a treat.

Frosty The Lucky.

As mentioned before, effecient use of gas required a forge desighned for the job at hand. My gasser is desighned to have 4 shoes loded in it, get them hot so you can get on with the job, at $100 an hour fuel eficency isn't priority one.  But a one brick forge is the thing if you are making nailes, small hooks, and small knives and such, wile a single hurner handles most everything else, ecept when you realy need to heat a foot of 2" to bright oreng.. Then you need a two burner... 

And dont forget the torch for adjusting those big scrolls.. 

 

Solid fuel forges arn't as specialized, and with proper firemanagement and a few tricks/hacks can be addapted to effecently heat many sizez and shapes of stock. 

This being said, they each have their proes and cons, your gasser is a beast! And I bet for certain jobs its the bomb, for others it is just over kill. The litle rivit forge will fill some of the gaps. Many smiths have more than one forge, just for effecency sake.  

Got the fan built for it after a broken bit, thread tap and several new combinations of 4 letter words. Luckily it's covered cause it turned out fairly ugly but moves quite a bit of air. I can't wait to get it clayed and shielded and play around with it.