Can we talk about the way we set our forge fire? I was doing it wrong for a decade.

I always piled my coke high for a fast heat, but a guy at the Oregon forge-in said he keeps his fire shallow and wide. He showed me a piece he'd just drawn out, and the color was way more even than mine ever gets. Which method do you all think is better for general forging?

3 comments

3 Comments

caseyc781mo ago

Honestly, a deep fire has always worked for me. Isn't the whole point to get that heat right where you need it?

dylan6041mo ago

Yeah but you're both missing how the metal itself changes... a deep fire heats the whole thickness slow and even, which is fine for simple stuff. But with a shallow pile, you're only putting serious heat into the top layers. That lets the bottom stay cooler and act like a heat sink, pulling heat away the second you stop. Gives you way less time to mess up before it cools and locks in.

kim7331mo ago

That shallow fire method gives you way more control over the heat zone. A deep pile can create hot and cold spots in your work. The even color on that guy's piece proves the point.