The shift from coal to gas forge changed my hammer control

I ran a coal forge for 14 years until last spring, then switched to a gas setup at my shop in Boise. The steady heat made me stop rushing my strikes, and now my scrollwork is cleaner than it ever was, anyone else find their rhythm changed after swapping fuel sources?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_charlie23h ago

The same thing happened when I switched from a manual truck to an automatic, I stopped thinking about the gear changes and started paying attention to the road. It's funny how removing one kind of friction lets you focus on the actual craft instead of just keeping up. Most of us spend years fighting the tool before we realize the tool was making us better in a way we never expected.

rivera.emma6h ago

Honestly I get what you're saying but I gotta disagree a little. When I moved from a stick shift to an auto years ago, it didn't make me pay more attention to the road, it made me lazy. I started drifting on the highway, messing with the radio, eating fries, all that stuff. The manual forced me to stay engaged, like my hands and feet were doing this thing that kept my brain in check. It's like the difference between typing on a keyboard that clicks versus a mushy one, sure the mushy one is easier but I end up making more mistakes cause I'm not feeling the feedback. The friction wasn't the enemy, it was the thing keeping me honest.