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I think everyone is wrong about using a gas forge for Damascus. My coal setup in the garage made better patterns last week.
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averyc946mo ago
Heard a buddy say the same thing last year... he fought with his gas forge for months trying to get those wispy patterns right. Switched back to a homemade coal rig in his shed and the very next billet looked like a different world. Something about the heat and the way you can move the steel around in the coal just does it. He still uses gas for a lot of things, but for real pattern depth, he won't touch it now.
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henderson.hayden6mo ago
My buddy's gas forge setup in Toledo gets insane pattern depth with a few tweaks. He runs it a bit rich and uses a baffle to control the atmosphere, which gives him way more control than coal ever did. Honestly averyc94, I think the skill is in tuning your tools, not the fuel itself.
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sarahscott6mo ago
Gas forges get a bad rap for no good reason. That control over the atmosphere is the whole point, you can dial in exactly what you need for each steel. averyc94's friend probably just didn't have his gas setup figured out yet. Fighting with a tool for months means you're still learning it, not that the tool is bad. A well tuned gas forge removes so many variables that coal introduces. It lets you focus on the work instead of constantly managing the fire.
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brian_hart4mo ago
Nah, sorry, I'm with averyc94 on this one. Gas is fine for general work but coal just hits different for pattern welding. You can feel the heat soaking in more even. That atmospheric control stuff sounds good on paper but real forge welds need that variable heat you get from moving steel through coal. A gas forge gives you a static hot zone, coal lets you chase the fire. I've seen too many guys fight gas forges trying to get that old school damascus look.
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